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amread's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Finished reading: March 31st 2024
“And the wolf ate time.”
I was blown away by this author's debut Five Minds when I read it back in 2022, and I've been meaning to read this second book ever since it was published that same year. I'm not sure why it took me this long, especially since I have a weak spot for locked room thrillers... But better late than never right? I'm glad I finally did read Black Lake Manor though! While it didn't quite hit the spot as his debut, there was still a lot to love in this story. There are three main timelines in Black Lake Manor: 1804, 2023-2025 and 2045-2046. The main focus seem to be on the last two though, as the majority of the story switches between those timelines. In fact, I kind of wish the 1804 timeline would have been developed more, because as it is it mostly felt like an afterthought... That said, I absolutely loved the time travel angle with everything it entails including its history. The fact that the characters only go six hours back in time makes the time travel subtle, but it was interesting to see the little changes. Certain parts of the story were a lot slower than expected though, and as a result it took me longer to actually finish this story. The building up of suspects in this locked room thriller is well handled, and it was interesting how Ella reacted to the shifting situation. Could I have done without the love triangle vibe? Most definitely. Were there cliches involved that distracted at times? Again yes. But as a whole Black Lake Manor is a cleverly constructed sci-fi thriller that takes you on a journey that will become more apparent (and more powerful!) over time. I also loved Ella's connection with the octopus Scarlett! All in all a solid second book, and I will be looking forward to read whatever this author will come up with next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
kirstycarson1's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.0
d0nni3d's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
The way the story is woven is still easy to understand thanks to the writing of mr. Morpuss, allowing us a clear insight in both the different characters' mindests and the different time periods.
noelleh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.0
wunkymatts's review
3.0
This is a wonderfully ambitious book. I was a bit suspicious of it and probably wouldn't have picked it up in a shop. It seemed a bit off piste. But the ideas were well formed and we'll explored. What disappointed me was that so much of the second half of the book seemed to be repeating itself. It starts very pacy and then gets bogged down in the same events being described over and over again. I also found the explanation of the Akaht myths and legends very satisfying and would have loved it if the emphasis was on that more.
per_fictionist's review
3.0
did i actually read a thriller with time travel as the main plot? phew! entirely out of my comfort zone but the synopsis was rather too intriguing to ignore it.
A locked room. A brutal murder.
And a killer who can turn back time...
this was nothing sort of ordinary and i enjoyed every minute of it although i did take my sweet time to get accustomed to the writing and the narration. the characters were well-rounded and like-able. honestly, i couldn't find any faults with the book except that i could have enjoyed a little more depth in the plot because the build-up was insanely good!
pick this one up if you loved 'The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle' or John Marrs' books!
A locked room. A brutal murder.
And a killer who can turn back time...
this was nothing sort of ordinary and i enjoyed every minute of it although i did take my sweet time to get accustomed to the writing and the narration. the characters were well-rounded and like-able. honestly, i couldn't find any faults with the book except that i could have enjoyed a little more depth in the plot because the build-up was insanely good!
pick this one up if you loved 'The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle' or John Marrs' books!
kellyvandamme's review
5.0
Hi and welcome to my review of Black Lake Manor!
Oh my giddy aunt, what a book! After Five Minds I expected nothing less than a highly original, twisty mindfuck of a book, and that was exactly what I found in Black Lake Manor.
Black Lake Manor’s main storylines alternate between events in 1804 and 2045, with a few sidelines to learn more about the characters and their history. It is always clear where and when we are, and I had no issues jumping from one timeline to another, it never felt confusing.
In 1804, a ship is wrecked at Black Lake and some of its crew have to resort to rather unsavoury measures to survive. This sets in motion the creation of a new tribe, its members able to turn back time, but only six hours, and only once in their lifetime.
In 2045, local billionaire Lincoln Shan is found dead in his study after an exclusive party. He’s been murdered in a rather gruesome manner and the storm raging around the manor means that no one was able to get in or out, so the killer must be either a guest or a member of personnel. With all external means of communication down due to the storm, the victim’s ex-fiancée, Ella Manning, is the closest thing they have to law enforcement, even if she is just a part-time constable, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of things. But then the wolf eats time and Ella has to start over, without even knowing it.
