THE FESTIVAL
LOUISE MUMFORD
*****
Libby can’t believe her luck when she wins two tickets to the biggest event of the summer: Solstice, a music festival celebrating the longest day of the year.
Wanting to escape their problems for a few days, Libby, and her best friend Dawn head deep into the Welsh countryside for a weekend of sun, fun and festivities. But what promised to be an exciting trip quickly turns into Libby’s worst nightmare.
The scorching heat intensifies, the music becomes wilder, the people more unpredictable. When Dawn goes missing, Libby worries that something sinister has happened to her friend. And as Libby learns more about the festival’s dark origins, she begins to fear that something might happen to her too…
MY REVIEW
*****
I previously read and enjoyed ‘The Hotel’ by Louise Mumford, so I was excited to read her latest book – The Festival.
When Libby wins free tickets to Solstice – the biggest music festival of the summer, she is excited to go with her best friend Dawn. Her controlling mother has just died, and this feels like the perfect way to kick start her new life. However, Solstice is hiding some secrets of its own and as the sun beams down on the longest day of the year, things start to go horribly wrong…
The music festival is a great setting for this thriller - the crowds, the heat and the party atmosphere really worked well to juxtapose and enhance the tension of the story. The narrative alternates between Libby’s perspective in the present day, to flashbacks of the origin story of the festival and the strange family behind it. This worked well to give some context to the story and drip feed important information slowly.
I really liked the two main characters – Libby and Dawn, especially Dawn who seemed like a really great friend and just the person you’d want in your corner when you had trouble with your family. I liked the use of local myths and legends with the standing sisters and witch bottles. It’s a fast paced read that gripped me and kept my interest throughout. The ending really ramps up to an action-packed climax - it did get a little unrealistic towards the end, but I did enjoy it - you just need to suspend your disbelief.
Overall, The Festival is a fast paced read that I recommend. Thank you to NetGalley & HQ Stories for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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