Adam SP
Absolutely tantalising, gripping, and mind blowing.
The plot and the characters are smooth, and very, very well thought out. There is so much mystery, delicious sub-plots, and beautiful character flaws that make everything so human, and so surreal.
For so much of the story, any inkling you have for what's coming is dashed and you are left with whiplash. Towards the end, I had no idea who or what to suspect, and I loved it.
My only gripe is the super short chapters, which aren't needed. They add a slight disjointedness to an otherwise brilliant narrative.
2.75, rounded up.
The plot is good. The story is driving, intense, with excellent suspense.
Although I was correct in the end as to who the villain was (but had no inkling as to how heinous the depth the villainy went), I only had a niggle early on, and then the story was crafted well to direct you in many other directions.
What let it down, for me, was some of the personal traits of the main protagonist, and how superficially some aspects were written. Specifically in the vain of "a man writing a woman".
Glad to have read it, but not the best I've read.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
This is hands down a brilliant story. The plot is great, and the characters are relatable, deep, and intriguing. They make dumb choices, but relatable dumb choices.
The action is good, the suspense balanced, and the "what's coming next" is always just out of sight, so you are beautifully driven to read and read.
The themes of this story are deep, unsettling, and confronting. TW: suicidal ideation, abuse, trauma.
None of the major players are likable, but that is the point and drives the story. The audacity of the main character is rather grating, with him seeming to want to be a detective more than a therapist, but that is also a key point and when everything comes to a head, it's incredibly important.
You will feel that timelines don't always add up, but they do, and it will all make sense.
Well worth the read.
An absolutely fascinating compendium of short stories.
Belladonna Nights was so initially perplexing, but so, so deep and left you very existentially ponderous.
Metal Like Blood in the Dark was such a captivating story of introspection, growth, and innocence (and/or the loss there of).
Immersion is powerful in the reflection of current society and the need to portray an unrealistic, polished perfection of life online. It's one downfall was my thirst for so much more! It needs a novel, or a series!
The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir was a touching analogy of consumerism over the appreciation of life, and the growth we must take to overcome such things.
The rest were just good and fun little episodes of space opera, and I enjoyed it all!
Gritty, dark, compelling, and utterly confronting!
This novel is sensational. The way the story is progressed is an absolute masterclass in managing perspectives, and the story flowed so well.
The themes are truly confronting, but told in such a beautiful and respectful way.
The twists are twisty, the plot deep and enthralling, and I just couldn't put it down from the first chapter.
Well done on an exceptional debut novel, Hayley!
So very, very Hawkins!
Paula is able to write in such a way that it burrows into your psyche. Like an ink blot test, Paula is able to find parts of you and bring them forward as part of the story, so that your own scruples and unacknowledged anxieties become part of the story.
YOU progress the plot just by letting Paula's dark and thrilling narration unfold, and take root.
Incredible story, beautifully thrilling and petrifying plot and character developments, and what an ending.
Beautiful, gut and heart wrenchingly beautiful.
Katrina is a sensational author, who writes in a way that is approachable to younger minds, but still complex for the advanced/mature reader.
The characters are incredibly well written, with phenomenal growth and development.
The story is painfully hard at times, but so essential. With the rise of neo Nazism, we must remember how devistatingly evil that ideology is.
Thank you Katrina, for a most deep, heart and gut wrenchingly beautiful story of hope and love.
2.38/5.
Honestly, this book frustrated the hell out of me. The characters are impulsive and often unlike-able, the story is choppy and at times disjointed. There are at least three moments where what is said at the start of the page is contradicted later on the same page!
However, it's an absolute pageturner, and I had to keep reading.
It's possibly just a story and writing style that doesn't suit me, hence why I feel so frustrated, and rated it low.
It's definately in part the stupidity and brashness of the characters that gets under my skin. Aspects of the plot are given too much focus where they're just not that essential, and detract from other more key plot devices.
If it was a movie, I'd have been yelling at the screen.
Good book, good suspense and thriller novel.