I do love me a locked room murder mystery! And a sci-fi angle! And a mindblowing reading experience! And Black Lake Manor delivers it all, wrapped with a neat little bow.
As soon as I’d read the first chapter, I knew I was in for a treat. It grabbed me and didn’t let me go. I tried not to overthink things and just let the story flow and take me wherever I needed to go, I knew I’d fry my brain if I tried to figure it out, but I couldn’t stop myself. I loved seeing the story come together, all the different elements, all the chess pieces, and then suddenly see the light, when all is revealed and starts to make sense.
I had a brilliant time with Black Lake Manor. I’m very happy that I had the foresight to save it for a lazy Sunday, since it did lure me in the just-one-more-chapter trap, as expected, and I finished it in a day.
Black Lake Manor is a cleverly plotted, luscious thriller with its own innovative tech, its own mythology and the loveliest octopus you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. If you enjoy locked-room murder mysteries of the stormy, sci-fi and mind-bending variety, I highly recommend you pick up Black Lake Manor.
Black Lake Manor is out on 8 September in hardcover and digital formats, with the paperback to follow next year.
Massive thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Oh my giddy aunt, what a book! After Five Minds I expected nothing less than a highly original, twisty mindfuck of a book, and that was exactly what I found in Black Lake Manor.
Black Lake Manor’s main storylines alternate between events in 1804 and 2045, with a few sidelines to learn more about the characters and their history. It is always clear where and when we are, and I had no issues jumping from one timeline to another, it never felt confusing.
In 1804, a ship is wrecked at Black Lake and some of its crew have to resort to rather unsavoury measures to survive. This sets in motion the creation of a new tribe, its members able to turn back time, but only six hours, and only once in their lifetime.
In 2045, local billionaire Lincoln Shan is found dead in his study after an exclusive party. He’s been murdered in a rather gruesome manner and the storm raging around the manor means that no one was able to get in or out, so the killer must be either a guest or a member of personnel. With all external means of communication down due to the storm, the victim’s ex-fiancée, Ella Manning, is the closest thing they have to law enforcement, even if she is just a part-time constable, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of things. But then the wolf eats time and Ella has to start over, without even knowing it.
I do love me a locked room murder mystery! And a sci-fi angle! And a mindblowing reading experience! And Black Lake Manor delivers it all, wrapped with a neat little bow.
As soon as I’d read the first chapter, I knew I was in for a treat. It grabbed me and didn’t let me go. I tried not to overthink things and just let the story flow and take me wherever I needed to go, I knew I’d fry my brain if I tried to figure it out, but I couldn’t stop myself. I loved seeing the story come together, all the different elements, all the chess pieces, and then suddenly see the light, when all is revealed and starts to make sense.
I had a brilliant time with Black Lake Manor. I’m very happy that I had the foresight to save it for a lazy Sunday, since it did lure me in the just-one-more-chapter trap, as expected, and I finished it in a day.
Black Lake Manor is a cleverly plotted, luscious thriller with its own innovative tech, its own mythology and the loveliest octopus you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. If you enjoy locked-room murder mysteries of the stormy, sci-fi and mind-bending variety, I highly recommend you pick up Black Lake Manor.
Black Lake Manor is out on 8 September in hardcover and digital formats, with the paperback to follow next year.
Massive thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
madeleinekl's review
3.0
Plotty and fast-paced - some of the relationships and characters were a little underdeveloped, but considering the main character was meant to be kind of emotionless this was understandable. Kept me guessing
spookysoto's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: I liked it
Format: Ebook
I liked it, it was an interesting concept but the main mystery wasn't that compelling.
I was most interested in the Wolf that ate time part, and the story of captain Ross than the main murder mystery.
I think the ghost part was an unnecessary complication to the plot, and so were .
I would something else from the author.
The fictional first nation people of the story can turn back time, a few hours, just once in their lifetime.
