Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Revenge List: A Novel by Hannah Mary McKinnon

4 reviews

sadiebugreads's review

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

for the first half of the book, i didn’t really enjoy it. but the latter part really picks up - and now i’m wondering if there’s a sequel! that cliffhanger!!!

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shortiebabe's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was my first read by this author, and was an almost DNF because of how horrible the main character,  Frankie Morgan, was throughout the majority of the story.  I did appreciate how she didn't take crap from men who treated her disrespectfully, especially in a male dominated field like construction. She had tenacity and  guts to stand up for herself, even to the point that it resulted in doing more harm than good in the situation.  If only she could take a step back,  breath deeply,  and think before she acted, but then again, we wouldn't have the story we have now. 
  
The plot had great potential, reminding me of Arya"s list in Game of Thrones, but wasn't executed as efficiently.  It wasn't really believable that after being angry and traumatized for almost 2 decades, she had an epiphany one day and was able to control her anger by the end of the story.  Lastly, the ending was predictable for the most part. 

I did love how fiercely she loved her brother and protected him at any cost.  

There could be a potential sequel with the way the book left off, but I'm not sure if I would have any desire to read it. We'l  cross the road if that ever happens...

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soobooksalot's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Got me again! 
Twists and reveals, right to the end! (Shouldn't I be getting smarter by now? Don't I read enough thrillers? Do I need a whiteboard to keep track of theories? An algorithm? A team of investigative minds on call and at the ready?)
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for my eARC for review.
Hannah Mary McKinnon's latest novel, The Revenge List, takes an anger management exercise and flips it.
Frankie (Francesca) Morgan's dad thinks she has rage issues. She goes to anger management classes on his request, and loses her notebook along the way. The notebook contains a list of those she feels need her forgiveness. 
Someone, though, has found it and made it into a hit list.
The Revenge List took me a bit to settle into. But once I got to the second half, the pace was set and I raced to the end. We are taken through Frankie's feelings of guilt and remourse, as well as her trove of secrets. 
Well done, once again Hannah - recommended!
Released on May 23.

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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4.5

 Finished reading: May 14th 2023


"No doubt in my mind, my past self was who I detested the most. I'd never forgive myself for the things I'd done, no matter how many times I attended these anger management sessions."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and MIRA in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I've been meaning to try more of Hannah Mary McKinnon's work after an excellent first experience with her writing last year, and I saw this blog tour for The Revenge List as the perfect opportunity to finally do so. The fact that the blurb of this newest psychological thriller sounds absolutely fascinating only made me want to read it more... And I've been looking forward to dive in. My expectations were high, and I have to say that they were more than met! I absolutely loved my time with this twisted and highly engaging psychological thriller.

The premise of The Revenge List hooked me from the very beginning: the main character Frankie with anger issues, the forgiveness a.k.a. revenge list, the people on that list mysteriously getting hurt... I mean, how can you not be intrigued by all that?! To make you even more invested, the story starts with a bang that will leave you wondering how on earth the story ends up escalating to that point. Instead of being frustrating, this flashforward only managed to draw me in from the very first chapter, and I was immediately invested in Frankie's story.

The main character Frankie is also one of the reasons this story worked so well for me. It's true that she is a morally grey character with a bucketload of flaws, but somehow I managed to warm up to her straight away. There was something about her character that was both likeable and frustrating at the same time, but somehow it just worked for this story. I enjoyed spending time with her and seeing the events through her eyes; both the flashbacks to the past and information about the people on her list giving more insight in her past and helping you understand why she is how she is.

I don't want to discuss the plot in too much detail to avoid spoilers; The Revenge List is one of those stories where it's best to go in blind to experience the full effect of the plot twists and new reveals about Frankie's past. What I can say is that there are plenty of heavier topics incorporated into the plot, and Frankie and the characters go through a lot both in past and present. The plot twists themselves are effective, and I never guessed the full truth about it all. And what a way to end the story with a cliffhanger! I'm not sure if there is going to be a sequel or not, but the ending definitely leaves things wide open.

The Revenge List is a well written, suspenseful and captivating psychological thriller I simply couldn't get enough of. Revenge meets being incriminated meets family meets forgiveness meets crime, all with a main character that will keep you on your toes the whole time. I will be looking forward to whatever Hannah Mary McKinnon comes up with next! 

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