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nancydrew1235's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Enjoyed the suspense. Enjoyed the relationship between Sam and Stella. Descriptions of all of Stella's friends feels like the start of a series about each friend and left me wanting to know more about them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Torture and War
now_booking's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Christine Feehan is one of my most read authors and I’ve read everything she’s ever written apart from her recent Sunrise thrillers with this being the first book in that series. This was in many ways similar to her other books in that there is a strong element of violence and childhood trauma, there’s the hint of the paranormal, there’s the pursuit of an evil villain and kind of a search for healing and peace after experiencing the worst of humanity. But it was also different from her other series in that it wasn’t as overtly paranormal despite Stella’s foreshadowing dreams about serial killers in a small California mountain community, it was certainly more closed door and less overtly erotic, catering to a wider mainstream audience than her out and out romances.
I really enjoyed that at its core, despite the sinister nature of a serial killer thriller plot, because of the soothing, quiet small town setting, this still felt like a soothing sort of book about friendship and a patient and kind and supportive kind of healing love that Stella and Sam find together.
I liked the cast of friends as secondary characters… I think one thing I find with this author sometimes is that she tends to overdo everyone’s characterization and back story. There’s almost a competition to outdo each other in the level of childhood trauma faced and as for the superlatives, all the heroines are the most beautiful, talented, intelligent, successful, athletic, animal-loving, attractive, desirable, stylish women that ever did woman. They’re all superlative in the same exact ways and so it can feel a bit “much” at times. I feel like the characterisation of the friendship group would be better if people could have even job interview flaws or if everyone was a little less superlative in the same ways- all talented athlete climbers, boulderers, runners- even the ones that don’t like it are amazing at it naturally by some miracle… I don’t think there would have been anything wrong with having a character that was just different.
Anyway, all that said, I still really enjoyed this. I thought it was very slow moving, but I kept coming back to it. I guessed the killer about 2/3 of the way in because I’m not the best at solving mysteries. But even knowing the villain’s identity didn’t ruin this for me. I’m excited about this new series and glad the second book is already out. I was a little scared of starting this because while I don’t mind romantic suspense, I’m not a huge thriller reader- I think this was an accessible thriller that was romantic in aspects but could potentially also please non-romance readers even though I would still categorize this as a romantic thriller of sorts. I’m excited for this new series and can’t wait to read books featuring the other characters.
I really enjoyed that at its core, despite the sinister nature of a serial killer thriller plot, because of the soothing, quiet small town setting, this still felt like a soothing sort of book about friendship and a patient and kind and supportive kind of healing love that Stella and Sam find together.
I liked the cast of friends as secondary characters… I think one thing I find with this author sometimes is that she tends to overdo everyone’s characterization and back story. There’s almost a competition to outdo each other in the level of childhood trauma faced and as for the superlatives, all the heroines are the most beautiful, talented, intelligent, successful, athletic, animal-loving, attractive, desirable, stylish women that ever did woman. They’re all superlative in the same exact ways and so it can feel a bit “much” at times. I feel like the characterisation of the friendship group would be better if people could have even job interview flaws or if everyone was a little less superlative in the same ways- all talented athlete climbers, boulderers, runners- even the ones that don’t like it are amazing at it naturally by some miracle… I don’t think there would have been anything wrong with having a character that was just different.
Anyway, all that said, I still really enjoyed this. I thought it was very slow moving, but I kept coming back to it. I guessed the killer about 2/3 of the way in because I’m not the best at solving mysteries. But even knowing the villain’s identity didn’t ruin this for me. I’m excited about this new series and glad the second book is already out. I was a little scared of starting this because while I don’t mind romantic suspense, I’m not a huge thriller reader- I think this was an accessible thriller that was romantic in aspects but could potentially also please non-romance readers even though I would still categorize this as a romantic thriller of sorts. I’m excited for this new series and can’t wait to read books featuring the other characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, and Toxic friendship