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janeeyre_914716's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Wow! What a story! After listening to Bill O'Reilly's Killing the Witches on the Salem witch trials last year, and with this being a theme around that topic, I ended up liking this book and story more than I thought. It was actually well paced, well researched and written, and a shocking twist I didn't see coming. I was semi-right about it, but not for any reason I expected. And now I'm wanting to pick up the other two previous books after seeing which characters were involved and recognized them from this book, I'm excited to get to their stories.
Overall, it was a pretty good and intense story and glad I picked this up as a Libby discovery book and audiobook and trilogy I've never heard of. Can't wait to hopefully get to the first two when I can. :D
Overall, it was a pretty good and intense story and glad I picked this up as a Libby discovery book and audiobook and trilogy I've never heard of. Can't wait to hopefully get to the first two when I can. :D
lizpetretti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/day-1029-the-fifth-petal/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/day-1029-the-fifth-petal/
firedew's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
twstdtink's review against another edition
4.0
While I love fantasy and science fiction novels, I quickly realized with this book that I'm not quite as fond of paranormal themes. The moment I heard "banshee" my brain started conjuring up images of Scooby Doo. It was difficult for me to lose myself in this story until about halfway through. It's a good thing this is a large book, I guess. The moment one of the main characters started talking about spirits, I instantly assumed they were crazy or making it up. This is what I get for living near St. Augustine - land of the bajillion ghost tours. I liked Barry's writing style a lot, though, and her careful peppering in of Salem history. The characters were colorful and I felt like their narratives began before the start of this book. Which, they did, as it turns out. This is a sequel. Thankfully, not having read the first book didn't hinder following along with the second book. It DID make me interested in picking up "The Lace Reader". That says a lot, coming from this supernatural skeptic.
akrivos8's review against another edition
3.0
Really torn between 3 and 4 stars.
Intricate, thought-provoking storytelling. When I started this book, I was a bit disappointed that Brunonia Barry was returning to Salem. But then I realized that it is a sequel, of sorts, to The Lace Reader. But you don't have to have read that book to enjoy this one. This book is not quite as good as The Lace Reader. The secrets are much more straightforward and predictable. But I really enjoyed the setting and the characters that were repeated, as well as the new characters that are introduced. While the mystery was less mysterious, at least to me, there were a lot of parts that I enjoyed more, such as the research on music therapy and Italy. Although it was great to see Towner and Rafferty again, I was a bit confused by the references to their separation, which apparently occurred between The Lace Reader and this book. I'm not sure if that part of this book worked quite the way it was intended. But overall it was an enjoyable, atmospheric mystery.
I received an early copy of this book from Penguin at firsttoread.com in return for an honest review.
Intricate, thought-provoking storytelling. When I started this book, I was a bit disappointed that Brunonia Barry was returning to Salem. But then I realized that it is a sequel, of sorts, to The Lace Reader. But you don't have to have read that book to enjoy this one. This book is not quite as good as The Lace Reader. The secrets are much more straightforward and predictable. But I really enjoyed the setting and the characters that were repeated, as well as the new characters that are introduced. While the mystery was less mysterious, at least to me, there were a lot of parts that I enjoyed more, such as the research on music therapy and Italy. Although it was great to see Towner and Rafferty again, I was a bit confused by the references to their separation, which apparently occurred between The Lace Reader and this book. I'm not sure if that part of this book worked quite the way it was intended. But overall it was an enjoyable, atmospheric mystery.
I received an early copy of this book from Penguin at firsttoread.com in return for an honest review.
stormiclouds's review against another edition
4.0
I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Salem witch trials have always interested me, so I jumped at the chance to read a thriller that revolves around their history. I am so glad I did! The Fifth Petal is interesting and constantly keeps you guessing at all the possibilities of what really happened. Is Rose telling the truth or is she simply traumatized and delusional from that night in 1989?
Even though The Fifth Petal is the second book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. Now I plan on going back and reading book 1 in the series, The Lace Reader to find out more about Towner's history.
The Salem witch trials have always interested me, so I jumped at the chance to read a thriller that revolves around their history. I am so glad I did! The Fifth Petal is interesting and constantly keeps you guessing at all the possibilities of what really happened. Is Rose telling the truth or is she simply traumatized and delusional from that night in 1989?
