Ismerene
This is the toughest, most reluctant 5 stars I will ever give a novel. I hated every second of it and yet, [b:The End of Alice 75479 The End of Alice A.M. Homes https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1336321638l/75479.SY75.jpg 2702599] excelled at what it set out to do. Yes, the content that is described in the synopsis is present, and it pulls no punches; you know exactly what kind of novel you're in for from page 1. But it is far from cheap, and as the novel unspools in a beautiful-prose-with-horrible words way, you find the narrator may not be as reliable as you thought, and that situations and memories are blending together, past and present. This is the first book that made me close it for a moment to collect myself (Second place for that honor belongs to [b:Sister, Maiden, Monster 60784461 Sister, Maiden, Monster Lucy A. Snyder https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1649700559l/60784461.SY75.jpg 95849272]'s “brain honey”... HURK). I genuinely gave thought to putting it down permanently. There are no heroes here, only victims, and those who took their victimhood and turned it into outright evil. It is disgusting, intriguing, sad, and abhorrent. The ending is perfectly ambiguous. If you're looking for the most fucked up book that doesn't rely on cheap shocks, congratulations, you've found it. I will never touch this novel again.
A fantastic addition to literature on this period of tragedy. Writing was crisp, to the point, and didn't embellish. It does a great job of illustrating the valid frustration the FBI/ATF had while trying to negotiate with Koresh, and the Davidians frustration with what amounted to torture tactics on the government's part. It does “lean” one way, but uses facts for support of that stance. I didn't feel beaten over the head with conclusions.
A small part at the end discusses how this ties in with the problem of militas today, from how Waco influenced the OKC Bombing to Alex Jones and his presence at a Waco anniversary gathering. This section was smaller than I hoped, but also served as a jumping board for other books I can look into for a deeper dive into this subject.
My review will echo others. In short, this is an deadened, back-and-forth circular discussion on the topic of whether to leave or stay in light of horrific abuse, all viewed through a religious Mennonite lens. The story throws some jabs, and the ending did pull some heartstrings, but ultimately I'm left confused and annoyed.
I think the biggest misstep in this novel that cascaded into other issues is the method of which the story is told. No speech is direct. Everything, save for our narrator, is spoken in passive statements, and it serves to deaden a lot of emotion about the situation at hand, as well as removing a large bit of personality from each character. There were a few moments of creepy, chill-up-your-spine implications and sudden, graphic depictions - all of which had heavier impact due to the otherwise banal narration - but overall it only served to turn much of the story into a slog.
The narrator's gender didn't bother me as much as his long-winded inserts did. Separate from him explaining certain cultural nuances, the insert of his background or his encounters outside the meeting felt frustrating. What really chapped my hide however were the comments and odes about one character he pines for. In the context of what this novel is centered on, it comes across as almost... creepy. It's all soft and emotional, but like, she's pregnant because she was raped. I'm not sure if this is to grow the narrator's character, or to illustrate a statement on men overall, but either way it was, also, annoying.
Based on other reviews, it seems as if the choices made here were stylistic, in which case I can confidently say the style is not for me. I think if this had been handled a bit differently, and maybe some choices - in narrator, particularly - were changed, this would be rated much higher. As it stands however, I didn't much care for it.
Though clocking in at a short 147 pages, [b:The Laws of the Skies 42372424 The Laws of the Skies Gr??goire Courtois https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552177777l/42372424.SY75.jpg 52585140] manage to pack punch after punch after punch - literally AND figuratively, to the point where it becomes almost darkly comical. There is no feel good story here, no satisfying conclusion or moral to be learned. It's death, child death, and little more. Saw this reviewed on tiktok, and thought I'd give it a whirl despite the low rating and the obvious subject matter. It doesn't hold back letting you know exactly what type of story it is, and the tension is created knowing the deaths that will occur, leaving you to only guess how they will come about. That tension was punctured with each subsequent incident, however, as it started to come off like The Gashlycrumb Tinies. I'm not sure if this was on purpose, or if it was because there was little to no story to carry them - the tragedies were the story - but it became darkly comedic in a not-funny-ironic sort of way. Even though I don't hate this book, it doesn't add anything to it's genre or really anything, in my opinion. The ending was less than a page long. The other issue that heavily contributed to it's rating was the style of writing. At certain points, it was well-done, but would occasionally devolve into paragraph long spindles of thought that splintered until my eyes glazed over and I lost whatever point author attempted to make. No 7 year old had thought spirals like that, and it only served to add to the heightened absurdity of the entire novella. If you're morbidly curious - feel free to pick this up. But understand it's focus is only on the tragedies, and little else. I regret reading only because it doesn't really serve any purpose except to be depressing.
