A GIRL CALLED MURDER - Review

Title: A Girl Called Murder

Author: Kennedy Cannon

Goodreads Link

Rating: 5*

"They called us a murder, as in crows."

As a reader, I've read some bizarre books, some incredible ones, some questionable ones, and there are different ones. I've never figured out what makes them different but I always identify the feeling. No matter the subject, no matter the genre or theme, the writing always instils an overall calm feeling as I read it. As someone who suffers with anxiety, sometimes books can trigger an anxious response relating to my own anxious points. There were some points touched on in this book yet the calming effect chased away that and left me with this stillness to read. That's what happened when I read just the first page of A GIRL CALLED MURDER, and I knew I was in for one of the best reads of 2019--and was not disappointed.

I feel like if VE Schwab and Maggie Stiefvater had a lovechild book, you would get this book. It had all the dark, questionable aspects I've previously loved in a VE Schwab book, and all the there-ness of a Stiefvater book. (In the sense of when something bizarre happens, it's just there, it's normal, no explanation needed.) Tannyn Carter can grasp and wield fears, creating nightmares for anyone who antagonises her. It's portrayed as a quality she just has and often accidentally uses. There's never a reason as to why or how she can do this; she just does, and I really liked that about the story. It's magical realism at it's best: normalising this girl with a weird and fascinating thing about her.

Tannyn is surrounded by her "murder of crows", her four best friends: Jack, West, Theodore, and Eve--until Eve is brutally murdered--the irony, of course, is not lost. Each of the "crows" has a nickname, or a distinguishable feature. Tannyn has her nightmares, Theodore can bring his sister Eve back to life time and time again, Eve has her blonde hair and fearsome nature, West is the ever-present boy who is always there, and Jack is has the biggest heart of them all. After Eve's death, the murder of crows are at a loss, going through one faint motion to the next, stumbling through different parties just to take their minds off the death.

(Spoiler part) Until Theodore confesses his secret, and, therefore, his sister, Eve's reappearance. Through her return, the crows try to find her murderer--which turns into an incredible plot twist you never see coming. (Well, I didn't.) (End of spoiler)

There are two things that jumped out at me in this book: LGBTQ+ representation, and discernible smells of characters. That's how Tannyn sees the world: through their fears, and often those fears came with smells: smoke, chardonnay, hospitals, sugar, thunder storms, whiskey. Often those thoughts came paired with some sort of visual, to add depth to the fear Tannyn could wield, if she chose. Along with smells came subtle representation; as in, it wasn't made a "big deal" like others like to do when they think they're presenting the LGBTQ+ Community with something. In A GIRL WITH MURDER, there were at least six characters (four in the main circle of protagonists, the other two in a cannon relationship) shown in general terms of identifying. West was mentioned as having a chest binder, which I took to mean he was transgender; I felt like Jack was hinted at being bisexual due to several scenes, as well as Tannyn and Eve; and then there was the actual cannon gay relationship between Tannyn's older brother and his boyfriend. There was no stigma; just people, as it should be.

The way Kennedy Cannon has wound her book into this intricate, dark story was clever. It was a read I thoroughly enjoyed, and would happily reread over and over, just to spot more tiny details. The symbolism was wonderful and the meanings behind that was fun to read. The group of five friends was a comforting dynamic to learn and read about, making me yearn for the ups and downs of the Raven Boys, and the romance plaited into the bigger story left me always wanting more. It was the sort of push-pull romance that had me wanting them to just get together, whilst loving the teasing nature of it not being official.


A GIRL WITH MURDER is dark, twisty, and a very intense story, and you all should basically read it.