booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
3.0
I am SO conflicted about this rating. On the one hand, it’s a great read - easy to get lost in, compelling and well written, with detailed and complex characters. On the other, I’m not certain I like how the story plays out - while I didn’t see some of it coming, I feel I should have. I liked the small twist on the more likely stuff, but it still felt a little convoluted overall. However I did really enjoy this and it wasn’t what I was expecting. See? Conflicted!
All in though, if you enjoy a contemporary read with a mystery twist, I would say that it’s a nice easy one to try and worth the time.
All in though, if you enjoy a contemporary read with a mystery twist, I would say that it’s a nice easy one to try and worth the time.
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
*I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
Well this book was just an odd one. Its really more of a psychological thriller, I did predict what most readers will probably consider the “big reveal” but I really enjoyed the execution and the ending isn’t typical given the type of book it is. The writing style was really sparse, and let me kind of fill in the blanks which really works with this type of novel. It made the book feel tense and dark even though really most of the book isn’t.
The characters were deep thinkers, and I liked the interaction between Sarah and Nico in this book. Nico had this whole damaged vibe that really pulled me in. She wasn’t the daughter that went missing, but she was the forgotten unimportant one. It is totally mind boggling to me how prevalent this parent/child relationship in fiction is, and I always feel for the “lesser” sibling.
The fact that the Sarah that came back was such a different person was actually really nice because I already kind of hated her just from being in Nico’s head. I spent most of the book really trying to see how she could become completely different. In the end of course it is explained, and I really think that in this case the winners were the entire family. The entire family gained so much from having Sarah come back, and it actually made for a very family oriented book. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars and it would be perfect for people who love mysteries and thrillers.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2016/12/the-stranger-game-by-cylin-busby.html*
Well this book was just an odd one. Its really more of a psychological thriller, I did predict what most readers will probably consider the “big reveal” but I really enjoyed the execution and the ending isn’t typical given the type of book it is. The writing style was really sparse, and let me kind of fill in the blanks which really works with this type of novel. It made the book feel tense and dark even though really most of the book isn’t.
The characters were deep thinkers, and I liked the interaction between Sarah and Nico in this book. Nico had this whole damaged vibe that really pulled me in. She wasn’t the daughter that went missing, but she was the forgotten unimportant one. It is totally mind boggling to me how prevalent this parent/child relationship in fiction is, and I always feel for the “lesser” sibling.
The fact that the Sarah that came back was such a different person was actually really nice because I already kind of hated her just from being in Nico’s head. I spent most of the book really trying to see how she could become completely different. In the end of course it is explained, and I really think that in this case the winners were the entire family. The entire family gained so much from having Sarah come back, and it actually made for a very family oriented book. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars and it would be perfect for people who love mysteries and thrillers.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2016/12/the-stranger-game-by-cylin-busby.html*
kitsunebi_reads's review against another edition
5.0
The Stranger Game from the start is a familiar formula, seen over and over again. Still very enjoyable, but like the others. The big reveal is given away fairly early in the story. however it earns it's five stars for not only being a great read, but for the WTF ending twist. So disturbing.
cami19's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maryam162424's review against another edition
4.0
*3.75 stars* this totally went somewhere I didn’t even think of and I loved it! That’s why I’m listing it as 4 stars. I thought it’d be a similar book to the few others I’ve read that had the same plot. BUT IT WASNT. damn. I really liked the concept of family I just feel so wrong for living this book a little bit.
hiii_ris's review against another edition
3.0
It was fine and entertaining. But I think I need to give up these "atmospheric thriller mysteries" for a while because the plots just seems so contrived and convoluted. This is not this book's fault, it's just I've read too many of the same in too short a period.
rae1019's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
meaganmart's review against another edition
3.0
When Sarah Walker disappears her parents and friends are devastated. They spend countless hours, offer exorbitant rewards, and visit morgue after morgue trying to find any information related to Sarah's disappearance or whereabouts. As the years pass Sarah's sister, Nico, is able to quietly admit to herself that she's glad to be free from the daily abuse rained down on her by a cruel and vindictive big sister. Just as she's grown into the role of the "only child" and found her stride in her high school her family gets a call that Sarah has been found.
Nico can't help but compare the Sarah that comes home after four years away with the Sarah of before. She's shy and withdrawn whereas the old Sarah was loud and brash. Her feet are bigger, she seems to excel at advanced math and science that the old Sarah never mastered, and perhaps, most damaging of all, she claims to be unable to remember a single detail of her life before or during her captivity.
Nico can't help but wonder if the "new Sarah" is really Sarah at all, and it becomes increasingly clear that she's not the only one with doubts or the only one who really knows what happened the day that Sarah disappeared.
I thought the dual narration provided by Nico and Sarah was very interesting and helped add tension to the plot. I was particularly interested in Sarah's chapters and was very interested to piece together the backstory provided by her POV.
Nico can't help but compare the Sarah that comes home after four years away with the Sarah of before. She's shy and withdrawn whereas the old Sarah was loud and brash. Her feet are bigger, she seems to excel at advanced math and science that the old Sarah never mastered, and perhaps, most damaging of all, she claims to be unable to remember a single detail of her life before or during her captivity.
Nico can't help but wonder if the "new Sarah" is really Sarah at all, and it becomes increasingly clear that she's not the only one with doubts or the only one who really knows what happened the day that Sarah disappeared.
I thought the dual narration provided by Nico and Sarah was very interesting and helped add tension to the plot. I was particularly interested in Sarah's chapters and was very interested to piece together the backstory provided by her POV.