What an incredible read.
Short & Sweet: This is a fantastic horror novel that, despite a very slow, wordy start, delivers the tale in such a way that it hooked me (heh) to finish in one sitting. The less you know going into this novel, the better.
I have to applaud John Langan - well, applaud for a few reasons, but primarily was the method in which this story was written. It consists of three major parts: the current, the past, and then back to the current. Interwoven through this is a story told through alternating characters, but it???s done in such a way that feels seamless, effortless, easy to follow and smooth enough to keep you enthralled. I normally repel against this type of story structure, but somehow it works really well here.
Also to applaud is Langan???s style of writing. It???s stark, straight to the point which makes the terror all that more terrifying, but also weaves in detail where it???s important; I could clearly see the setting, the color of the water, feel the terror of that which gazes back from the darkness. It is equal parts clear, heavy hitting, and yet intricately woven with intense imagery.
I understand the novel won an award, and I feel it to be well-won. If you can get past the first part - again, this novel starts very, very slow, and doesn???t pick up until a little bit ways in, but the setup is absolutely worth it - you will be greeted with a cosmic horror that, while the echos of Lovecraft can be heard on it???s pages, also weave a unique story of it???s own.
There's a reason why this book is rated so highly, and quite frankly, it deserves every single star.
I've never read a book like this that has such an enveloping, all-encompassing way of conveying the terror and grief and hope of that day. Viewpoints are often only a few sentences (up to a paragraph) long, but it creates a snappy and through 360 degree view of how the events unfolded and how each story intertwined. There's very little author interference; the viewpoints are presented as-is.
I felt raked over and absolutely exhausted when I finally turned the last page and closed this book. It is heavy. It is inspiring. It is a must read.
[b:Nothing to Envy 6178648 Nothing to Envy Ordinary Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320449375s/6178648.jpg 6358552] is a surreal peek behind the curtain of the lives of six North Korean defectors and their families. Rather than a dry report of the crimes behind the regime, this novel discusses the day-to-day of ordinary citizens and the trials they face. An absolute staple for any reader interested in North Korea.???Dr. Kim couldn???t remember the last time she???d seen a bowl of pure white rice. What was the bowl of rice doing there, just sitting on the ground? She figured it out just before she heard the dog???s bark??? she couldn???t deny what was staring her plainly in the face: dogs in China ate better than doctors in North Korea.???[b:Nothing to Envy 6178648 Nothing to Envy Ordinary Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320449375s/6178648.jpg 6358552] is simply fantastic, and I flew through this novel so fast I forgot to take any notes. Unfortunately, I find myself struggling to encompass the impact this novel has in a few short paragraphs. How do you condense the suffering and terror people face in North Korea, both then and now? When we look at the mystique and secrecy of North Korea, often we get caught up in the outlandish propaganda, in the plastic smiles of the selectively placed North Koreans during a well-staged tour, and the rundown 1970s-esque buildings. Whispers of starvation, of malnutrition, and concentration camps go unacknowledged in the face of awe. But what does all that mean? Often we hear about these realities and separate them from ourselves. It's easy to read those words and yet, not fully understand such horror. What [b:Nothing to Envy 6178648 Nothing to Envy Ordinary Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320449375s/6178648.jpg 6358552] does so effectively is bring these realities to the forefront, forcing us to confront in stark black-and-white what all of those things truly mean, and how they affect ordinary people like you and me.Though [a:Barbara Demick 785914 Barbara Demick https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1325069453p2/785914.jpg] obviously walks us through the history of the regime, touching briefly on its origins (as brief as one can be), we mainly see the regime and its actions through the lens of our six North Korean defectors, moving with them through Kim II-sung???s death, the following ???Arduous March???, Kim Jung il???s succession, and the escapes all six made. None were without sacrifice, and [a:Barbara Demick 785914 Barbara Demick https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1325069453p2/785914.jpg] steps aside for you to feel their pain, their anger, their sadness, their joy. This brings home a lot of what many of us take for granted - the quality food we eat, our ability to travel freely, our warm beds, and the support of our government.[b:Nothing to Envy 6178648 Nothing to Envy Ordinary Lives in North Korea Barbara Demick https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320449375s/6178648.jpg 6358552] is many things at once, but most importantly, it is a reality check. While we may be caught up in the fascination of this closed off world, we must also understand that the horrors written in this novel are still ongoing, and no amount of fake smiles or polite diplomatic meetings should conceal that.
