Scan barcode
buchweiser's review against another edition
4.0
„Kalte Wasser“ ist der Debütroman von Melanie Golding, die in Bath Kreatives Schreiben studierte und ihre Fähigkeiten in ihrem Erstlingswerk seh rgut zur Geltung bringt.
Den Einstieg in die Geschichte fand ich zunächst ein wenig langatmig und im Nachhinein mit all den Details zur Geburt der Zwillinge auch ein wenig überflüssig, doch hat man diese Szene hinter sich gebracht, nimmt die Erzählung deutlich an Fahrt auf.
Es ist schwierig, etwas über das Geschehen zu schreiben, ohne zu viel zu verraten, aber – was man vielleicht vorher wissen sollte – es gibt ein phantastisches Element, das diesen Roman eher bei „Magischer Realismus“ als bei „Psychothriller“ ansiedelt.
Mir hat genau das ausgesprochen gut gefallen, aber ich bin auch ohne jegliche Erwartung an dieses Buch herangegangen und war deshalb sehr überrascht, wie gut der Autorin dieser Spagat gelungen ist.
Auch die Hauptcharaktere waren sehr recht gut ausgearbeitet, insbesondere Lauren, doch auch Harper ist eine Figur mit Tiefe.
Lediglich Laurens Mann blieb für mich ein wenig widersprüchlich. Sah es anfangs so aus, als wolle er seine Frau mit den Kinderns am liebsten allein lassen, so kümmerte er sich später jedoch aufopferungsvoll um seine Familie. Diesen Wandel konnte ich nicht ganz nachvollziehen, war aber für mich eher nebensächlich.
„Kalte Wasser“ ist ein gelungenes Debüt, das Lust auf mehr von dieser Autorin macht.
Den Einstieg in die Geschichte fand ich zunächst ein wenig langatmig und im Nachhinein mit all den Details zur Geburt der Zwillinge auch ein wenig überflüssig, doch hat man diese Szene hinter sich gebracht, nimmt die Erzählung deutlich an Fahrt auf.
Es ist schwierig, etwas über das Geschehen zu schreiben, ohne zu viel zu verraten, aber – was man vielleicht vorher wissen sollte – es gibt ein phantastisches Element, das diesen Roman eher bei „Magischer Realismus“ als bei „Psychothriller“ ansiedelt.
Mir hat genau das ausgesprochen gut gefallen, aber ich bin auch ohne jegliche Erwartung an dieses Buch herangegangen und war deshalb sehr überrascht, wie gut der Autorin dieser Spagat gelungen ist.
Auch die Hauptcharaktere waren sehr recht gut ausgearbeitet, insbesondere Lauren, doch auch Harper ist eine Figur mit Tiefe.
Lediglich Laurens Mann blieb für mich ein wenig widersprüchlich. Sah es anfangs so aus, als wolle er seine Frau mit den Kinderns am liebsten allein lassen, so kümmerte er sich später jedoch aufopferungsvoll um seine Familie. Diesen Wandel konnte ich nicht ganz nachvollziehen, war aber für mich eher nebensächlich.
„Kalte Wasser“ ist ein gelungenes Debüt, das Lust auf mehr von dieser Autorin macht.
helgamharb's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
During her stay at the hospital after giving birth to twins, Lauren is visited by a creepy woman in the middle of the night. She tells Lauren she wants one of her babies or else she would take them both and replace them with her own.
A frantic 999 call by Lauren brings the police and the security guard to her room. But no one has seen or heard anything. Everybody, including her husband believes she is imagining things due to exhaustion and lack of sleep.
Is the menacing woman just a vision? Or is she real? Does someone really want to take Lauren's children?
Little Darlings is a well-written, chilling and hair-raising story. You may say it is a combination of horror, mystery and fairy tale. However for me, it fell short. The beginning was suspenseful and engaging and I was waiting for a big twist at the end, which never came.
