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madsheep25's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
Too much going on, it wanted to be so many things. It just wasn’t good
kleonard's review against another edition
1.0
This book brings together folklore, the urban paranormal genre, and the hard-boiled copy story. It's just too much, and the method of telling it, moving back and forth through time, doesn't quite work here. There's selkies, captured selkie skins, a child, a serial killer, identity theft, women who were raised as sisters despite the older one actually being the younger's mother, oh, and the older one is the cop, who is the very stereotype of the policewoman who ruins her personal life because of her desire for work. The younger sister is a violinist and composer, but some of the music-related writing is rather dumbed down for readers, unnecessarily. The elements are all fine, mostly, but they way they're combined here is just a big mess. the book doesn't know what it wants to say or be.
theboldbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book.
I wanted to read this book after loving Little Darlings so much, and this one didn't disappoint. I love the way Golding weaves folklore into her stories. This book is emotional and I really felt for the characters. We have Ruby who has been watching her neighbor and one day finds out about his secret family. Gregor the neighbor is an odd character and there's something a bit off about him, there is also something a bit off about his wife Constance, their little girl is absolutely adorable. There may be something dark hiding under the surface, but Ruby doesn't know what yet.
This book is a lot of fo things. It's a family drama, a thriller, and a police procedural. There are many layers to the story and they get slowly peeled back as it progresses. I loved the part about selkies which adds another layer to the already amazing story. This book made me angry and sad at times and that totally worked. I was very invested in finding out what happened to these characters and read this one in only a couple of sittings.
If you love emotional thrillers and folklore I highly recommend this book.
I wanted to read this book after loving Little Darlings so much, and this one didn't disappoint. I love the way Golding weaves folklore into her stories. This book is emotional and I really felt for the characters. We have Ruby who has been watching her neighbor and one day finds out about his secret family. Gregor the neighbor is an odd character and there's something a bit off about him, there is also something a bit off about his wife Constance, their little girl is absolutely adorable. There may be something dark hiding under the surface, but Ruby doesn't know what yet.
This book is a lot of fo things. It's a family drama, a thriller, and a police procedural. There are many layers to the story and they get slowly peeled back as it progresses. I loved the part about selkies which adds another layer to the already amazing story. This book made me angry and sad at times and that totally worked. I was very invested in finding out what happened to these characters and read this one in only a couple of sittings.
If you love emotional thrillers and folklore I highly recommend this book.
corinne82's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
🎧 Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me at all. It was far too long (13hrs 🤦♀️) and it really moved at a snails pace with not much happening to keep the listener engaged. I can’t say I really cared for any of the characters. If anything I found them annoying. It felt like they could have done with more development. The storyline itself had promise but it just never got to that point. I found it unbelievable from the police procedural side to the Selkie portion of the storyline. I do like a supernatural/fantasy storyline but it really needs to be executed well. I really wanted to give up on this one but I was to far in an you know ‘unfinished business’ 🤷♀️. I was thankful when it came to an end.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the opportunity to listen to and review #TheReplacement
indiarosey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eveningjaye's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aleks_olisar's review against another edition
4.0
This one had a slow start in my opinion. If I didn't have a thing about finishing books I started, I'm not sure I would've kept up with it; I'm glad I did though. I don't know anything about Irish folklore, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book after it picked up.
erinrosalee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
antiopelle's review against another edition
4.0
What would it take for a loving mother to leave her young child in the middle of a street during one of the coldest days of the year?
A young family lives in a secluded penthouse in London: Gregor is a charming father and Constance a troubled but loving mother to their little toddler. In comes Ruby, a chance encounter, and she becomes almost like a second mother to the child, attracted by Gregor's charm and intrigued by the mysterious Constance. Then Gregor ends up almost dead in his bath and both woman and child are running for their lives. What happened? By coincidence, it is police officer Jo who is assigned to the case, who happens to be Ruby's sister.
Little by little we learn that nothing is as it seems, and all the characters have their troubled pasts and hidden truths. The one thing that stand out is that Constance believes she is a selkie, a creature that can live on land as a human and at sea as a seal. It is up to the reader to believe this or not, as the story can easily be read as a complex mental health issue of Constance, or even that she is part of a cult living on the Hebrides. Either way, the child is in danger and needs saving.
The book reads easily, and the characters and surroundings are well detailed. However, the lead character - Ruby - is very unlikable. She is stubborn, makes all the wrong decisions and she could have avoided both her very complicated family life and the whole situation with Constance if she just would have done the right thing. The selkie folklore contributes nicely into the story, something that I wouldn't have expected and I was intrigued by it.
I've hovered between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll settle with 4, as I must say I that even if there are just too many coincidences to make it fully believable, the plot is original and I genuinely liked it.
A genuine thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
A young family lives in a secluded penthouse in London: Gregor is a charming father and Constance a troubled but loving mother to their little toddler. In comes Ruby, a chance encounter, and she becomes almost like a second mother to the child, attracted by Gregor's charm and intrigued by the mysterious Constance. Then Gregor ends up almost dead in his bath and both woman and child are running for their lives. What happened? By coincidence, it is police officer Jo who is assigned to the case, who happens to be Ruby's sister.
Little by little we learn that nothing is as it seems, and all the characters have their troubled pasts and hidden truths. The one thing that stand out is that Constance believes she is a selkie, a creature that can live on land as a human and at sea as a seal. It is up to the reader to believe this or not, as the story can easily be read as a complex mental health issue of Constance, or even that she is part of a cult living on the Hebrides. Either way, the child is in danger and needs saving.
The book reads easily, and the characters and surroundings are well detailed. However, the lead character - Ruby - is very unlikable. She is stubborn, makes all the wrong decisions and she could have avoided both her very complicated family life and the whole situation with Constance if she just would have done the right thing. The selkie folklore contributes nicely into the story, something that I wouldn't have expected and I was intrigued by it.
I've hovered between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll settle with 4, as I must say I that even if there are just too many coincidences to make it fully believable, the plot is original and I genuinely liked it.
A genuine thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.