All my reviews can be found at The Tiny Reader's Reference! Come on over and say hello!Short & Sweet: [b:FantasticLand 28695606 FantasticLand Mike Bockoven https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459328318l/28695606.SX50.jpg 48893366] is a horror novel that requires no paranormal element to be terrifying; it is a story of how a single spark can ignite an inferno of uncontrolled evil within the perfect conditions. This will stick with you long after you???ve closed the book.Hoo boy, where do I start.First and foremost ??? [b:FantasticLand 28695606 FantasticLand Mike Bockoven https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459328318l/28695606.SX50.jpg 48893366] is authentic. That???s what made this novel work so damn well, and it requires no suspension of disbelief. From the very first page, Mike Brockoven pulls you in without permission, and expertly weaves each person???s view into an overarching storyline that will answer some questions, but give rise to others. The interview-type storytelling works phenomenally for this, and elevates an otherwise basic horror story to a chilling level.Each interview is singular, and told only once in a rough chronological order of events. Previously interviewed characters make a reappearance in other???s recollection. You wait with baited breath, knowing with every turn of the page that things are going to get much, much worse ??? and just like that, we are tipped over the cliff of no return, and shit gets real, fast.The shock of all this continues, wave after wave, until I had to walk away from the sheer intensity of this book. The horror of it is both instant and slow, and the imagery creeps into the recesses of your mind after you???ve put the book down. It will make you second guess your neighbor, your friend, your boss. Truly, its what isn???t spoken about that makes your mind run wild:Then you???d go to the next location and it would be out-and-out looting and every man for himself. No, I don???t want to talk about the three nursing homes that made the news. Not at all.We never do find out about those three nursing homes. But do we really need to know? Do we even want to?The violence is not glossed over, but told plainly and vividly in the personality of each interviewee ??? and each one has a particular, but subtle, voice. This is not a slaughterhouse, but the narration of young men and women cornered and pressed into a fight or flight situation. It is an accumulation of very stupid, but very human, decisions.Speaking of decisions ??? they all were legitimate. Often, I would get frustrated and ask, Why aren???t you swimming? Why aren???t you hiding here? Why isn???t anyone going there? and you find out in subsequent interviews that yes, those routes were tried, with disastrous results.The ???tribes??? are almost comical when viewed with an outside lens, like pristine Disney characters parading through a creepy haunted house. But then tidbits like this will dot across the page:???When Carlos stumbled back into the park, The Pirates got him.and the smile dies on your lips as you steadily begin to realize the horror of what that means.The only drawback to [b:FantasticLand 28695606 FantasticLand Mike Bockoven https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459328318l/28695606.SX50.jpg 48893366] is Mike Brockoven???s attempts to illustrate the consequences of social media addiction, and it falls absolutely flat in that regard. It seems almost awkward at times; pitted against the stark violence and fear, and chalking it up to lack of WiFi and digital entertainment. I would implore that this is more a narration on the human need for leadership in a time of trial, no matter how morally sound or twisted the leader may be ??? and how things can go poorly very quick in a literal life or death situation, when the hope of outside assistance has died away and fear becomes the primary driving force.At the end of the day, even after you close [b:FantasticLand 28695606 FantasticLand Mike Bockoven https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1459328318l/28695606.SX50.jpg 48893366] and return to the real world, it will creep up on you; flashes of memory when cooking, or cleaning, or talking with a neighbor who lives far too close. This is one I won???t forget any time soon, and worthy of every single star awarded.
