The Angel Maker
Ratings17
Average rating3.2
Eerie Reading Experience
I wanted to love this as I love anything all spook and fast paced. I read the author's debut novel, The Whisper Man, a few years ago and thought it was a pretty good read. The Angel Maker once again shows off his unique storytelling ability but unfortunately, I didn't hit a nice reading groove until about 2/3 of the way into the book. The main issue is not all of the characters are clearly defined so I had a hard time keeping track of everyone. My interest level was high but it was a disjointed reading experience.
When Katie Shaw was a teenager something horrible happened to her brother, Chris. Feel free to check out the publisher synopsis if you want more details about the plot, but part of the appeal of the story for me going in blind was just watching everything unfold naturally. I will mention the action picks up with Katie as an adult and lots of different characters are followed throughout the story.
Normally, I'm a big fan of stories that bounce around between different characters but it didn't work well in this case. When certain characters aren't standing out in your mind it's like a snowball effect because then it becomes difficult to follow the backstory. I was intrigued by the content but it was also a jumbled mess. Thankfully, I had a bit of a lightbulb moment with about 1/3 of the story left to go and everything started to make more sense and it was a much more enjoyable ride to the finish.
As far as endings go, I'm just going to shrug my shoulders. Nothing horrible about it, but nothing knocked my socks off either. All and all I will be happily reading the next novel because I know the greatness that can be Alex North. For now all I can do is suggest that you click the link below to try your luck with this one.
Even though the execution was a bit off at times, it was a decent thriller. Knowing this author is capable of going in so many directions with a story is fun when you are a fan of this genre.
I'll admit – about half the reason I decided to read this book was because of the name. An intriguing name for a book in general, but a badass name for a serial killer especially. The plot was interesting as well, but the name was what really drew me into it.
The pace of the book was almost split down the middle: slow in the first half, reading more like a cold case rather than an active thriller like I expected, but things definitely start picking up in the latter half of the book. Generational trauma is a huge theme of the book, and even though it's not an excuse for anyone's actions, it gave an insight into the whys of it all at least.
I do wonder if maybe there should've been more of a focus on the Lock family rather than the Shaws, since it seemed like the plot sets them up to be the main characters more than Katie and Chris and their side of things, but I feel like we still got enough from them to be invested.
Some of the philosophical themes kind of wigged me out (a personal issue) but it was really interesting to have them be such a present theme in a thriller novel, when most others of its kind go for a more psychological route. I wonder if it would've been as impactful without determinism being based on God for the most part, but I do like religious horror so I enjoyed it either way.
I genuinely did NOT see the Joshua reveal coming, or the fact that Alan switched Joshua and Nathanial out. I was convinced he just left the nursery empty instead of putting another kid in there. That was absolutely brutal even though I could see where Hobbes was coming from. Horrific nonetheless.
Overall a very solid thriller novel. Good way to kick off spooky season from the slasher movie side of things.
Considering how much I enjoyed the other books by this author, I was expecting the same here. Sadly I was disappointed. I don't mind a book that jumps back and forth through time telling a story, even one that feels like it needs a map at times; this one needed a map, a guide, and emergency rations in case you got lost. Chaotic, jumbled, and at times poorly written; and yet through all that no real character development.
Had this been my first book by this author there never would have been a second. My recommendation is skip this one and read the other two.
Rating: 2.8 leaves out of 5Characters: 2.5/5 Cover: 5/5Story: 2.5/5Writing: 3/5Horror: 1/5Genre: Horror/Mystery/ThrillerType: AudiobookWorth?: YeahHated Disliked Meh It Was Okay Liked LovedWant to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. I really liked The Shadows by Alex and when I saw this one up on Netgalley I quickly requested this book. There were a lot of lines to follow while figuring out who was who. I think listening to it was harder for this than maybe actually reading it. I am still not sure about like... 3 people in this whole book. I liked the concept of the story I just think it was poorly executed. Alex was trying to do a lot and instead of giving us a clear view it because busy and too much.
I just finished The Angel Maker by Alex North and let me share my thoughts with you!
