kingmichaelj's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ruth_power's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Brilliant psychological thriller! Claustrophobic, chilling and adrenaline-fuelled. Strong female leads and full of twists and turns. Not for the faint-hearted. Disappointed slightly with the ending but the story was still superb - and it does leave room for a sequel...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Stalking, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Confinement, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Grief and Infertility
faysieh's review
5.0
Oh my, oh my, oh my, how AMAZING is this book?!
Tense doesn't even begin to describe the terror I felt and which the characters must have felt as they are buried underground after an earthquake hits Vancouver. The whole city has been prepared forever for a disaster of this magnitude to happen, and for Alice an emergency/disaster expert who spends her life preparing others to cope and survive in just such conditions all of a sudden finds herself experiencing it for real.
As if this wasn't frightening and claustrophobic enough Alice happens to be buried alive with a killer. Being kidnapped and strapped to a gurney and about to have her arm sawn off, Alice is saved by the earthquake but then faces a race to survive, injured, unable to breathe and with very little water. Should she work with the killer to gain their freedom or should she sacrifice him to ensure her own survival?
In the area women have been disappearing and turning up in the sea, washed ashore and with a limb missing. Is Alice trapped with The Coastline Killer or with someone else?
There are so many twists and shocks that it is impossible not to read peeking out between your fingers with an elevated heart rate, it is that adrenaline fuelled and scary!
But there is also another woman trapped. Is she nearby or trapped in a different building? She has felt the earthquake but she is not buried beneath rubble as Alice is. Instead she is trapped in a white room with no obvious door or way out. An extreme escape room but without any safety of it being a game. This is a real life challenge which might not end well.
Buried is a novel with two strong and resilient female characters and as you get swept along in their trauma you are very conscious of the clock ticking and time running out.
Add in a very macabre, nameless artist who the world only knows as The Sculptor, and you have a gruesome thriller with one, maybe two , or could there be even more killers?
Not for the faint hearted but definitely worth facing your fears for a supremely chilling and entertaining read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
And thanks to Pigeonhole for making such an electrifying read available.
Tense doesn't even begin to describe the terror I felt and which the characters must have felt as they are buried underground after an earthquake hits Vancouver. The whole city has been prepared forever for a disaster of this magnitude to happen, and for Alice an emergency/disaster expert who spends her life preparing others to cope and survive in just such conditions all of a sudden finds herself experiencing it for real.
As if this wasn't frightening and claustrophobic enough Alice happens to be buried alive with a killer. Being kidnapped and strapped to a gurney and about to have her arm sawn off, Alice is saved by the earthquake but then faces a race to survive, injured, unable to breathe and with very little water. Should she work with the killer to gain their freedom or should she sacrifice him to ensure her own survival?
In the area women have been disappearing and turning up in the sea, washed ashore and with a limb missing. Is Alice trapped with The Coastline Killer or with someone else?
There are so many twists and shocks that it is impossible not to read peeking out between your fingers with an elevated heart rate, it is that adrenaline fuelled and scary!
But there is also another woman trapped. Is she nearby or trapped in a different building? She has felt the earthquake but she is not buried beneath rubble as Alice is. Instead she is trapped in a white room with no obvious door or way out. An extreme escape room but without any safety of it being a game. This is a real life challenge which might not end well.
Buried is a novel with two strong and resilient female characters and as you get swept along in their trauma you are very conscious of the clock ticking and time running out.
Add in a very macabre, nameless artist who the world only knows as The Sculptor, and you have a gruesome thriller with one, maybe two , or could there be even more killers?
Not for the faint hearted but definitely worth facing your fears for a supremely chilling and entertaining read.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
And thanks to Pigeonhole for making such an electrifying read available.
laurahastoomanywips's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
WOW! Best psychological thriller I've read in ages!
Told from multiple view points, the main two being "Alice" and "The Sculptor"
Alice wakes up tied to a stretcher, she appears to be the next victim of "The Coastline Killer" as a masked man is about to saw off her arm. (The coastline killer has been terrorising the area by killing young women after removing a body part and leaving their remains to be found on the coastline of North-western US states/Canada.)
At that moment an earthquake hits, a 9.1, the fabled "Big One" and Alice and the man are trapped together.
The other main viewpoint, "The sculptor" describes some of the backstory of the killer, how as part of their process for the perfect sculpture from "their muse" they have become "The Coastline Killer". It also describes their battle to survive, trapped by the earthquake with "their latest muse", and their injuries.
This was a gripping read, I was willing Alice (and Lucy, another "muse", trapped in the earthquake at the sculptor's cabin) to survive and ensure the killer was dealt with by the authorities. This was disturbing and claustrophobic in atmosphere, the characters were well written and the plot was very clever.
Hard to discuss further without spoilers but I loved it, highly recommended reading if you love the genre.