All my reviews can be found at The Tiny Reader's Reference! Come on over and say hello!Short & Sweet: The Family Plot is a ghost story better told over the crackle of a campfire, rather than slotted with other novels of its genre. The background of the haunting is terribly clich??, with slow-moving story progression; coupled with the rich characterization and well-painted environment, makes this better suited as a quick read during hot summer nights.Like a moth to the flame (or a teetering salvage company to a hundred-year-old house???) the large synopsis pulled me right in. For the most part, it delivered as promised, and I enjoyed the story.First and foremost: [a:Cherie Priest 221253 Cherie Priest https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1617225879p2/221253.jpg]???s writing style is fantastic. She weaved me right in from the very first page; descriptive enough to paint a picture, but vague enough to allow for reader-filled gaps. The technical side of their demo was fascinating. There were features and materials I???d never heard of before, and it was fun to google (dutch doors!) and find out exactly what they were prying from the wall, or salvaging from the backyard.But where [b:The Family Plot 25543181 The Family Plot Cherie Priest https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431700446l/25543181.SX50.jpg 45335275] shines is in is not story or environment, but characterization ??? five full stars for Cherie Priest on that front, and the reason why this novel even worked in the first place. Had this story been set against the grey backdrop of weak cardboard characters, my rating would???ve been much, much lower. There simply isn???t enough here to maintain a story without them.Each person had a voice, a personality, and they shined through in every interaction. Each decision made was reasonable and expected. They truly jumped from the page itself, and this story was propelled because of them, rather in spite of them. We rooted for Chuck, we sided with Dahlia, we laughed at Bobby. Every interaction felt genuine.The only character I took issue with was Augusta Withrow. Her personality was clear, yes, but some of her decisions and statements to Dahlia were puzzling, and her last sentence after everything was over felt??? odd. Weak, even. It was a small crack in the foundation of characters Cherie Priest worked so hard to create, but as her presence is obviously a prop, it didn???t affect the story.The paranormal situations began to occur early on, but things didn???t begin truly rolling until later. To be expected, but as a result, the novel slogged down. Once revealed, the haunting itself, and the backstory behind it, checked nearly every single cliche box that exists. Some of the experiences and situations turned far-fetched, and degraded the ???horror??? element of the narrative. Honestly, I can see this novel working much better as a movie or show, rather than in text.Why three stars? Because it wasn???t extraordinary, but not terrible either. It???s a fun read with some creepy moments, great characters, and a satisfying ending, but little else. Much like Disappearance at Devil's Rock, a huge chunk of the story is already in the synopsis. I don???t hate The Family Plot, but I also don???t love it either, which made this review so frustrating to write.Would I recommend this? Not if you???re going in expecting genuine fright. This is a light book, good if you???re looking for something quick and easy, with rich characters and setting descriptors. A palate cleanser, if you will. Not amazing, but not bad either.
