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sdcalgirl's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Criminal Minds in book form. So gripping and terrifying at the same time
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
betanine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The book opens right a disturbing scene of a teenage boy convincing a teenage girl to commit mutual suicide. Except this is a manipulation and he does not give himself a fatal cut. This is the most disturbing part of the book for me. That said, there are other scenes that are disturbing to read that are less detailed and pass more quickly.
The story moves quickly. There are times of introspection for the protagonist. He has his flaws that create conflict particularly with authority and familial characters. The story has a number of character and story elements that some will enjoy for their familiarity. Those who want characters to reflect real world people may find themselves frustrated with the direction the story takes in places.
I found the story of solving the mystery to be what I connected with most in this book.
The story moves quickly. There are times of introspection for the protagonist. He has his flaws that create conflict particularly with authority and familial characters. The story has a number of character and story elements that some will enjoy for their familiarity. Those who want characters to reflect real world people may find themselves frustrated with the direction the story takes in places.
I found the story of solving the mystery to be what I connected with most in this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Suicide
Moderate: Self harm and Torture
mepitts's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I was drawn to it because the author identifies as a person of faith but was disappointed to find that not only were the spiritual references subtle to the point of invisibility but conversely there were more detailed descriptions of “emotional and physical torture” than in any purely secular novels I have ever read. Also, as a coffee drinker who spent three years in Kenya, while it’s possible to identify coffees by nations, I find it VERY unlikely that someone could identify it by sub-region—too much variety in roasting, etc for that. It just seemed pretentious. And Spoiler may have been great for the plot in a novel but it would be a STUPID thing for a stepdad to do in real life. I’ll probably try one more novel in the series, but if it’s as gratuitously violent or as void in the spiritual subtext as this one, it will probably be my last. Hoping for the best!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
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