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jasmine256's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
bookwyrm_lark's review
4.0
Deadly Fate, the newest Krewe of Hunters novel, hooked me early and never let up. From the opening scene of (fictional) carnage to the denouement, the book kept me guessing and eagerly turning the pages to see if my guesses were right.
Graham is really good at evoking an atmosphere, making a setting appealing and then progressively ratcheting up the tension so the setting itself begins to feel menacing. In this case, though, while Alaska itself is certainly appealing enough, the fictional Black Bear Island is a scene of death and destruction almost from the start, and it remains an ominous if beautiful setting for much of the book.
I was delighted to see Clara Avery get a leading role in Deadly Fate. I liked her in Haunted Destiny, and suspected we might see her again when it became clear she could see ghosts. Several other members of the Destiny’s entertainment contingent also appear; it was nice to see them again and it also offered at least a few trustworthy people for Clara to lean on. Thor is new to the series (to the best of my knowledge; I haven’t read them all), but he and Clara make a good pairing. I was less taken with some of the other characters, particularly Marc Kimball, the rather slimy billionaire who owns Black Bear Island, and some of the TV crew…but then, some of them aren’t intended to be sympathetic.
The book has something of a “locked room mystery” feel to it, because although people do come and go from the island, the initial deaths must have been caused by someone on the island, probably by someone we’ve been introduced to. One of my few quibbles about Heather Graham’s books is that they often make logical leaps or contain plot holes, but Deadly Fate has fewer of these than most of the other Graham books I’ve read. There were one or two plot twists and explanations that felt a bit forced, but they were reasonably logical.
I’ve talked before about my difficulty with reading about serial killers, but Deadly Fate steered clear of the things that seem to trigger my discomfort the most—I didn’t have to spend a lot of time in the killer’s head or analyzing his/her twisted psychology, and it wasn’t a situation where a close family member turns out to be a killer. (Incidentally, I have no idea why either of those things should trigger such anxiety and revulsion for me when I read about them; there’s nothing in my personal past that would account for it. It’s baffling.) Deadly Fate, despite the undeniable suspense and the rather gruesome deaths, kept things at enough of a distance that I could approach the mystery as a puzzle rather than be sucked into the terror of it all—which is how I prefer it, frankly.
All in all, I think Deadly Fate is one of the better-constructed Krewe of Hunters books, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m already excited for Darkest Journey, the next book in the series.
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
Graham is really good at evoking an atmosphere, making a setting appealing and then progressively ratcheting up the tension so the setting itself begins to feel menacing. In this case, though, while Alaska itself is certainly appealing enough, the fictional Black Bear Island is a scene of death and destruction almost from the start, and it remains an ominous if beautiful setting for much of the book.
I was delighted to see Clara Avery get a leading role in Deadly Fate. I liked her in Haunted Destiny, and suspected we might see her again when it became clear she could see ghosts. Several other members of the Destiny’s entertainment contingent also appear; it was nice to see them again and it also offered at least a few trustworthy people for Clara to lean on. Thor is new to the series (to the best of my knowledge; I haven’t read them all), but he and Clara make a good pairing. I was less taken with some of the other characters, particularly Marc Kimball, the rather slimy billionaire who owns Black Bear Island, and some of the TV crew…but then, some of them aren’t intended to be sympathetic.
The book has something of a “locked room mystery” feel to it, because although people do come and go from the island, the initial deaths must have been caused by someone on the island, probably by someone we’ve been introduced to. One of my few quibbles about Heather Graham’s books is that they often make logical leaps or contain plot holes, but Deadly Fate has fewer of these than most of the other Graham books I’ve read. There were one or two plot twists and explanations that felt a bit forced, but they were reasonably logical.
I’ve talked before about my difficulty with reading about serial killers, but Deadly Fate steered clear of the things that seem to trigger my discomfort the most—I didn’t have to spend a lot of time in the killer’s head or analyzing his/her twisted psychology, and it wasn’t a situation where a close family member turns out to be a killer. (Incidentally, I have no idea why either of those things should trigger such anxiety and revulsion for me when I read about them; there’s nothing in my personal past that would account for it. It’s baffling.) Deadly Fate, despite the undeniable suspense and the rather gruesome deaths, kept things at enough of a distance that I could approach the mystery as a puzzle rather than be sucked into the terror of it all—which is how I prefer it, frankly.
All in all, I think Deadly Fate is one of the better-constructed Krewe of Hunters books, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m already excited for Darkest Journey, the next book in the series.
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.
slc333's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars Meh it was ok. Fairly standard romantic suspense with nothing to make it stand out. But it managed to keep me entertained for a few hours. Found the ‘twist’ regarding the villain blatantly obvious and somewhat annoying but that may just been that I have read so much of this type of fiction that I saw it coming a mile off.
bowdiesgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Find it funny that characters are named after characters in movies - Thor, Astrid, Boris and Natasha. Should be more creative with names of characters. Not my favorite Heather Graham novel
rogueblackwood's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The whole series is good. These books are entertaining and enjoyable. They are my go-to when I don't know what to read or need a break!
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
It was an amazing book, it started with a bang, and kept going from there! Really enjoyable, and I can't wait to read more!
marinaluna's review against another edition
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
If I was reviewing the characters only, this book would get 5 stars, because Thor is one of the most interesting agents we have encountered so far. Same goes for the setting, Alaska was a beautiful and different setting for this thriller. It was nice to meet Clara again, but in the first chapters she was plain annoying, because there were several inconsistencies with the ending of the last book, Haunted Destiny. The author tries to create friction here, regardless of how much it clashes with the last book. After those chapters, Thor and Clara become a good team, though. I wouldn't have deducted much for this, but then..oh boy..the plot was simply not very good. It was obvious who it was from the middle of the book, it catered to basically every cliche known to mankind and the supporting characters just didn't play a role in the book, very much unlike the previous ones by the same author in the same series.
Unfortunately, I cannot give more than 2.5 stars for the plot. I added a star for Thor and Alaska. 20 books in, it doesn't come as a surprise that there is a book that isn't to the same standard as the previous ones, I just am so sad it must have been this one.
Unfortunately, I cannot give more than 2.5 stars for the plot. I added a star for Thor and Alaska. 20 books in, it doesn't come as a surprise that there is a book that isn't to the same standard as the previous ones, I just am so sad it must have been this one.
esquiredtoread's review against another edition
2.0
Boring. It started out really strong but I actually think the romance took away from the story. It felt randomally thrown in and awkward. I think this would have been a lot better without that.
I do like who they made the villain though. I saw the twist coming but was still glad it happened because it was the best idea. So the last like 5% was well done but it was a lot of boring in between. Will not be reading any more from this author.
I do like who they made the villain though. I saw the twist coming but was still glad it happened because it was the best idea. So the last like 5% was well done but it was a lot of boring in between. Will not be reading any more from this author.
mousegoddess's review against another edition
2.0
Take a shot every time they say bisected or talk about how awful reality tv is, you'll be tanked in no time!
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