All my reviews can be found at The Tiny Reader's Reference! Come on over and say hello!Short n Sweet: Despite an interesting premise, [b:One 34273826 One (Count to Ten #1) Jane Blythe https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487021613s/34273826.jpg 48786607] grapples with unpolished writing, frustrating main characters, and insta-love. This is a quick and delightfully bloody read, but it simply isn???t finished. This novel was given to me for free from the author, as part of Goodread???s group Shut Up and Read???s Read it and Reap program, geared toward shining a spotlight on independent or lesser known authors. In exchange, I would provide an honest review.There is a story here. That???s about all I can say.[b:One 34273826 One (Count to Ten #1) Jane Blythe https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487021613s/34273826.jpg 48786607] suffers not from lack of plot, or characters, or intrigue. It suffers from the very same affliction that other independent works suffer from - lack of editing. This comes out in a myriad of ways. Allow me a demonstration:???How???s Annabelle doing???? Xavier asked once they were back in the corridor.???Actually, she???s pretty exhausted. I don???t want you interviewing her today; she needs to rest,??? Dr. Daniels challengingly arched an eyebrow.Xavier exchanged a glance with Kate, ???We can interview more relatives of the Jenners today and speak with Annabelle in the morning,??? she proposed.He nodded his agreement, ???Tell her we???ll be here early in the morning,??? he informed the doctor.It is like this, save a handful of times, in the entire book. It began to slow my reading pace, and I started skipping over everything typed after quotation marks. Without the tags, the dialogue became natural. However, when the dialogue became unnatural, it was surrounding ???Well, as you know Bob?????? issues. A group of detectives, medical examiners, and forensic scientists are not going to stand in a circle and repeat the obvious. We are clobbered over the head with conclusions. ???The Englewoods were all dead when their bodies were mutilated,??? Billy explained. ???That girl was lucky to survive; you think whoever it was got spooked when you two showed up???? When no one responded, Billy???s dark eyes grew wide, ???You think she???s the killer? Murder/suicide? Or at least murder, attempted suicide. Why? What possible reason could this young woman have for killing her family? And the way she did it,??? Billy shuddered. ???She must be one angry girl.???You???ve been in the field for years, Billy the Medical Examiner. Why are you acting like this is the first case you???ve ever worked?The romance is insta-love. Xavier has only seen her in hospital gowns, spoken with her for one minute, and is then suddenly in love with her, dreaming about her, wanting her. We are told very little about who Annabelle is as a person, save for a tendency to become a pushover, and ~sky blue eyes~ (which we are, again, clobbered with).Originally, I was going to give [b:One 34273826 One (Count to Ten #1) Jane Blythe https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487021613s/34273826.jpg 48786607] a three star rating, because editing is relatively independent of the story and characters itself. But then, this gem scraped across my wholly unprepared eyeballs:And, as much as he hated to admit it, the first thought that had jumped into his mind was that once they found the killer, there would be nothing left standing between him and Annabelle.Annabelle lost her entire family. The young brothers she cared for, the parents who housed her, the entire support system she had collapsed around her in a vicious, bloody mess. And the detective can only think about her family???s killer as standing in his way to get into her pants. My desire to root for him was destroyed with one small, yet powerful, line. The whole romantic situation felt very power-imbalanced.On that note - rape. Rape is present in [b:One 34273826 One (Count to Ten #1) Jane Blythe https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1487021613s/34273826.jpg 48786607], not in description, but used as a plot device. A poor plot device. When the killer's motivations are revealed, none of them involve sexual deviancy of any type - and yet, rape is used liberally as a device for angst, and a way to illustrate that the bad guy was just terrible, you guys. I object to this on a moral stance, as rape is not something to spread around like butter on the horribly burned toast of your story. It is a very real, very horrifying, very destructive act of violence, that is used as a literal weapon in real life. Not for you to further your angsty writing needs. I will leave you, dear readers, with a hilarious tidbit I couldn't help but laugh over:???Because I thought she needed a break,??? Dr. Daniels??? face turned a bright shade of red. ???You???ve already harassed her twice, both times I needed to sedate her. She???s just lost her entire family, you accused her of being a killer, then changed your mind, then came back and dumped a truckload of questions on her when she was in no condition to deal with them. She needed a break. I wanted to let her have some time to try to sort things out before you unleashed another tirade on her.???Hell yeah Dr. Daniels you got this the only person in this whole book who has his head on straight GO DR. DANIELS-I knew she was not a killer from the second they brought her in,??? he announced adamantly. ???Anyone with such amazing eyes could never take a life.???WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU DR. DANIELS
