Reviews

The Half Burnt House by Alex North

Only show reviews with written explanations

laurenm26's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

liseyp's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Christopher was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was attacked as a school pupil. But, for him and his sister Katie the impact of that event is felt throughout their subsequent lives. But, is there really such a thing as coincidence, or was that attack simply another step in a predetermined story that was always leading to the same ending.

A gripping story, although the complexities of knowing what is true and what is the twisted logic of characters affected by childhood trauma, are sometimes hard to follow. If you like a nice clear cut resolution to a story I’d suggest giving this one a miss.

The characters are mostly well-rounded. The main female character’s husband is a little bit one-dimensional and could have done with being a bit more likeable. There are also a number of plotlines that were worthy of more development than they got.

siantaylor27's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

annknee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

nellrose_'s review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.25

I really disliked this book. The plot was complicated. There were too many names (some characters had multiple names which made it even more confusing). The plot jumped all over the place. The links were obvious and the end didn’t really seem like the end. Lots of unfinished stories. Do not recommend.