During her stay at the hospital after giving birth to twins, Lauren is visited by a creepy woman in the middle of the night. She tells Lauren she wants one of her babies or else she would take them both and replace them with her own.
A frantic 999 call by Lauren brings the police and the security guard to her room. But no one has seen or heard anything. Everybody, including her husband believes she is imagining things due to exhaustion and lack of sleep.
Is the menacing woman just a vision? Or is she real? Does someone really want to take Lauren's children?
Little Darlings is a well-written, chilling and hair-raising story. You may say it is a combination of horror, mystery and fairy tale. However for me, it fell short. The beginning was suspenseful and engaging and I was waiting for a big twist at the end, which never came.
annalg0514's review against another edition
5.0
Strange but addictive story
Overall I liked this book. It was predictable but it was written well enough that I kept reading anyways. I’d recommend it if you’re into dark psychological thrillers with a little magical twist.
Overall I liked this book. It was predictable but it was written well enough that I kept reading anyways. I’d recommend it if you’re into dark psychological thrillers with a little magical twist.
gothamvorona's review against another edition
DNF @ 15%
Yeah gotta be real, I couldn't stomach this book. At all. I can see why some would like it but the beginning was too traumatic for me and I couldn't stand that others woman's voice that is trying to steal her children. It was too creepy in the sense that I wanted to throw up the majority of this percentage I've read. Nothing was enjoyable and I could just see it getting worse for me.
I really wanted to read this book because I loved the synopsis. I like mythology and wanted to read more about Celtic mythology. This just wasn't it for me. Props to anyone that has read this especially if you have enjoyed it.
Yeah gotta be real, I couldn't stomach this book. At all. I can see why some would like it but the beginning was too traumatic for me and I couldn't stand that others woman's voice that is trying to steal her children. It was too creepy in the sense that I wanted to throw up the majority of this percentage I've read. Nothing was enjoyable and I could just see it getting worse for me.
I really wanted to read this book because I loved the synopsis. I like mythology and wanted to read more about Celtic mythology. This just wasn't it for me. Props to anyone that has read this especially if you have enjoyed it.
olpgurl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
2.0
I haven’t gone from enjoying a book to hating it so fast as this one once the reveal hits
taylorardoin's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great read! I thoroughly enjoyed it. It had the perfect amount of creepy/horror, but it wasn't too scary where it'd keep me up at night. I think Melanie Golding did an excellent job for her first book - I couldn't put it down! I *almost* finished it in one day, but a little bit carried over into the second day.
I used the audiobook version of this book to listen in the car on my way to/from work and I must say the narrator was AMAZING. She did a great job keeping me attentive during the audiobook and her voices were perfect for the book.
I'm not a mother (yet) myself, but I did feel like this book gave a pretty detailed (and, to my knowledge, accurate) description of what it's like in the first few weeks as a mother. I couldn't stand the husband, which just made me root for Lauren even more. Oh, and that procedure Lauren had to endure after having the babies...my insides were HURTING while reading that part. I felt so bad for her.
*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a completely honest and unbiased review.* #LittleDarlingsBook #NetGalley
I used the audiobook version of this book to listen in the car on my way to/from work and I must say the narrator was AMAZING. She did a great job keeping me attentive during the audiobook and her voices were perfect for the book.
I'm not a mother (yet) myself, but I did feel like this book gave a pretty detailed (and, to my knowledge, accurate) description of what it's like in the first few weeks as a mother. I couldn't stand the husband, which just made me root for Lauren even more. Oh, and that procedure Lauren had to endure after having the babies...my insides were HURTING while reading that part. I felt so bad for her.
Spoiler
There was a part of me that was hoping there was a true explanation of an ending and that is wasn't just a "folklore/myth/legend" that was true. I guess that's just the thriller-lover in me. Part of me was hoping that Harper was the "woman" that Lauren kept seeing and that, because of her background, she wanted the babies for her own. But, I still thought the book was great as is and it changed up my reading from the same ole, same ole.*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a completely honest and unbiased review.* #LittleDarlingsBook #NetGalley
tentinybees's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Kidnapping
faithtrustpixiedust's review against another edition
3.0
I received this ARC from Crooked Lane via BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change.
