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lavalierre's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This does not start off as an easy read. From the opening chapter it paints a bleak, raw picture of grief. Koontz can evoke the emotions his characters feel so intensely in the reader, and can make something like an anxiety attack in a car so uncomfortable to experience, even through the pages.
After this start the pace did slow a little, until a particular mystery arose - it bent the expected genre of the book and all my expectations, and I was desperate to know more! On the surface this follows a common theme in Koontz's novels - a shady agency is hunting the protagonists - but Sole Survivor adds another level of originality.
After the changes in pace the end felt a little rushed, almost as if a section was skipped. I didn't mind the inconclusive ending (there's always more work to be done with Koontz, I'm learning), but I had so many unanswered questions that it left me a little unsatisfied.
After this start the pace did slow a little, until a particular mystery arose - it bent the expected genre of the book and all my expectations, and I was desperate to know more! On the surface this follows a common theme in Koontz's novels - a shady agency is hunting the protagonists - but Sole Survivor adds another level of originality.
After the changes in pace the end felt a little rushed, almost as if a section was skipped. I didn't mind the inconclusive ending (there's always more work to be done with Koontz, I'm learning), but I had so many unanswered questions that it left me a little unsatisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, and Grief