Even though The Fifth Petal is the second book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. Now I plan on going back and reading book 1 in the series, The Lace Reader to find out more about Towner's history.
susanthebookbag's review against another edition
4.0
I previously read The Lace Reader and I have to say I loved it. I was super excited to see that this author wrote a second book to continue the story. The subject of the Salem witch trials has always fascinated me and I love reading anything related to that topic and that time period. These stories take place in modern times but the people and events of the present are affected by the people and events of the past.
The discovery of a dead body may be related to another set of deaths. As the chief of police tries to get to the bottom of the current case, he goes back and digs through the cold case of the 1989 murders. The surviving little girl from that case has come back to town to find the loved one that she thought was dead.
The Fifth Petal is an intriguing story of murder and mystery, as well as being full of wonderful characters. The author does a great job of making the people in the story believable and interesting. I was totally absorbed in this story and hope that the author has more to come.
The discovery of a dead body may be related to another set of deaths. As the chief of police tries to get to the bottom of the current case, he goes back and digs through the cold case of the 1989 murders. The surviving little girl from that case has come back to town to find the loved one that she thought was dead.
The Fifth Petal is an intriguing story of murder and mystery, as well as being full of wonderful characters. The author does a great job of making the people in the story believable and interesting. I was totally absorbed in this story and hope that the author has more to come.
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book of multi generational wrongs and revenge. It starts with a triple murder in 1989 Salem,Mass. and moves to present day Salem. The book makes periodic references to the Salem witch trials in 1692. A teenager dies after threatening Rose Whelan, considered to to be the local crazy lady. She was one of two survivors of the 1989 triple murder. She was found covered in blood and while some suspected her to be the murderer, this was never proven. The other survivor is Callie Cahill, then a 5 year old daughter to Olivia Cahill, one of the three victims. Callie is living in another town and was told by nuns who adopted her that Rose was dead. When she finds out that Rose is alive, she returns to Salem. Callie is a musical therapist,i.e., she uses music to heal people.
Rose talks to trees and claims a banshee living inside her killed the teenager. Rafferty is the local police chief and believes that the 1989 murder case should be reopened. Rafferty is a recovering alcoholic and is dealing with his own problems. But he is a very good cop and keeps digging into the unsolved 1989 case.
I thought that the plot moved along very well and the ending tied up all the threads. I did not suspect the killer until toward the end. There is a hint of paranormal throughout the book. Several characters have powers to see things in visions/dreams.
Two quotes:
Rose--"Those young women the banshee had killed had been like her own daughters."
Callie's music therapy: "Callie circled the rims of the rubber bowls with a rubber wand, the vibrations building as they began to sing, softly at first. then louder, until they were singing in harmony."
Salem was a thriving commercial shipping/fishing port in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today it capitalizes on its witch history for tourism dollars. The Salem police have a witch on a broom on their shoulder patch.
Thanks to Crown publishing for sending me this book through the Goodreads giveaway program.
4 stars
Rose talks to trees and claims a banshee living inside her killed the teenager. Rafferty is the local police chief and believes that the 1989 murder case should be reopened. Rafferty is a recovering alcoholic and is dealing with his own problems. But he is a very good cop and keeps digging into the unsolved 1989 case.
I thought that the plot moved along very well and the ending tied up all the threads. I did not suspect the killer until toward the end. There is a hint of paranormal throughout the book. Several characters have powers to see things in visions/dreams.
Two quotes:
Rose--"Those young women the banshee had killed had been like her own daughters."
Callie's music therapy: "Callie circled the rims of the rubber bowls with a rubber wand, the vibrations building as they began to sing, softly at first. then louder, until they were singing in harmony."
Salem was a thriving commercial shipping/fishing port in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today it capitalizes on its witch history for tourism dollars. The Salem police have a witch on a broom on their shoulder patch.
Thanks to Crown publishing for sending me this book through the Goodreads giveaway program.
4 stars
writewanderread's review against another edition
4.0
I live in Salem and loved reading this book! The author blends history, present day, and fiction, in such a way that I found myself researching certain aspects because I was not sure what was made up! The twists and turns of the mystery kept me turning the pages. I found myself wanting to get back home to read what would happen next.