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A review by keeperofpages
The Second Captive by Maggie James
4.0
The Second Captive is split into two parts: before the abduction and after the abduction, so I’m going to split my review into two parts – and you’ll clearly see which part I enjoyed more…
Part I – Before: I enjoyed part one, I thought it laid the foundation perfectly for part two by detailing how Beth’s captivity with Dominic played out – the abuse he reigned down on her wasn’t intense physically but so emotionally manipulative, truly psychological. This part is narrated by Beth and Dominic. Interestingly, I didn’t feel as drawn to Beth as I thought I would and I didn’t dislike Dominic as much as I thought I would either. The more I think about it, the more I see how Stockholm syndrome works, it’s so subtle, that even as the reader, I didn’t feel it’s impact until part 2…
Part II – After: Now this is where the plot really took off for me, the aftermath, narrated by Beth and her mum, Ursula, we see the impact Beth’s captivity and escape had on her and her family. Enter my favourite character – Ursula – her determination to help her daughter was commendable. James did a wonderful job showing how events affected Ursula – I was confused by Beth’s actions, I so wanted to understand how she could feel anything, except hatred, towards her captor and that’s what made me like Ursula so much, the way she handled things, the patience she exhibited.
The tension in this part was sky-high, Beth was so fragile, while reading this part of the book, I keep thinking “oh no, she’s going to go back to Dominic.” While understanding the plot, my inability to put myself in Beth’s shoes made this psychologically thrilling because I keep asking myself what I would do in her situation but I just couldn’t see myself acting the way she did. My desire to understand coupled with the way Ursula supported her daughter gripped me to the pages of part II.
The plot doesn’t move at breakneck speed as that wasn’t needed in this novel, the slower, steadier pace allows the reader to get psychologically involved in this story. If you’re a fan of abduction thrillers, or interested in how Stockholm syndrome works, The Second Captive is a must read!
*My thanks to Bloodhound Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book*
Part I – Before: I enjoyed part one, I thought it laid the foundation perfectly for part two by detailing how Beth’s captivity with Dominic played out – the abuse he reigned down on her wasn’t intense physically but so emotionally manipulative, truly psychological. This part is narrated by Beth and Dominic. Interestingly, I didn’t feel as drawn to Beth as I thought I would and I didn’t dislike Dominic as much as I thought I would either. The more I think about it, the more I see how Stockholm syndrome works, it’s so subtle, that even as the reader, I didn’t feel it’s impact until part 2…
Part II – After: Now this is where the plot really took off for me, the aftermath, narrated by Beth and her mum, Ursula, we see the impact Beth’s captivity and escape had on her and her family. Enter my favourite character – Ursula – her determination to help her daughter was commendable. James did a wonderful job showing how events affected Ursula – I was confused by Beth’s actions, I so wanted to understand how she could feel anything, except hatred, towards her captor and that’s what made me like Ursula so much, the way she handled things, the patience she exhibited.
The tension in this part was sky-high, Beth was so fragile, while reading this part of the book, I keep thinking “oh no, she’s going to go back to Dominic.” While understanding the plot, my inability to put myself in Beth’s shoes made this psychologically thrilling because I keep asking myself what I would do in her situation but I just couldn’t see myself acting the way she did. My desire to understand coupled with the way Ursula supported her daughter gripped me to the pages of part II.
The plot doesn’t move at breakneck speed as that wasn’t needed in this novel, the slower, steadier pace allows the reader to get psychologically involved in this story. If you’re a fan of abduction thrillers, or interested in how Stockholm syndrome works, The Second Captive is a must read!
*My thanks to Bloodhound Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book*