A review by loxeletters
Five Bloody Hearts by Joy Ellis
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
*Character names may be misspelt as I only listened to this book on audio.
Even though I didn't particularly like the first book, I decided to give this one a shot since the premise sounded more interesting and the narrator was changed.
Regarding the latter, I found that the new narrator much improved the experience, though I still struggled with some character voices being too similar to distinguish, particularly Ross and Matt in scenes where they were talking on the phone. I still wasn't convinced by any performances of shouting or emotional outbursts. But overall it was still a big improvement, especially in the women's voices department.
Regarding the actual book:
Some of the issues I had with the first book were resolved, e.g. there was a much larger focus on psychology, and the ending twist was less outlandish than previously. That being said, I found the solution to the Lithuanian plotline to be quite underwhelming.
While Lizz unfortunately didn't play a big role during most of the book, I found I really enjoyed scenes with Rory the pathologist. Super fun character. I also enjoyed seeing more of Brynn. However, I found that I grew to dislike Matt quite a bit. In the end, some of those issues were acknowledged, but still.
I also found that this book had much less of a thrill, potentially because the detectives weren't personally threatened at any point. As with the previous book, the danger to the victims wasn't conveyed convincingly to me.
Finally, I was seriously bothered by the amount of telling (instead of showing) that was happening in this book. There was a scene towards the end that really encapsulated it, where two detectives are said to be questioning a detained character, and the book just jumps to them coming out of the interview and talking about what happened, instead of showing it to the reader in real-time.
It's very possible that this was already present in the previous book, and I just didn't notice it under more glaring content issues. Maybe it's a new development. But it drove me up the walls.
Overall, a definite improvement to the first book, but I don't see myself picking up the post-retirement instalments.
Even though I didn't particularly like the first book, I decided to give this one a shot since the premise sounded more interesting and the narrator was changed.
Regarding the latter, I found that the new narrator much improved the experience, though I still struggled with some character voices being too similar to distinguish, particularly Ross and Matt in scenes where they were talking on the phone. I still wasn't convinced by any performances of shouting or emotional outbursts. But overall it was still a big improvement, especially in the women's voices department.
Regarding the actual book:
Some of the issues I had with the first book were resolved, e.g. there was a much larger focus on psychology, and the ending twist was less outlandish than previously. That being said, I found the solution to the Lithuanian plotline to be quite underwhelming.
While Lizz unfortunately didn't play a big role during most of the book, I found I really enjoyed scenes with Rory the pathologist. Super fun character. I also enjoyed seeing more of Brynn. However, I found that I grew to dislike Matt quite a bit. In the end, some of those issues were acknowledged, but still.
I also found that this book had much less of a thrill, potentially because the detectives weren't personally threatened at any point. As with the previous book, the danger to the victims wasn't conveyed convincingly to me.
Finally, I was seriously bothered by the amount of telling (instead of showing) that was happening in this book. There was a scene towards the end that really encapsulated it, where two detectives are said to be questioning a detained character, and the book just jumps to them coming out of the interview and talking about what happened, instead of showing it to the reader in real-time.
It's very possible that this was already present in the previous book, and I just didn't notice it under more glaring content issues. Maybe it's a new development. But it drove me up the walls.
Overall, a definite improvement to the first book, but I don't see myself picking up the post-retirement instalments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Confinement, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, Chronic illness, Animal death, and Stalking