Obligatory Summary
Lauren Tranter is certain that a strange woman wants to steal her newborn twins and replace them with her own, but no one else believes her; not her husband, not her friends, and certainly not the police. Detective Harper, however, thinks there's more to the situation. After Lauren's twins get briefly abducted, things seem to be coming together, but nothing is as it appears. She insists that the boys in her basket aren't her own, that they've been replaced with changelings. And when Lauren considers the unthinkable, the divide between fantasy and reality blurs. Can Harper solve the case before it's too late? And will Lauren ever get her own boys back? Were they ever even gone?
My Thoughts
I liked the writing enough. As a debut, it was pretty good, but the "debut-ness" sometimes showed, with awkward, repetitive prose and redundancies. There were a lot of Britishisms that took me a bit to figure out. Like, apparently they say "interview" for everything? Like, in America, it's just job interviews and the like, with interrogation and questioning for criminal proceedings, but this book had interviews with suspects and potential witnesses. It was just odd and a little eye-opening. British people use such cute little terms hah.
Golding really excelled at setting descriptions and really painted an excellent scene, but her characters somewhat lacked depth. Harper's character, in particular, seemed irrelevant at first, to the point that I considered DNFing the book. This story had great potential to be a quality horror, but it really wanted to be a mystery thriller instead, and I had to reconcile that for myself. There were times when it almost reached spooky territory but backed away at the last moment, leaving me feeling unresolved and a little disappointed. The ending, for example, had this whole chapter about a seemingly unrelated mystery that ultimately felt like a retcon and a waste of my time. I think if more time had been devoted to building suspense instead of introducing new information and having the pay-off a chapter later, I would have been more invested throughout.
Also, Patrick can go die.
When the time came for them to sleep through the night, something would be given: the gift of rejuvenating sleep, essential to life. But like every bargain, something would also be taken: it would be another of those inevitable steps away from her and into themselves. Let it go on, she thought, this beautiful torture, the time of sleepless nights. For as long as it will.
Obligatory Summary
Lauren Tranter is certain that a strange woman wants to steal her newborn twins and replace them with her own, but no one else believes her; not her husband, not her friends, and certainly not the police. Detective Harper, however, thinks there's more to the situation. After Lauren's twins get briefly abducted, things seem to be coming together, but nothing is as it appears. She insists that the boys in her basket aren't her own, that they've been replaced with changelings. And when Lauren considers the unthinkable, the divide between fantasy and reality blurs. Can Harper solve the case before it's too late? And will Lauren ever get her own boys back? Were they ever even gone?
My Thoughts
I liked the writing enough. As a debut, it was pretty good, but the "debut-ness" sometimes showed, with awkward, repetitive prose and redundancies. There were a lot of Britishisms that took me a bit to figure out. Like, apparently they say "interview" for everything? Like, in America, it's just job interviews and the like, with interrogation and questioning for criminal proceedings, but this book had interviews with suspects and potential witnesses. It was just odd and a little eye-opening. British people use such cute little terms hah.
Golding really excelled at setting descriptions and really painted an excellent scene, but her characters somewhat lacked depth. Harper's character, in particular, seemed irrelevant at first, to the point that I considered DNFing the book. This story had great potential to be a quality horror, but it really wanted to be a mystery thriller instead, and I had to reconcile that for myself. There were times when it almost reached spooky territory but backed away at the last moment, leaving me feeling unresolved and a little disappointed. The ending, for example, had this whole chapter about a seemingly unrelated mystery that ultimately felt like a retcon and a waste of my time. I think if more time had been devoted to building suspense instead of introducing new information and having the pay-off a chapter later, I would have been more invested throughout.
Also, Patrick can go die.