dadu's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up this book solely on the premise. A young woman who went through a horrific event in her life, swaps apartments with her male cousin. London for Boston. So far so good. But wait, there's more! On the day she arrives in Boston, a woman is found murdered in the apartment across from her. Let's see what unfolds...
Kate is mentally recovering from when her boyfriend kidnapped her, put her in a closet, and then committed suicide. I'm not even going to touch the reasoning of why he decided on that plan with a 10 foot pole. She's a character I immediately wanted to connect with. No, never happened.
Kate's mindset is that everyone is a killer and danger looms around every corner. Yet, she never once suspected or sensed that a man has been stalking and living with her for weeks! Kate's activities include drawing people she's met, sometimes venturing out to a grocery store or restaurant, lounging around and falling asleep to old movies. Then there is the instant attraction to her neighbor Alan, despite still emotionally scarred by her past. Just as a reminder, Kate thinks everyone is a killer and bad things follow her. In her eyes, Alan is different. Sure, he admittedly stalked and became obsessed with Audrey, the murdered woman, but it's not a red flag in Kate's mind. She rationalizes it. It's Swanson's way of mis-guiding the reader at the cost of the character's identity. So far so good, right?
It felt as if Swanson decided that Kate is truly a boring character, so let's switch gears! Her cousin, indirectly accused of the murder, surely must be the star of the show now. All I know about Corbin is that he is attractive, very well educated, comes from a wealthy family, but decided to house swap and live in his cousin's dingy London apartment. Did I mention they've never met?
But wait, there's more! Enter Henry, a "friend" Corbin makes who is the epitome of American Psycho. Let's kill women for fun, are you in, Corbin? Of course, I am. After all, aren't they all just cheating and slutting their way through life? Thankfully after a couple of murders, Corbin has a come to Jesus moment and decides to sever ties with Henry. Let's find out how Henry feels about this.
I'm going to leave the ending be. After all, even with my criticism, maybe there's a part of you that does want to read it and evaluate the absurdity for yourself.
Kate is mentally recovering from when her boyfriend kidnapped her, put her in a closet, and then committed suicide. I'm not even going to touch the reasoning of why he decided on that plan with a 10 foot pole. She's a character I immediately wanted to connect with. No, never happened.
Kate's mindset is that everyone is a killer and danger looms around every corner. Yet, she never once suspected or sensed that a man has been stalking and living with her for weeks! Kate's activities include drawing people she's met, sometimes venturing out to a grocery store or restaurant, lounging around and falling asleep to old movies. Then there is the instant attraction to her neighbor Alan, despite still emotionally scarred by her past. Just as a reminder, Kate thinks everyone is a killer and bad things follow her. In her eyes, Alan is different. Sure, he admittedly stalked and became obsessed with Audrey, the murdered woman, but it's not a red flag in Kate's mind. She rationalizes it. It's Swanson's way of mis-guiding the reader at the cost of the character's identity. So far so good, right?
It felt as if Swanson decided that Kate is truly a boring character, so let's switch gears! Her cousin, indirectly accused of the murder, surely must be the star of the show now. All I know about Corbin is that he is attractive, very well educated, comes from a wealthy family, but decided to house swap and live in his cousin's dingy London apartment. Did I mention they've never met?
But wait, there's more! Enter Henry, a "friend" Corbin makes who is the epitome of American Psycho. Let's kill women for fun, are you in, Corbin? Of course, I am. After all, aren't they all just cheating and slutting their way through life? Thankfully after a couple of murders, Corbin has a come to Jesus moment and decides to sever ties with Henry. Let's find out how Henry feels about this.
I'm going to leave the ending be. After all, even with my criticism, maybe there's a part of you that does want to read it and evaluate the absurdity for yourself.
r_strack's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this book via a giveaway drawing on Goodreads.com. This does not affect my honest review of the book.
The plot of this story was entertaining and most of the characters were well developed. Early on, the story seems like it is going to be a "whodunnit" focusing on the death of a resident of a multi-unit building in Boston. But as the book progresses, the who and even the why behind the murder are slowly revealed well before the end. In fact, I kept wondering if there was going to be a twist thrown in. And while there were some surprising events late in the story, the circumstances of the murder, once known, were never put in doubt.
I did not care for the mechanics of the story-telling. The story is told from multiple points-of-view, often describing events from one person's perspective then later coming to the same events from the perspective of another involved character. In each case, the reader gets an omniscient view of that character, knowing their thoughts and motivations. This is what allows the perpetrator of the crime and their motives to be known fairly early on.
