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yellauraya's review against another edition
3.0
Date read: November 17-November 21, 2019
Actual Rating: 3.00 STARS
Cheers to all the story with a strong and tough female character. It was always fascinating to read about women with the ability to level themselves with men, or even proved them how capable and even more competent they are compared to the opposite sex. It felt refreshing and reassuring. Though there are elements and parts of this story that didn't sit with me well, I still think I will continue with this series and blessed myself with more of this bad-ass female character. Maybe not instantly because I think I have more urgent reads (LOL), but I definitely will in the future.
Actual Rating: 3.00 STARS
Cheers to all the story with a strong and tough female character. It was always fascinating to read about women with the ability to level themselves with men, or even proved them how capable and even more competent they are compared to the opposite sex. It felt refreshing and reassuring. Though there are elements and parts of this story that didn't sit with me well, I still think I will continue with this series and blessed myself with more of this bad-ass female character. Maybe not instantly because I think I have more urgent reads (LOL), but I definitely will in the future.
nglofile's review against another edition
4.0
I'm thrilled that the publisher is finally bringing the first Charlie Fox books to the U.S., but in all honesty I don't know if I would have fallen as hard for the series if I had been able to start with book one. Charlie is still a fascinating character, but she spends a disproportionate amount of time being attacked and assaulted.
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books with a very strong female lead. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but for some reason I couldn't connect with Charlie Fox as she seemed to have a chip on her shoulder. I found her annoying. This book features too much on motorbikes and self defence. I know these are two elements in the story but at times it was sounding like a dummies guide to self defence.
The story was generally okay but confusing at times.
The story was generally okay but confusing at times.
peapod_boston's review against another edition
3.0
“Killer Instinct” is a Jack Reacher novel if Jack Reacher was British, female and a lot more emotionally damaged. A really solid first novel that doesn’t shrink away from some hard topics and avoids most of the “tough female lead” cliche’s out there. Charlie Fox, the narrator and protagonist, is former British special forces-type who makes a living teaching self-defense classes to women. Sharp weaves together Fox's background, a serial rapist, a women’s shelter, a new nightclub (and it’s mysterious and attractive owner), and a host of other secondary characters and businesses into a gritty mystery. Worth it for some of the fight scenes alone, which are intensely real. Not the kind of thing I usually read, but worth the time if you’re in the mood for a mystery.
myrdyr's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5 stars. I made it 3/4 of the way through this book before stopping. Part of me wanted to keep going to find out what happened, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Every time I would start to get into the storyline, something about the writing would have a jarring effect, and put me off. It's not a horrible book; it's just not for me.
kkilburn's review against another edition
3.0
Wonder Woman, Modesty Blaise, and now Charlie Fox. As Lee Child notes in his introduction, female action heroes are few and far between, and Charlie Fox is a welcome addition. Sharp has created a character with a strong backstory, a clear and solid presence, and plenty of room for emotional growth. She is far from perfect, but she has a good heart; she is someone I can like as a person as well as a kick-ass heroine. I have added the second book in the series to my TBR list and am eager to check it out.
Sharp tells a good story - I turned pages late into the night. Her prose is strong, and she has an eye for arresting metaphor. Unfortunately, poor editing led to some of those metaphors being mangled by grammatical errors, but I expect that will change with later books in the series.
As a martial artist and student of self defense, I often find myself suspending disbelief when I read fight and/or self-defense scenes. Sharp does a much better job than most at writing realistic encounters with realistic results in the forms of broken bones and other damage. I took issue most strongly with the way she shapes Charlie's thoughts about sexual assault and self-defense, which often lapse into the sort of victim-blaming that the best self-defense instructors work very hard to avoid. And the final fight, in which Charlie uses the old palm-strike-drives-bone-fragment-into-the-skull trick - well, that was just so over the top and ridiculous that I literally had to stop reading for a minute.
All that said, I enjoyed the book and hope that future books bear out the promise of this one.
Sharp tells a good story - I turned pages late into the night. Her prose is strong, and she has an eye for arresting metaphor. Unfortunately, poor editing led to some of those metaphors being mangled by grammatical errors, but I expect that will change with later books in the series.
As a martial artist and student of self defense, I often find myself suspending disbelief when I read fight and/or self-defense scenes. Sharp does a much better job than most at writing realistic encounters with realistic results in the forms of broken bones and other damage. I took issue most strongly with the way she shapes Charlie's thoughts about sexual assault and self-defense, which often lapse into the sort of victim-blaming that the best self-defense instructors work very hard to avoid. And the final fight, in which Charlie uses the old palm-strike-drives-bone-fragment-into-the-skull trick - well, that was just so over the top and ridiculous that I literally had to stop reading for a minute.
All that said, I enjoyed the book and hope that future books bear out the promise of this one.
oedipa_maas's review against another edition
3.0
Non-stop action and fight scenes, but with a once-victimized-now-fighting woman as the main character. Fairly violent, decently written, and the end did not disappoint. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
hrkershaw's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tommyro's review against another edition
1.0
A very dull predictable boring read. An editor should have removed all the clichés and the book would be half as long. The writing is juvenile and simplistic.
elvang's review against another edition
4.0
Starts out with a few too many metaphors, but once Sharp lets her protagonist loose Killer Instinct soars. Impressive first novel for this author.