Katie always felt that her brother was loved more than she was but her resentment never stopped her being fiercely protective of Chris. A violent stranger changed everything all those years ago and Katie never stopped feeling guilty for something she could not stop.
Chris never got the footing he needed to be a functioning member of society then one day he disappears out of their lives. 2 years later her mother calls. He is missing... Well yes, he has been for years.... Her mother confides that they had been in touch and now he really is missing.
A detective working a particularly gruesome murder had some questions and one of them is how Chris came to be at the murder victim's house before he was murdered and how the man that attacked him all those years ago are all connected. Could it be something to do with the serial killer who claimed to be able to see the future? All roads seem to point to yes.
I am going to recommend that if you start this book, have the hours to complete it in one sitting because otherwise, you will be up all night!
Let's start with the plot. Genius! The idea of a serial killer being called the angel maker and his rationale for committing the atrocities, of course it was God. He claimed to see the future and he was just doing what was foretold.
I loved how all the elements of this story came together seamlessly and I have to admit, I didn't catch on to the plot twists that came during my marathon reading session.
Character development was on point. I felt all the characters were balanced and realistically portrayed. Two huge things for me are a good plot and excellent story development.
What didn't I enjoy? I felt like I either missed a piece of information while reading and I had feeling like there was a loose thread. It's probably just me but that feeling won't go!
There were too many POVs for my liking but I can see why they were necessary. It wasn't as fast a pace as I would have liked but I felt the slower pace actually built the suspense better so I can overlook that too.
Overall it was a dang good thriller and I enjoyed every single page!
4.5 stars and thank you to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for my review copy! Out to buy next week!
I was super stoked when I was approved for the audiobook from NetGalley. I am a huge fan of The Shadows and The Whisper Man, so I couldn't wait to get to this one. I love how the audio mixes crime with horror elements.
Sadly, I'm not much of a fan of this one. I feel like the book lost me within the first 20 minutes of audio. This book features like Goosebumps-level short chapters but from different perspectives. Not to mention also time periods? It jumps so fast and so often that you aren't really spending significant time with anyone, which wasn't allowing me to settle into any one perspective. It was incredibly confusing.
The hooks and twists of the story were lacking for me, they read as kind of unbelievable. I'm not sure if it was because they were too simple, too coincidental, or because they actually didn't make sense. This read like a book that got published 2 or 3 drafts before it was finished. There's interesting stuff here, but it's not collected well. The Angel Maker? It's like oddly referenced two or three times, sounds super creepy and weird, but literally has no pay out. Did they forget? It kind of sets up its horror elements, but then forgets to add them in.
Personally a 2/5* for me. Oddly disappointed!
This book definitely takes some focus to get through but it's definitely worth it!
When Katie was younger a stranger's seemingly random act of violence left her younger brother injured and Katie racked with guilt. Years later Katie has a child of her own she's desperate to always protect and a tumultuous relationship with her brother that she still feels guilty for what happened years ago. Though they haven't spoken in a while when Katie learns her brother is missing she sets out to find him and gets thrown into a dangerous world.
This is a book that has a lot of moving parts. There's multiple story lines, multiple time-lines, and multiple characters that it hops between. While it's hard to keep up with at times, these aspects made the story that much more intriguing. This may be Alex North's most intense book yet. There's always a bit of paranormal undertones in North's books and this book takes more of a philosophical approach that had me really using my noggin.
If you're looking for a book that makes you think I recommend this one! The characters are interesting and the many different moving parts had me feeling like a detective and a academic.
Hmmmmm...I am not sure how I feel about this one. I love this author. His writing and stories are enjoyable and usually fast reads for me as I get sucked in right away. From the title I was expecting more of the serial killer aspect instead of a slow burn mystery, so there was a slight disappointment in this.
There is a lot I loved about this one though. It's gripping. It's thrilling and gets you hooked from page one. I enjoy multiple POVs so this was a huge plus. However, by the end of it .. I was left with so many unanswered questions. So many holes and huhs? I buddy read this one, and she felt the same as me. Whew