Reviews

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

ashleyfleming4's review against another edition

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4.0

"Waiting to get caught and waiting to feel bad. Neither had happened yet, and I knew that neither would."

effaly's review

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3.0

This book could have easily become one of my new faves if it wasn't for two things:
1.) The casual sexist undertone from every single character and how the beauty of a woman is defined by their breast size.
2.) The second half.

The first half of the book was phenomenal! It was so interesting and exciting to follow Lily through her life and to see how planned, executed, and hid the murders. It's very unusual for me to enjoy unlikable protagonists, but she is the exception for me.

Then the twist in the middle of the book came and I got even more intrigued with the story and how everything would unfold. Unfortunately, the twist also marked the book's downfall for me.

Suddenly the book became very slow and the reader has to read the same scenes from up to 3 different perspectives. It felt like the plot was taking two steps forward and one step back with each chapter.

And Lily was making one questionable decision after another. While in the first half, she was very careful and planned everything through, she was mostly relying on luck in the second half. It really annoyed me, because she obviously had so much more potential and it was thrown out of the window for no good reason.

And there was no twist at the end. Yes, not every story needs to have a twist ending, but I think it might have saved the story for me. The way it was, it feels like the plot didn't come to a satisfying ending, but fizzled out - after Lily made the dumbest decision in her life.

It's a shame, really. Maybe I'll read the second book in the series eventually...

dzkhan's review

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

bidadari's review

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4.75

A well-written book with good characters development. Each character intertwined with each other, unexpected twist over the first part. I love every bit of it. The cliffhanger left me wanting more. 

alexandra_ninelives's review

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4.0

A great book though I wish one of these characters did not die lol

briannesha's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

lauracooleyjohnson's review

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4.0

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. And I’m once again entertained by his storytelling. I get amusement from the fact that his books are set in New England: Concord/Sudbury area to be specific, and I like reading about local landmarks. But also... his books take an unexpected turn that I enjoy for the mere delight of getting surprised. This one started out kinda blah, and then suddenly turned interesting and continued with unexpected twists right up until the (abrupt) end.

wiggieswife's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

Holy cow. What did I just read?! I was caught off guard for every single twist and was thoroughly entertained. The Kind Worth Killing was great. Highly recommend & I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

nataliebrant's review

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

dorothym's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0