Lincoln is a Elon Musk type character. He got his fortune by using his wolf power, saving a millionaire. Now, he is obsessed in dying young, so he surrounded himself with people with the wolf power.
He read that the power could be brought back and to be used endlessly. The ritual involve eating the Akaht's chief, his childhood friend Maquina.
So he planned that, and he killed him, but it didn't work, he didn't got back his wolf power.
Lincoln told this to Koji, his head of security. Lincoln told him that maybe the ritual didn't work because he waited too long to eat his heart, so that he should try again with the next chief.
Koji told this to his grandson, Yahl. He told Koji that this was their chance to get rid of Lincoln, so they made his sister turn back time, and tell them what Lincoln was planning to do (since she and maquina -because he died- would be the only ones to remember what had happened).
They let play everything the same but let Lincoln be killed instead.
Lincoln had program these chest pieces with Surgical instruments, to open the heart of whoever was wearing his watch at a certain time. So Maquina just let that kill Lincoln.
Then they turn back times a couple of times more, because they needed someone to be blame for the murder.
Ella maquina and Lincoln's childhood friend, and Lincoln former fiancee, was at the ghost launch party that night. She was heading Lincoln's death investigation because she had previously been associated with law enforcement. Lastly Koji, Maq and Yahl tried to pin Lincoln's death to her but she found out and made them confess.
The ghost were like some kind of virtual reality avatars.
At the end it was determined Lincoln died by accident by his invention, the chess pieces.
Ella and the rest decided they couldn't tell the whole truth about the wolf and turning back time, so they told a partial truth: Lincoln tried to murder maq, accidentally drank Maq's drink, laced with a tranquilizer, and since he was wearing the watch, died by his own chess pieces creation.
Both Maq and Yahl were acquitted. Koji had escaped before and died in the mines.
Format: Ebook
I liked it, it was an interesting concept but the main mystery wasn't that compelling.
I was most interested in the Wolf that ate time part, and the story of captain Ross than the main murder mystery.
I think the ghost part was an unnecessary complication to the plot, and so were
Spoiler
the chess piecesI would something else from the author.
Spoiler
The fictional first nation people of the story can turn back time, a few hours, just once in their lifetime.
Lincoln is a Elon Musk type character. He got his fortune by using his wolf power, saving a millionaire. Now, he is obsessed in dying young, so he surrounded himself with people with the wolf power.
He read that the power could be brought back and to be used endlessly. The ritual involve eating the Akaht's chief, his childhood friend Maquina.
So he planned that, and he killed him, but it didn't work, he didn't got back his wolf power.
Lincoln told this to Koji, his head of security. Lincoln told him that maybe the ritual didn't work because he waited too long to eat his heart, so that he should try again with the next chief.
Koji told this to his grandson, Yahl. He told Koji that this was their chance to get rid of Lincoln, so they made his sister turn back time, and tell them what Lincoln was planning to do (since she and maquina -because he died- would be the only ones to remember what had happened).
They let play everything the same but let Lincoln be killed instead.
Lincoln had program these chest pieces with Surgical instruments, to open the heart of whoever was wearing his watch at a certain time. So Maquina just let that kill Lincoln.
Then they turn back times a couple of times more, because they needed someone to be blame for the murder.
Ella maquina and Lincoln's childhood friend, and Lincoln former fiancee, was at the ghost launch party that night. She was heading Lincoln's death investigation because she had previously been associated with law enforcement. Lastly Koji, Maq and Yahl tried to pin Lincoln's death to her but she found out and made them confess.
The ghost were like some kind of virtual reality avatars.
At the end it was determined Lincoln died by accident by his invention, the chess pieces.
Ella and the rest decided they couldn't tell the whole truth about the wolf and turning back time, so they told a partial truth: Lincoln tried to murder maq, accidentally drank Maq's drink, laced with a tranquilizer, and since he was wearing the watch, died by his own chess pieces creation.
Both Maq and Yahl were acquitted. Koji had escaped before and died in the mines.