Thanks to the Pigeonhole (even though I was nearly a year late reading) and the author for the opportunity.
Told from multiple view points, the main two being "Alice" and "The Sculptor"
Alice wakes up tied to a stretcher, she appears to be the next victim of "The Coastline Killer" as a masked man is about to saw off her arm. (The coastline killer has been terrorising the area by killing young women after removing a body part and leaving their remains to be found on the coastline of North-western US states/Canada.)
At that moment an earthquake hits, a 9.1, the fabled "Big One" and Alice and the man are trapped together.
The other main viewpoint, "The sculptor" describes some of the backstory of the killer, how as part of their process for the perfect sculpture from "their muse" they have become "The Coastline Killer". It also describes their battle to survive, trapped by the earthquake with "their latest muse", and their injuries.
This was a gripping read, I was willing Alice (and Lucy, another "muse", trapped in the earthquake at the sculptor's cabin) to survive and ensure the killer was dealt with by the authorities. This was disturbing and claustrophobic in atmosphere, the characters were well written and the plot was very clever.
Hard to discuss further without spoilers but I loved it, highly recommended reading if you love the genre.
Thanks to the Pigeonhole (even though I was nearly a year late reading) and the author for the opportunity.
whatsclairereading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
majajajaja's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
lindsaymay92's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
aminakara's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
This was a fantastic read! I definitely would have read the book in one go if I'd had the full copy of it!
It was very tense and atmospheric. You really felt Alice's and Lucy's fear as they struggled with the appalling situation they found themselves in and in Alice's case, the dilemmas she faced In whether to help/save her kidnapper.
I also wondered if the ending left the book open to the possibility of a sequel.
Thank you to PH and Elle for the chance to read this book.
nadenetotallyaddictedtoreading's review
4.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The synopsis for Buried by Elle Croft intrigued me and I knew I needed to get a copy. Thanks to The Pigeonhole Book Club for the opportunity to read this thrilling book.
What would be your reaction if you found yourself strapped to a gurney; a unstable man hovering above you, waiting to cut off your arm with a rusty saw? Then at the point of him putting the saw to your arm an earthquake measuring 9.1 hits, trapping you both and forcing you to rely on each other for survival. Alice, an emergency planning expert, found herself in such a precarious situation.
I would not want to be in that position, and to be honest, I do not know what I would have done. Alice, on the other hands showed her skills as an emergency planner, although most of the situations required her to think on her feet. Alice’s strength and determination leapt from the pages. The author did a superb job of portraying her conflicting emotions as it relates to her interactions with her captor.
The thing that fascinated me most about this story is the villain relying on his captive for survival. During these moments, his weaknesses came to light.
Buried wreaked havoc on my nerves throughout the story. It had me wondering at every page turn will Alice make it out alive or will she fall prey to her captor.
A spine tingling, mind-boggling and edge of your seat read, Buried will have you flipping the pages. The manner in which the story unfolded completely boggled mind. It had me re-reading the chapters from the villain’s POV to see what did I miss.
The story did not not completely go the way I hoped it would, and I experienced a twinge of disappointment at the outcome. However, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. It ended in a fashion which suggests that readers can look forward to a sequel. Keeping fingers crossed.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, Buried a fully developed story took the reader on a twisted and spellbinding journey. Perfect for fans of dark, gritty and suspense thrillers featuring a strong female lead.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading
What would be your reaction if you found yourself strapped to a gurney; a unstable man hovering above you, waiting to cut off your arm with a rusty saw? Then at the point of him putting the saw to your arm an earthquake measuring 9.1 hits, trapping you both and forcing you to rely on each other for survival. Alice, an emergency planning expert, found herself in such a precarious situation.
I would not want to be in that position, and to be honest, I do not know what I would have done. Alice, on the other hands showed her skills as an emergency planner, although most of the situations required her to think on her feet. Alice’s strength and determination leapt from the pages. The author did a superb job of portraying her conflicting emotions as it relates to her interactions with her captor.
The thing that fascinated me most about this story is the villain relying on his captive for survival. During these moments, his weaknesses came to light.
Buried wreaked havoc on my nerves throughout the story. It had me wondering at every page turn will Alice make it out alive or will she fall prey to her captor.
A spine tingling, mind-boggling and edge of your seat read, Buried will have you flipping the pages. The manner in which the story unfolded completely boggled mind. It had me re-reading the chapters from the villain’s POV to see what did I miss.
The story did not not completely go the way I hoped it would, and I experienced a twinge of disappointment at the outcome. However, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. It ended in a fashion which suggests that readers can look forward to a sequel. Keeping fingers crossed.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, Buried a fully developed story took the reader on a twisted and spellbinding journey. Perfect for fans of dark, gritty and suspense thrillers featuring a strong female lead.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading