larah17's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jrmama42's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't finish it. I loved previous books by Tess Gerritsen but this one might as well have been a Harlequin romance. It didn't hold my interest. Disappointed!
dorodorito's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
withyly's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a huge fan of Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series, as well as a couple of her standalone books. It was a surprise one day when I picked up one of her older standalones and it turned out to be romance-- not my thing but no matter, I can read the blurbs more carefully in the future.
This book though? Reading the blurb didn't give it away that there was a bdsm demon who screwed women in their dreams (or some kind of weird reality) and it read like it wanted to be erotica but fell short. To be honest, I've read fanfiction that did this kind of trope better. Anyway, despite the horror/paranormal story it was supposed to be, it leaned far too heavily into the romance department for me but I had faith that there was going to be some kind of good twist so I held on.
I slugged though the first 80% of the book and it truly was a slug because of how dragged out everything was. Gerritsen tried to build suspense by alluding to the fact that Ava did something at New Year's, something that sent her spiralling and trying to get away. While I like to pick up clues and work things out for myself, this got frustrating pretty quickly because it was very much a "I'm not going to tell you because it's a SECRET that I'm ASHAMED OF" instead of "here's a hint, here's another hint, can you figure it out?" It got old pretty quickly.
Not to mention the whole drinking thing. Okay, Ava's depressed and she drinks a lot. All the time. Empty bottles everywhere. Yes, we get it. The constant talk of how much Ava drinks got old pretty quickly too, not to mention how much she wants the bdsm ghost inside her. Sure, he's hot, I get it. But damn, wanting to see him every night and getting wet all the time? It's a no from me. Very much not my kind of thing and again I wish I'd gotten a hint of this kind of thing from the blurb.
Things got interesting in the last 20% when the body was identified and things actually start happening. Or at least, I hoped so. Turns out we don't find out anything more about the bdsm demon, or how Ava rebuilds her relationship with her sister after. There's a difference between open endings and leaving plotlines loose, which is how I feel about these two points. For two very large parts of the story, it was strange that the bdsm demon was just left to do his thing in the house and we saw so little of Ava's sister.
Two stars, glad I got this book on sale because I wouldn't have liked to pay full price for it.
This book though? Reading the blurb didn't give it away that there was a bdsm demon who screwed women in their dreams (or some kind of weird reality) and it read like it wanted to be erotica but fell short. To be honest, I've read fanfiction that did this kind of trope better. Anyway, despite the horror/paranormal story it was supposed to be, it leaned far too heavily into the romance department for me but I had faith that there was going to be some kind of good twist so I held on.
I slugged though the first 80% of the book and it truly was a slug because of how dragged out everything was. Gerritsen tried to build suspense by alluding to the fact that Ava did something at New Year's, something that sent her spiralling and trying to get away. While I like to pick up clues and work things out for myself, this got frustrating pretty quickly because it was very much a "I'm not going to tell you because it's a SECRET that I'm ASHAMED OF" instead of "here's a hint, here's another hint, can you figure it out?" It got old pretty quickly.
Not to mention the whole drinking thing. Okay, Ava's depressed and she drinks a lot. All the time. Empty bottles everywhere. Yes, we get it. The constant talk of how much Ava drinks got old pretty quickly too, not to mention how much she wants the bdsm ghost inside her. Sure, he's hot, I get it. But damn, wanting to see him every night and getting wet all the time? It's a no from me. Very much not my kind of thing and again I wish I'd gotten a hint of this kind of thing from the blurb.
Things got interesting in the last 20% when the body was identified and things actually start happening. Or at least, I hoped so. Turns out we don't find out anything more about the bdsm demon, or how Ava rebuilds her relationship with her sister after
Spoiler
sleeping with her partner (who then drove off drunk, wrapped himself around a pole, fell into a coma and died)Two stars, glad I got this book on sale because I wouldn't have liked to pay full price for it.
sometimes_iread's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Can someone please enlighten me as to what genre this book actually falls under? My brain cannot seem to classify it satisfactorily. The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen swung wildly from gothic novel to supernatural thriller, to erotica before finally settling into murder mystery. There were definitely parts that I preferred to others (gothic literature is my weakness), but in general, I would have appreciated it if the book didn’t try to be quite so many things at once.
Ava is running away from a secret eating away at her. Fortunately, as a food writer, relocating is a piece of cake, as long as there’s a functional kitchen. However, her new house has secrets of its own. Why is there a walled-off alcove in the turret room? Why did the previous tenant leave so hurriedly? And who is that mysterious man on the widow’s walk?
This book was an enjoyable read, so much so I finished it in a day. There’s just so much meat to be unpacked in Ava’s backstory and that glorious old house. Plus, I need more recipe trials! Tell me about luscious lobsters and smooth risottos please! Word of advice, do not read this on an empty stomach.
The only fly in the ointment for me was the aforementioned genre dump. It felt almost like Gerritsen, who I understand is an accomplished mystery writer, decided to try a new genre and took inspiration from Rebecca (that prologue!). There’s nothing wrong with challenging oneself and going out of one’s comfort zone, but I have to confess that I got whiplash with the wild tonal shifts and genre hopping. There’s a reason why mash-ups are commonly preferred to medleys in popular culture.
Diversity meter:
-
tobyyy's review against another edition
2.0
Okay so normally I love Tess Gerritsen’s books. Love Rizzoli & Isles, I also enjoyed one of her standalone several years back.
This one, though? It’s a thinly veiled BDSM “romance” disguised as a “gothic ghost story.” That’s about all I have to say about it. There was more sex and sexual innuendos than there was mystery. I didn’t like the main character, I wasn’t intrigued at all by the mystery and figured out by chapter 2 who the murder victim was, and the ghost story was not as mysterious or terrifying as I thought it would be from the blurb.
About the only good thing I can say about this is the descriptions were amazing. And also, it was a quick read so I didn’t waste too much of my life on it.
This one, though? It’s a thinly veiled BDSM “romance” disguised as a “gothic ghost story.” That’s about all I have to say about it. There was more sex and sexual innuendos than there was mystery. I didn’t like the main character, I wasn’t intrigued at all by the mystery and figured out by chapter 2 who the murder victim was, and the ghost story was not as mysterious or terrifying as I thought it would be from the blurb.
About the only good thing I can say about this is the descriptions were amazing. And also, it was a quick read so I didn’t waste too much of my life on it.
kiki_carina's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
happlepider'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
nzlisam's review against another edition
3.0
Somewhat creepy, suspenseful, and eerie, but I felt like there was something missing. I much prefer the Rizzoli & Isles series, and The Bone Garden and The Silent Girl gave off more of a scary supernatural vibe than this one. I don’t seem to do as well with Gerritsen’s standalone’s. Playing With Fire wasn’t my favourite either.