2.25, rounded up to 2.5.
I think, for me, this may just not be my style of story. I found the first ~60% a challenge to get through, with the characters and story rudimentary and frustrating. The last 40% really picked up, though.
It has mystery, twists, turns, and a good amount of action.
The writing style very much fits with New Adult, as it does appear to be more approachable to a wider audience.
A solid 3/5! This is quite a dry, medium fantasy read. There's no dragons or such, but there are some pretty incredible deities, and some pretty intriguing...evolutionary developments.
The writing structure is unique, and the scenes and characters well written.
All in all, solid, and worth the read.
2.7/5, rounded down.
One of the reviews stated that it gets more and more unsettling as you turn the page, and that it's a slow burn. Both of these are true.
The pace is excellent. It is intriguing, thrilling, and devious.
But, the characters are unrefined, and the plot has been eaten by a few moths. There's some really, truly dumb decisions made by the characters, and some truly absurd omissions.
If you like thriller/suspense, you will enjoy this read. It's not the best read, but it was still a ride, and I enjoyed it.
Brilliant. Utterly brilliant.
The story is compelling, engrossing, and damned amusing. There is a beautiful balance of mind games, calls to action, and character development.
The half-star taken away was due to the clipped nature of some of the plot points, which could have done with a little more thought and expansion.
But overall, this was a sensational read.
This is a fascinating, gripping, yet perplexing read.
Overall, the characters are beautifully written, with great development, but at times there are frustrating jumps and just...gaps?
Glad to have read it.
Just pure excellence.
My first introduction to Hellsing was the original anime, which has been a staple and long term favourite.
Kohta Hirano's original work is even better! This is a brilliant, fast paced, intriguing story, and I look forward to reading the next!
Brilliant. Disturbing. Gut wrenchingly addictive.
There is a frustrating realness to the characters of this book, and that's so refreshing. It's a good frustration.
The suspense is so addictive and consuming. The pace of the sorry is varied, but very balanced, with no jarring. Your head will spin, but no muscles will be pulled.
4.35/5, glad to have read it.
2.75/5, rounded up. If you're after suspense, intrigue, and a page turning plot, this is a good one.
However, the main character is a frightfully frustrating, arrogant, entitled, turd of a person, and that was a bit of a detractor.
Other characters are just as grating.
Glad to have read it, but it won't be on my "read again" list.
In the sense of writing style, this is a swift and easy read; in the sense of subject matter, this is a tough one!
The characters are deep, complex, with many qualities. The twists and turns are very well developed.
Excellent story.
A gripping, addictive, and awe inspiring story.
The plots are thick, the story deep, and the twists and turns will leave you with a sore neck. But, this was an absolutely sensational story.
Typical Lars Kepler, this book is simply incredible. Dark, deep, and petrifyingly addictive.
This is a heavy, heavy story, and it took me a while to get through.
It is brilliant, challenging, and emotionally raw.
So, this is more a suspenseful (light) romance novel, but incredibly well written.
Hilary has an incredible writing style, which makes it incredibly easy to get lost in the vividity of the scene, and at no point is it laborious.
The characters are complicated, detailed, and all with both faults, and incredible qualities.
Glad to have read this one, even if it is outside the norm for my preferences.
Absolutely fascinating story. The author's ability to inject such emotion and awareness into the characters, especially in the format, is fascinating.
The story unfolds as if you're reviewing transcripts from interviews; in some ways not too dissimilar to Bram Stoker's Dracula (a story told through journal entries).
For me, there are way too many unanswered questions, and my imagination is going too wild, which is why I've limited by review to 3/5. For others, this could easily be a 5/5.
Fantastic story, glad to have read it.
This is just pure James S.A. Corey. Brilliant, powerful, deep, confusing, and just perfection.
All I can really say is that if you enjoyed The Expanse, you will thoroughly enjoy this.
There are some really frustrating character traits, and that may feel like a drag at first, but it's all for a reason, and when you come out the other side, it all makes sense, and makes the story so much more rich.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