Aside from the shifting perspectives, I enjoyed the author's writing. If I could find time to read other than my lunch breaks, I could probably have read the whole thing in a day or two, rather than taking a week.
The plot of this story was entertaining and most of the characters were well developed. Early on, the story seems like it is going to be a "whodunnit" focusing on the death of a resident of a multi-unit building in Boston. But as the book progresses, the who and even the why behind the murder are slowly revealed well before the end. In fact, I kept wondering if there was going to be a twist thrown in. And while there were some surprising events late in the story, the circumstances of the murder, once known, were never put in doubt.
I did not care for the mechanics of the story-telling. The story is told from multiple points-of-view, often describing events from one person's perspective then later coming to the same events from the perspective of another involved character. In each case, the reader gets an omniscient view of that character, knowing their thoughts and motivations. This is what allows the perpetrator of the crime and their motives to be known fairly early on.
Aside from the shifting perspectives, I enjoyed the author's writing. If I could find time to read other than my lunch breaks, I could probably have read the whole thing in a day or two, rather than taking a week.
maisierp_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
flynn_cormac's review against another edition
4.0
Not the best book that I've ever read. It wasn't a whodunit but rather what happens to the characters in the end. It was easy to read and had I nice flow. I liked Kate as a person, I thought he brought something to her character and it came together very well. I much preferred his other novels but nevertheless I did like the book.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
5.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 4
Characters: 4.5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 4
Excitement Factor: 5
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 5
Overall: 4.75
Characters: 4.5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 4
Excitement Factor: 5
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 5
Overall: 4.75
elinoah's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to this one on audio. Pretty decent. Narrator was good.
vstewart76's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
zozoisgolden's review against another edition
3.0
3.8 rating.
Her Every Fear is a compelling book with almost the same amount of intensity Swanson's earlier book, A Kind Worth Killing, evoked.
Katy is an anxiety ridden young woman hoping to get a sense of fulfillment away from a tragic event in her past by moving to America in an apartment swap with her cousin. Unfortunately, a young woman is murdered almost as soon as she arrives, pulling her back into the same madness she sought to run away from.
Peter Swanson has a talent for peeling away the layers of his characters and skillfully laying them before us. His description of each character blew me away and is one of the things that drew me into the book.
I couldn't help but feel a surprisingly overwhelming feeling of sympathy for Corbin. He was a man who was searching for something that the people around couldn't give him. He found it in Henry/Hank but to a dangerously darker degree. At the end, despite helping Henry kill the women his sense of morality still had a firm hold which made him end their friendship and try to protect Audrey when he couldn't help his feelings for her. A part of me is angry about his fate at the end of the book but it did seem to be a fitting end.
I also loved the uncertainty of Kate's character. Her tragic past made her doubt herself many times, often causing her to wonder if she was blurring the line between reality and fantasy.
Hank's character was a dark and misguided as I expected him to be if only a bit too exaggerated. This made the final scene unsurprising.
All in all, it was a riveting read. Definitely worth recommending.
Her Every Fear is a compelling book with almost the same amount of intensity Swanson's earlier book, A Kind Worth Killing, evoked.
Katy is an anxiety ridden young woman hoping to get a sense of fulfillment away from a tragic event in her past by moving to America in an apartment swap with her cousin. Unfortunately, a young woman is murdered almost as soon as she arrives, pulling her back into the same madness she sought to run away from.
...
Peter Swanson has a talent for peeling away the layers of his characters and skillfully laying them before us. His description of each character blew me away and is one of the things that drew me into the book.
Spoiler
I couldn't help but feel a surprisingly overwhelming feeling of sympathy for Corbin. He was a man who was searching for something that the people around couldn't give him. He found it in Henry/Hank but to a dangerously darker degree. At the end, despite helping Henry kill the women his sense of morality still had a firm hold which made him end their friendship and try to protect Audrey when he couldn't help his feelings for her. A part of me is angry about his fate at the end of the book but it did seem to be a fitting end.
I also loved the uncertainty of Kate's character. Her tragic past made her doubt herself many times, often causing her to wonder if she was blurring the line between reality and fantasy.
Hank's character was a dark and misguided as I expected him to be if only a bit too exaggerated. This made the final scene unsurprising.
All in all, it was a riveting read. Definitely worth recommending.
lydialane0103's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0