All my reviews can be found at The Tiny Reader's Reference! Come on over and say hello!Short & Sweet: Disappearance at Devil???s Rock is a muted, slow burn, character-driven horror story with rich human detail and little plot. This is not a ghost story told by the fireside; it is the tale of a grieving mother, the innocent foolishness of young children, and experiences that can defy explanation. To summarize this novel simply: The devil is in the details. And truly, that is where Paul Tremblay shines, placing small details, both relevant and otherwise, weaving a tale that shines with atmosphere.When I opened the first page, I went in with lowered expectations; the rating on Goodreads didn???t impress me, and the polarity of the reviews is the only reason why I picked up this book ??? and boy, am I glad I did.Plot is put aside for [b:Disappearance at Devil's Rock 27064358 Disappearance at Devil's Rock Paul Tremblay https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464530350l/27064358.SY75.jpg 47104908], and instead, is driven by the characters and their experiences. We learn much more about the backgrounds of every character, from main protagonists Elizabeth and Kate, all the way down to the one-time view of a police officer driving to scope out houses. Throughout these background dumps ??? a fact of this book that did get a bit frustrating ??? are sprinkled small tidbits that are overall irrelevant, but provide a richness to the story and give life to the human connections.Everything in this novel is a slow burn. There are no action scenes, no hold-your-breath with every page turn. It builds and builds, teasing a conclusion only to gently pry it away from your hands and replace it with another. And another, and another, until the conclusion delivers with a nail-biting, page turning swiftness, clearing the mist and bringing you out what felt like a fog of possibilities ??? only to deliver with one final twist, just when you concluded you knew how everything ended.I can see why others may have struggled with this novel, due to the lack of action, the strange dialogue tags that are often employed, and the chapter titles (of which I actually enjoyed). Truly, nearly half of the book is in the quite expansive summary, as shown above. But again, the beauty of this novel is not within plot, or story, or environment, but the very real human element that propels events forward. Nothing felt forced.I know this review is shorter than my others are, and honestly, it???s because there isn???t a lot plotwise here. Tommy goes missing, there is a search, truths about that night are slowly unveiled, and strange paranormal happenings occur ??? or do they? If you???re looking for an emotional, character-driven story with possibilities, definitely pick this one up.
All my reviews can be found at The Tiny Reader's Reference! Come on over and say hello!Short & Sweet: Despite a compelling premise, [b:The Woman in Cabin 10 28187230 The Woman in Cabin 10 Ruth Ware http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465878007s/28187230.jpg 48209164] falls short with lackluster stakes and a frustrating, immature protagonist. Combined with a lethargic start, bulky middle, and linear plot, it makes for a dull novel with a lukewarm conclusion.I absolutely love stories with high, almost paranormal mysteries, and [b:The Woman in Cabin 10 28187230 The Woman in Cabin 10 Ruth Ware http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465878007s/28187230.jpg 48209164] checked all those boxes, and more, with its premise. A murder on a highest class cruise, rubbing shoulders with some of the most powerful people in the world, trying to maintain normalcy while skimming the alibis of every person. A disappearance out of thin air. Such promise!However, based on other reviews, it seems as if you???ll fall into one of two camps ??? you???ll absolutely love this novel, or you???ll hate it. Unfortunately, I am in the latter. The novel opens to our protagonist, Lo Blacklock, a journalist for the travel magazine Velocity. She wakes up with a start, and looks out her bedroom doorway to see a burglar in her flat. Her and the burglar have a staredown, he slams the door ??? not touching Lo at all, but the door hits her too-close face ??? and locks her in. She manages to get out, calls the