The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
eicart_reads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, Racism, Colonisation, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Drug use, Animal death, Terminal illness, and Bullying
bluegrassreader's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Picked this up on a whim and it became one of my favorite books ever. As a photographer I love how much that was an aspect of the story and of the central character. I really enjoyed Emerson’s writing style, and found that the book had some very poignant things to say about life, loss, grief and death.
I found the relationship between Rita and her Grandmother to be very touching and relatable. I also enjoyed the way the book explored Native American culture and some of the good and bad things about life on a reservation in today’s time. A very good book. Excited to see the author’s future work.
I found the relationship between Rita and her Grandmother to be very touching and relatable. I also enjoyed the way the book explored Native American culture and some of the good and bad things about life on a reservation in today’s time. A very good book. Excited to see the author’s future work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Car accident
awebofstories's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Car accident, Gun violence, Drug use, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Police brutality
lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Having heard several interviews with the author, I was expecting a pretty gruesome book; she sure delivered. The opening was almost shocking in its explicit descriptions of a murder scene.
Overall, I really liked this book. My main complaints are: 1) the author uses an alternating timeline, with every other chapter being in the past and the present. As the two timelines converged, I started to get really confused about where we were in time. And the past timeline dragged on a little too long. 2) The ending was morally ambiguous and too convenient. It felt like a cop-out in some regards.
I hope this becomes a series because it's a really interesting premise!
Overall, I really liked this book. My main complaints are: 1) the author uses an alternating timeline, with every other chapter being in the past and the present. As the two timelines converged, I started to get really confused about where we were in time. And the past timeline dragged on a little too long. 2) The ending was morally ambiguous and too convenient. It felt like a cop-out in some regards.
I hope this becomes a series because it's a really interesting premise!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Car accident, Death, Child death, and Gore
j_squaredd's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I think they did a disservice by marketing this book as a thriller. It only gets fast paced and thriller-y in the last quarter. The first three quarters is quite slow with not a lot of plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Child death, Death, Murder, Gore, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Car accident, Kidnapping, and Drug use
reading_and_roaming20's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
“I see dead people” but for a forensic photographer so sometimes the dead people want their murders solved. That’s Rita’s life plus outrageously long work hours and grizzly crime scenes.
I had such a good time reading SHUTTER. The story flips back and forth between Rita’s past and present to give the reader a full picture of her life from childhood on a Navajo reservation to her adult life in Albuquerque.
I enjoyed that Navajo beliefs and customs were seamlessly woven into a ghost story / mystery. I also really loved Rita’s journey with photography that led to her current predicament of a real unhappy ghost who vows to ruin her life if she doesn’t figure out whodunit.
The crime scenes held nothing back (dude…that first one for real) and there were a few extra fun ghost-related moments. We also get to see a beautiful bond between Rita and her grandmother that is a consistent thread through the past and present narratives.
There is so much more to this book than simply a murder mystery unraveling. It’s a bit of a slow burn on that front so if you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with multiple big twists, this isn’t it. But it is a well told story of corruption, survival and culture with a supernatural twist that I’d highly recommend it any of that sounds like your thing.
I had such a good time reading SHUTTER. The story flips back and forth between Rita’s past and present to give the reader a full picture of her life from childhood on a Navajo reservation to her adult life in Albuquerque.
I enjoyed that Navajo beliefs and customs were seamlessly woven into a ghost story / mystery. I also really loved Rita’s journey with photography that led to her current predicament of a real unhappy ghost who vows to ruin her life if she doesn’t figure out whodunit.
The crime scenes held nothing back (dude…that first one for real) and there were a few extra fun ghost-related moments. We also get to see a beautiful bond between Rita and her grandmother that is a consistent thread through the past and present narratives.
There is so much more to this book than simply a murder mystery unraveling. It’s a bit of a slow burn on that front so if you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with multiple big twists, this isn’t it. But it is a well told story of corruption, survival and culture with a supernatural twist that I’d highly recommend it any of that sounds like your thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Death, Murder, and Death of parent
jourdanicus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I was so into this book I bought a copy of it on audio to supplement my library ebook copy. I wanted to get through it. It hooked me from the premise when I saw a hard copy in a book store, I knew I had to read it, and I'm glad I got to.
The story was propulsive, with believable (if not overly deep) characters and a fairly tight plot. I enjoyed the back and forth timeline. Aspects of Navajo beliefs, culture, and family history/life were woven in to a crime drama which didn't rely too heavily on trope.
I'd recommend to anyone who has a strong stomach for gore, appreciates a "gritty," dry female protagonist, and/or whose guilty pleasure is police procedurals but agrees with ACAB.
Edit/note: read ebook + listened to audiobook
The story was propulsive, with believable (if not overly deep) characters and a fairly tight plot. I enjoyed the back and forth timeline. Aspects of Navajo beliefs, culture, and family history/life were woven in to a crime drama which didn't rely too heavily on trope.
I'd recommend to anyone who has a strong stomach for gore, appreciates a "gritty," dry female protagonist, and/or whose guilty pleasure is police procedurals but agrees with ACAB.
Edit/note: read ebook + listened to audiobook
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Gore, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Colonisation, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
jennifer_pinkley's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Much of this book centers around Navajo views about death, which is a part I really enjoyed. Several of the main characters are Navajo and a major plot points is how the main character tries to bridge traditional and modern ways of life. The story also has a mystery component, but I guessed who the "bad guy" was pretty early. I didn't mind though because that part of the story was more about how to prove something that you learned about from ghosts. I really enjoyed this book although some of the crime scene descriptions were pretty gory.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Murder
Crime scene descriptions of car accidents and murders are pretty realistic.softanimal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Car accident, Colonisation, and Death of parent
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