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bhnmt61's review against another edition
3.0
A Darker Place is the story of Anne Waverly, a college professor who goes undercover for the FBI to evaluate religious cults. I was fascinated for the first half of the book, not only by the unusual characters and their finely detailed development, but also by the in-depth information about cults and how they are evaluated by the government (much of it delivered in headnotes to each chapter).
But as the book progressed, it became less about these topics and more about the superficial resolution of the plot--what will happen to Anne? will the cult implode? (or explode?) I found this disappointing for two reasons. First of all because the plot resolution is fairly unsatisfying, providing the absolute bare minimum of information about what actually happens in the final few hours of the story. After following Anne's point of view for the vast majority of the book, suddenly we are pulled out of her mind right at the crucial scene. The final scene is told from another character's point of view. The book ends abruptly with no information about what happens to any of the other characters. It's both jarring and unsatisfying.
But secondly, the book failed in one way that interested me most at first, and that is in understanding the mindset of the cult members. What draws them to the group? What keeps them there? Many of us long for a feeling of intense connection with a group, but what drives the over-the-top loyalty of cult members? Anne is a former cult member, but we learn almost nothing about what drew her to that group, or why she left--we're just told that her departure unintentionally precipitated a disaster. Since A Darker Place concerns itself mainly with Anne's undercover experience, her FBI boss, and the leaders of the cult, we get very little insight into the minds of the followers, which felt to me like a hole in the book. Still, it was absorbing and kept me glued to it for several days. This is my fourth Laurie King book, and although it's my least favorite of the ones I've read so far, it's still better than most of the other books I've read in the past couple of months. I will be reading more by this author.
But as the book progressed, it became less about these topics and more about the superficial resolution of the plot--what will happen to Anne? will the cult implode? (or explode?) I found this disappointing for two reasons. First of all because the plot resolution is fairly unsatisfying, providing the absolute bare minimum of information about what actually happens in the final few hours of the story. After following Anne's point of view for the vast majority of the book, suddenly we are pulled out of her mind right at the crucial scene. The final scene is told from another character's point of view. The book ends abruptly with no information about what happens to any of the other characters. It's both jarring and unsatisfying.
But secondly, the book failed in one way that interested me most at first, and that is in understanding the mindset of the cult members. What draws them to the group? What keeps them there? Many of us long for a feeling of intense connection with a group, but what drives the over-the-top loyalty of cult members? Anne is a former cult member, but we learn almost nothing about what drew her to that group, or why she left--we're just told that her departure unintentionally precipitated a disaster. Since A Darker Place concerns itself mainly with Anne's undercover experience, her FBI boss, and the leaders of the cult, we get very little insight into the minds of the followers, which felt to me like a hole in the book. Still, it was absorbing and kept me glued to it for several days. This is my fourth Laurie King book, and although it's my least favorite of the ones I've read so far, it's still better than most of the other books I've read in the past couple of months. I will be reading more by this author.
slpugs's review against another edition
1.0
I will read literally any book about cults and I probably shouldn't because this was just yikes. I have no clue what the author was going for with this lead character, a 50 year old woman, who has lustful thoughts about a 14 year old boy. It wasn't relevant to the plot (this wasn't a book about pedophiles, at all, not even as it often relates to cults). It's just casually thrown in there like it's natural. It isn't. Don't give your main characters 'casual' pedophiliac qualities and expect your reader to give any shits about that character thereafter. I forced myself through this despite the ick factor because I made a pact to finish every book I start this year, no matter how bad. It disappoints on all levels. It's a bumbling mess. A good idea (a former cult member / religious studies professor works for the police to infiltrate possibly dangerous cults while working through her own trauma) executed poorly through clunky transitions (why are we in England now?) and an absolutely insufferable main character. Do yourself a favor and don't read this.
kelbi's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm pretty far fetched to be honest. And the ending felt rushed. Not one of her best
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Cults are creepy. Airplane book. I felt like this was the second or third in a series, but it's not. Some weird disconnects.
vireogirl's review against another edition
4.0
Intense. So intense I had to read the last three chapters over as soon as I finished it. Disturbing. Edgier than her other books with odd imagery.
laureel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.0
evelyn_roy_writes's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the characters, plot, and themes... until the ending, which felt rushed & disappointed me so much that it coloured my view of the rest of the book.
hrynkiw's review against another edition
3.0
Agood read while it lasted, but rather fizzled out in the end. I expected a bigger bang somehow. Won't be keeping the paperback book.
jenpsz's review against another edition
5.0
Yes I finished. But I probably would have liked to know what happened next 😂 6/5 stars.
godtooth's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25