police, rekeys her flat, and spends the night somewhere else. Quite a violating experience, to be sure, and a hell of an opening. The first problem is then introduced: the privilege of listening to her wax on about this experience in a myriad of ways, jamming it into nearly every single moment, both where appropriate and not. Lo even dares compare her robbery to what she suspects the murdered woman felt. I quote:???I know what it???s like,??? I said, as he opened the door, ???Don???t you see? I know what she must have felt like, when someone came for her in the middle of the night.???Comparing a robbery, in which the robber not only leaves you alone, but locks you in a room to flee, to a full-blown suspected murder, left me with an entitled and immature vibe that pulled me directly out of the story to roll my eyes.Similarly, the kickoff (found at a late 85 pages in) starts as Lo wakes from a deep and drunken slumber. She futzes around in her room until she hears the sound of a splash.I held my breath, straining to hear.And then there was a splash.Not a small splash.No, this was a big splash.The kind of splash made by a body hitting water.Why jump to the conclusion that it???s a body?She jumps to her own veranda to see ???a smear of something dark and oily??? on the safety glass. Because we are both simultaneously on a high class yacht and in the stone age, she runs to call security and not take a picture or video. As a result, the smear is gone when she returns.Within the same vein, Lo tends to have illogical reactions to situations. It seems to cross the line from adult frustration to childlike anger control. In one notable example: she brings her concerns to the head of security Johann Nilsson, (literally, ???I think I???ve witnessed a murder!???) who takes her seriously by exhausting all possible options, given they???re in a ship in the middle of the flippin??? North Sea, and the crime scene is completely pristine. He listens to her account, hears her description of the missing woman, and proceeds to take Lo to meet every single person who fits the description on the ship, from Richard Bullmer, owner and billionaire, all the way down to the lowliest server. Quite literally. This takes up ten pages, where we travel down to the living quarters, and get to listen to Lo shake her head and Johann patiently guide her from one employee to the next.When Johann suggests that maybe ??? just maybe ??? her level of intoxication that night, combined with other factors, may have caused a hallucination or some type of suggestion, she flips the hell out in a reaction that truly had me taken aback. Slams the door, screaming, borderline panic attack, then throws herself dramatically on the bed to ???sob her heart out???. Later on, she claims that Johann ???hadn???t taken her seriously???. This dramatic and frankly audacious cognitive dissonance caused all sympathy I had for Lo to dissipate. The second problem is that really, not much else happens, aside from the first ten pages and last thirty pages. Everything in between is filled with Lo either having a borderline panic attack, falling asleep, nauseous, drinking, musing on who was a murderer, or talking to the staff.I believe my main problem with this novel, overall, were the lack of stakes and believability. Not for one moment did Lo genuinely sit down and say to herself, ???Yes, I was extremely intoxicated and half-asleep, this looks bad on the outside.??? She repeatedly, and stubbornly to the point of ridiculousness, doubles down, exaggerates the situation, and makes poor choices afterward, all the way up to the conclusion. This review, and myself, sounds very callous toward those who suffer from anxiety. I would like to assure you, dear reader, that I am not ??? I subscribe to a similar medication regime as Lo does. However, it was very difficult for me to sympathize and root for Lo when she was screaming at Johann for making a reasonable conclusion based on her inebriation and sleep deprivation that night. A frustrating one? Yes. A wrong one? Absolutely. But not an illogical one. The reveal, and conclusion, were satisfying to a degree. When [a:Ruth Ware 9013543 Ruth Ware http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1434533707p2/9013543.jpg] writes action, it kept me turning the page to find out what happens next, written at an even and clipped pace. The very end closed the book on a positive note, and while it was great, I felt the answers I received were not necessarily worth the effort of slogging through the delayed beginning and bloated middle. If Ware had sprinkled a few subplots, reeled Lo back a couple notches, and rose the stakes much higher ??? perhaps Lo had indeed seen a murder, rather than allude or suspect one ??? [b:The Woman in Cabin 10 28187230 The Woman in Cabin 10 Ruth Ware http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1465878007s/28187230.jpg 48209164] would jump by leaps and bounds. Otherwise, I would pass on this one.
