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eahenderson's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5
booksamongstfriends's review against another edition
3.0
I had high hopes for The Angel Maker, especially since I love thrillers and heard great things about the author. While I wasn't completely hooked by this book, I'll likely give some of North's other works a try.
The alternating perspectives and timelines, which I usually enjoy, felt a bit confusing here and didn't deepen the characters as I'd hoped. Honestly, I found myself indifferent to whether the characters lived or died. There was so much taken on, it just fell flat.
The story kicks off with a brutal attack against Christopher Shaw and the ominous death of Alan Hobbes. Soon, and yet slowly, we're introduced to themes of identity, addiction, and familial trauma through characters like Katie & Christopher Shaw, their surrounding loved ones, detectives and Michael Hyde. The use of determinism and darkness embodied by characters like Professor Alan Hobbes, The Angel Maker, and Edward held potential, but there were too many unanswered questions. A major one being, was Michael Hyde even a necessary character? If so, why was he not better connected to the story?
North also introduces a supernatural element, but it left me wondering: how did this character gain such power? And what's the real story behind the elusive "angel maker"? While so much of this story, even the title, centers around a serial killers journal his charcter feels like an after thought. It just started to feel like too many side quests.
Despite my reservations, I can see why others may enjoy this book. There's a palpable darkness explored here, and genuine character relationships to care about. It just needed a bit more development to fully engage me.
The alternating perspectives and timelines, which I usually enjoy, felt a bit confusing here and didn't deepen the characters as I'd hoped. Honestly, I found myself indifferent to whether the characters lived or died. There was so much taken on, it just fell flat.
The story kicks off with a brutal attack against Christopher Shaw and the ominous death of Alan Hobbes. Soon, and yet slowly, we're introduced to themes of identity, addiction, and familial trauma through characters like Katie & Christopher Shaw, their surrounding loved ones, detectives and Michael Hyde. The use of determinism and darkness embodied by characters like Professor Alan Hobbes, The Angel Maker, and Edward held potential, but there were too many unanswered questions. A major one being, was Michael Hyde even a necessary character? If so, why was he not better connected to the story?
North also introduces a supernatural element, but it left me wondering: how did this character gain such power? And what's the real story behind the elusive "angel maker"? While so much of this story, even the title, centers around a serial killers journal his charcter feels like an after thought. It just started to feel like too many side quests.
Despite my reservations, I can see why others may enjoy this book. There's a palpable darkness explored here, and genuine character relationships to care about. It just needed a bit more development to fully engage me.
adventurebound7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Phenomenal! I love Alex North's writing and this was another great book. I was hooked on every page and excited as the mystery revealed itself. There were still a fair number of questions left unanswered at the end, which was probably the point, but I wanted to know more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Blood
Moderate: Stalking and Child death
copascribe's review against another edition
3.0
"The whole picture may have been coming into focus, but it remained far too complicated for him to understand what the hell he was looking at." - Part 1, Chapter 42
That pretty much sums it up.
The sister
The brother
The mother
The daughter
The husband
The boyfriend
The rich dude
The baddie
The detective guy
The detective woman
The attacker
The serial killer
The serial killer's 7 victims
The sons
The wife
The lawyer
A missing baby
A different baby
Another wife
Someone I'm sure I'm missing
I mean...there are so many characters and timelines to keep straight that it's just so confusing. Some things fell into place in the last quarter, but I have questions! Could it be those questions were answered and I missed them? Absolutely.
If you take the plunge, be at your most attentive, maybe even take notes, and be in a quiet place, then you might be able to enjoy the story...stories.
Now I'm going to go read spoiler reviews to see what I missed or if maybe it wasn't just me.
That pretty much sums it up.
The sister
The brother
The mother
The daughter
The husband
The boyfriend
The rich dude
The baddie
The detective guy
The detective woman
The attacker
The serial killer
The serial killer's 7 victims
The sons
The wife
The lawyer
A missing baby
A different baby
Another wife
Someone I'm sure I'm missing
I mean...there are so many characters and timelines to keep straight that it's just so confusing. Some things fell into place in the last quarter, but I have questions! Could it be those questions were answered and I missed them? Absolutely.
If you take the plunge, be at your most attentive, maybe even take notes, and be in a quiet place, then you might be able to enjoy the story...stories.
Now I'm going to go read spoiler reviews to see what I missed or if maybe it wasn't just me.
lectures_de_chloe's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Une histoire dont le contenu a beaucoup de potentiel mais dont l'exécution laisse à désirer. Les différentes trames narratives ne sont pas présentées en ordre chronologique ce qui m'a mélangée plus qu'autre chose et le roman se termine sans que plusieurs de ces trames obtiennent une conclusion : on se demande donc pourquoi elles ont été développées. Une lecture intéressante sur le moment mais dont la fin déçoit.
finnyautumns's review against another edition
4.0
“You started by drawing a cross. You added a dot in each of the four open squares that created, and then a curve on the top, like the end of a shepherd’s crook. Finally, you drew a series of curling lines that ran around the whole shape, joining this dot up to that point of the cross, and so on. The lines became increasingly complicated, weaving between others, but were always guided by the endpoint they were curving inexorably toward. If you followed the instructions carefully, you created a simple maze.”
This story was complex, heartbreaking, nerve wrecking, and much more. There are two vastly different sibling relationships, both effecting the other and sad in their own ways. Every event, from the very beginning, is intertwined and messy— until it isn’t. Though I enjoyed it, there were some parts that fell flat and questions left unanswered, on purpose but would have benefited more from being answered.
This story was complex, heartbreaking, nerve wrecking, and much more. There are two vastly different sibling relationships, both effecting the other and sad in their own ways. Every event, from the very beginning, is intertwined and messy— until it isn’t. Though I enjoyed it, there were some parts that fell flat and questions left unanswered, on purpose but would have benefited more from being answered.
hopinia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jessdito17's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0