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princessleopard's review
3.0
Rating this one was a little hard. I did enjoy it, but it also definitely had its flaws. The premise is solid - the main character has an unexplained ability to unlock any door, and gets into trouble with it - but does wear thin after a little while when nothing is really explained. He finds out he's a "saint" and is meant to do something big, but what that means, we really have no idea. His mentor never really explains what he can do, and it's not super clear what the rules of sainthood are. It seems the Christian god is real, and hell exists (as well as the archangel Michael) but the main character coming to this realization is also never really explored, he just kinda handwaves it away because he isn't a fan of God. Vague ideas of the soul are also mentioned, but never really delved into. Nor do we understand where magic comes from in a Christian world, even though we run into several magic users.
The characters have a similar problem. They're charming, but kinda flat. Sam is a sweet, snarky do-gooder with a heart of gold, and that's kinda it. Alice has some more body to her, but once we get into her head, we find out there's not a whole lot there than the quiet, aloof lady we've already seen. His mother and grandmother are interesting, but pretty one-note as well. Not to say that I didn't /like/ any of them, only that they were lacking something more to make them feel like fully-fledged people.
I also kinda felt that the story leaves off in an unsatisfying place. Sam has a big revelation, but it's not explored in this collection, it's just left dangling for the next. Tbh I might read the sequel when it comes out, just to know how it ends, I'm not sure.
Overall, this book gave me strong Odd Thomas vibes (though it was a lot more coherent than any of those novels). Flat, sweet, good-hearted main character, lots of vague stuff that's never really explained, clear good and evil, etc. If you enjoyed those books, you'll love this. Even if you haven't read OT, as long as you're not expecting a lot of depth or world-building or whatever, I think you'll like this. It's a fine book to pass some time, even if it ends on an enormous cliffhanger.
egswriter's review
5.0
1. Thoughts on the plot
This book is actually quite interesting for the fantasy genre (even in urban fantasy) because the stakes are, generally, low. This book follows Sam, a locksmith who can open any lock. He meets death when she needs his help to open a door. From there, he discovers the world of magic, of the metaphysical, and his own place in that world.
I found the plot to be very interesting, because it mixed Sam’s normal life with his newfound place in a hidden world. There were mundane things he had to deal with, as well as some not so mundane. This mix of large and small problems made the plot very interesting and entertaining to read, with very good pacing and a gentle build in drama.
2. Thoughts on the main character
As far as main characters go in fantasy novels, Sam is quite ordinary. He is a locksmith who lives above the garage of his mother’s house, where his family is. He wants little more than a quiet, comfortable life. And when he finds that fantastical things are being thrown in his direction, he does his best to help however he can. He requires some help in this, and inevitably tries to do the right thing as best he can.
Generally speaking, when we find an “ordinary” character in a fantasy piece, it’s really a hero who has been hiding (or raised in hiding) until the day they are called upon to become extraordinary. Sam is really just an ordinary person. And because of this, his flaws and good traits really resonate more than I initially expected. I find that I really like Sam, for being a person who feels familiar and yet still has a touch of magic in his life. Definitely one of my favourite characters that I’ve read in a while.
3. Favourite part
I think the situation with Maggie was probably my favourite part. I can’t really say much more than that without spoiling the novel, but I like the fact that this book doesn’t gloss over the hard things, or force a happy ending to make the reader happy. (Though this isn’t the end of the book.)
4. Critique
My only critique for this piece is that the ending felt like it had been cut off. Okay, I know that this book is only the first of two, and things were about to get suitably more dramatic if they continued, but it felt a little too abrupt to tie up this first book nicely. However, this doesn’t really detract from the rest of the book in my opinion, it just makes me want to read book two right away.
On the whole, I would say that Night Latch is a fantastically well-written piece. The language flows well. The plot is highly entertaining. I really like all of the characters (but especially Sam) and I really, really want to know what’s going to happen next. I would have to say that this is definitely on my list of best books for 2020. It’s really quite excellent.
txbookmama's review
2.0
The concept was interesting and some of the writing was excellent. But it needed a much better copy editor and to be honest, the religion got overwhelming. I felt like this was a Christian YA paranormal. Which is fine but maybe not what I was looking for right now.
aworldshapedbybooks's review
4.0
Night Latch is an urban fantasy following the life of Sam Alvarez, a small town locksmith with the secret ability to open any lock. His abilities put him on death's radar- like not death but Death who's actually a young (kind of) woman who goes by Alice. You've read those cringy paranormals where death is super attractive snarky dude, get ready for a twist on that along with a cool magical plotline that you haven't seen before.
I liked how Night Latch wasn't as unrealistic as those, it didn't have the same degree of forced humor that I feel like these paranormal-type books think are so funny. I liked the magic because I think it's a cool skill that could definitely go under the radar, but be super helpful. I think Sam's transition into the supernatural was also a lot better than many of the ones I've seen, he questions things and all but he's not the cliche type to reject the "impossible" even though it's right in front of his face. He's a pretty likable hero, relatable with a nice small-town-guy-vibe.
I didn't like some of the pacing choices, the whole magic box plot divergence felt kind of random to me. It's like this additional character, Nick, was thrown in and suddenly relevant like he'd been mentioned previously. It felt a little strange, but I also appreciated the magic of the box because it was so funny. I liked Moreau as a character, more of him would be super appreciated cause he also was weirdly phased out. The side characters deserve a little more focus or development or I can't really recognize them as intrinsic. Looking forward to the sequel to see where it all goes.
I received an ARC of this book via Anela Deen in an exchange for an honest review! My honest opinion is that more people should be into Anela Deen's writing, this is the second book I've read by her and I think that she has a diverse skill-set and genre-expertise. Can't wait to see how this duology ends.
This review and all my others can be found at: https://aworldshapedbybooks.blogspot.com/
kittyg's review
3.0
I actually found myself pleasantly surprised with this book, as it's an urban fantasy which had elements of humour and sass throughout. We follow a man called Sam who is, himself, pretty impressive as he has the ability to open any lock. This is very useful as he owns a locksmith business, but he lives in a small town where not much happens... until... one day, a new client appears. This client is Death. This is where thing start getting interesting, and from this point onwards we start to see mythical and magical people becoming part of the story.
I definitely liked Death/Alice's character, as she reminded me of Pratchett in some ways, and Sam was not a bad main character, despite some terrible lines occasionally. The two of them bounced off of each other pretty well, and I enjoyed their adventures and the trouble they managed to find.
I think my biggest criticism of this one is the pacing and shift in characters. I felt like there were a few different 'parts' of this book and each one kind of felt as if it was its own story and then there would be a time-skip or new plot. I think there's a lot of good ideas, but the shift from Sam to Alice in the last section felt a little forced to me, and honestly almost like a different story. I think I needed a bit more cohesion throughout to really believe this is how the story goes.
In the end, it's a fun book with a lot of cute and fun ideas, but it didn't hold my attention or flow as well as I had wanted. The characters were all likeable and fun to listen to, but their plotlines felt a little muddled at times and just didn't have the believable timeline for me in the end. 3*s so 6/10 for #SPFBO