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shimmery's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars rounded down because it would be unfair to put this on par with my 3 star ratings which I usually give to books that weren’t particularly for me but which were sound enough. This had a few too many flaws to be in that category.
Judging by the cover and blurb I thought I’d love this — a thriller set in the Scottish highlands, which starts with a strange woman appearing to main character Lauren and her father on Halloween. But as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover! This was poorly paced, with a large amount of characters quickly unloaded with names and surnames and then a slow 200 pages or so just being exposition. I was reading it totally confused at the book being branded a thriller. Lots of cliche supernatural. A ten year old main character who doesn’t really act like a ten year old.
By the time we get something of a crime plot in the last third of the book it’s already totally obvious who is behind it. To me this reads like a solid attempt at a first novel — but the kind of first novel that is left in a draw unpublished and chalked up as writing practice. The book did build up a kind of atmosphere and setting which is why I didn’t totally dislike it, I just wish something more interesting would have happened there.
Judging by the cover and blurb I thought I’d love this — a thriller set in the Scottish highlands, which starts with a strange woman appearing to main character Lauren and her father on Halloween. But as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover! This was poorly paced, with a large amount of characters quickly unloaded with names and surnames and then a slow 200 pages or so just being exposition. I was reading it totally confused at the book being branded a thriller. Lots of cliche supernatural. A ten year old main character who doesn’t really act like a ten year old.
By the time we get something of a crime plot in the last third of the book it’s already totally obvious who is behind it. To me this reads like a solid attempt at a first novel — but the kind of first novel that is left in a draw unpublished and chalked up as writing practice. The book did build up a kind of atmosphere and setting which is why I didn’t totally dislike it, I just wish something more interesting would have happened there.
sophduncshep's review against another edition
Just couldn’t get into this. Loved the writing style but struggled with the characterisations.
sarinaj's review against another edition
4.0
Very atmospheric and enjoyed the first two thirds, however it really suffered from bad pacing with lots of build up and all the action happening in a handful of pages. This seems to be something I've encountered in novels a lot recently!
daniel1501's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.25
katy157's review against another edition
dark
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? No
1.0
the_sunken_library's review against another edition
2.0
This was going to get a 4star rating until the last chapter where the whole thing flopped off a cliff. I am so annoyed. I found this well written, compelling, excellently paced, an interesting mixture of crime horror and the supernatural! but the end. OMG the end. I hate it when the killer is revealed in an incoherent rush in the last few pages and no explanation as to why they committed the murder is ever provided. I just don't get it. There was so much potential and a great selection of interesting and intriguing characters. It gets a two because I feel cheated by the whole thing.
zukythebookbum's review against another edition
very slow & uninteresting so far. the main character is a child, which I tend to hate in books and the writing is mid, so it’s not urging me to read on.
tcastello's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Meh, it's slow, dull and the most suspenful parts are dull. The twist at the end while unexpected, I didn't care for. I pushed through for the sake of finishing the short book