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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love this series. I’m so glad Jeffrey and Sarah got “back together.” I hate that they didn’t catch Dottie, so I was really hoping that it ended with her caught. That was the only thing I didn’t like!
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This is the second book in the Grant County Series and I had a hard time putting it down. The scary thing is that what happens in this book happens in real life to children! It is quite explicit.
4-4.5 stars
I still stand by what I said earlier about how Karin Slaughter is one of a kind. She can take all three stories, from the different POV's and magically weave them together. I don't know how she does it, but to me is mind blowing.
Also this book had more of the "WTF am I reading" and "Who thinks of this?!" reaction from me than her other books. I was sitting there gasping and being like "WHAAAAAT?!" that my husband had to keep telling me to be quiet! hahah
I was getting a little annoyed with Lena, she started to get on my nerves quiet a bit and I wasn't always looking forward to her chapters, I feel like she didn't do much growth from the first book to this, I felt like she went backwards. Yet Karin Slaughter found a way to weave in the drama that made me continue reading her chapters!
Overall I am very excited to read the next book in the series! Karin Slaughter is my go to thriller/disturbing/taboo author that I am seeming to go to when I am in a slump. Nothing like a little mindtrip to get you in the mood for reading am I right?
I still stand by what I said earlier about how Karin Slaughter is one of a kind. She can take all three stories, from the different POV's and magically weave them together. I don't know how she does it, but to me is mind blowing.
Also this book had more of the "WTF am I reading" and "Who thinks of this?!" reaction from me than her other books. I was sitting there gasping and being like "WHAAAAAT?!" that my husband had to keep telling me to be quiet! hahah
I was getting a little annoyed with Lena, she started to get on my nerves quiet a bit and I wasn't always looking forward to her chapters, I feel like she didn't do much growth from the first book to this, I felt like she went backwards. Yet Karin Slaughter found a way to weave in the drama that made me continue reading her chapters!
Overall I am very excited to read the next book in the series! Karin Slaughter is my go to thriller/disturbing/taboo author that I am seeming to go to when I am in a slump. Nothing like a little mindtrip to get you in the mood for reading am I right?
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A good thriller novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Incest
Kisscut is the second book in the Grant County series and it may be Slaughter’s most character centric novel I’ve read to date. Slaughter spends a significant amount of time digging into Lena’s character, more specifically her current mindset after the trauma of the previous novel, Blindsighted.
Kisscut also happens to be one of Slaughter’s most disturbing novels. Slaughter’s work is always dark, but Kisscut’s plot deals directly with child abuse and exploitation. So, trigger warnings for child abuse and exploitation and suicide.
As mentioned previously, Kisscut is very character centric. I was never the biggest fan of Lena. She’s brash and not an easily likeable character, but when you juxtapose her with Sara, it’s easy for readers to side with Sara over Lena.
For most of the novel, Lena is working through her trauma in the only way she knows how: throwing herself into work and avoiding anything that can be considered self-care. It’s like watching a particularly slow car wreck. There’s also a sequence of events that Lena goes through that is absolutely heart shattering and difficult to read (trigger warning). My heart almost stopped reading this sequence of events as I happened to be reading aloud to my husband at the time.
The ending of Kisscut plays out like a television show. It’s hard to explain without giving away too many spoilers, but it’s an accurate depiction of a less than successful conclusion of a case.
I couldn’t give the book five stars because of the subject matter. Not that Slaughter doesn’t treat the subject matter with the utmost respect, but it’s hard to give five stars to a truly horrendous story.
Overall, Kisscut is definitely not for everyone. It features a truly horrific case and digs deep into the psyche of someone suffering from inconceivable trauma. I will certainly be continuing with the series since Slaughter is second to none in the genre.
Kisscut also happens to be one of Slaughter’s most disturbing novels. Slaughter’s work is always dark, but Kisscut’s plot deals directly with child abuse and exploitation. So, trigger warnings for child abuse and exploitation and suicide.
As mentioned previously, Kisscut is very character centric. I was never the biggest fan of Lena. She’s brash and not an easily likeable character, but when you juxtapose her with Sara, it’s easy for readers to side with Sara over Lena.
For most of the novel, Lena is working through her trauma in the only way she knows how: throwing herself into work and avoiding anything that can be considered self-care. It’s like watching a particularly slow car wreck. There’s also a sequence of events that Lena goes through that is absolutely heart shattering and difficult to read (trigger warning). My heart almost stopped reading this sequence of events as I happened to be reading aloud to my husband at the time.
The ending of Kisscut plays out like a television show. It’s hard to explain without giving away too many spoilers, but it’s an accurate depiction of a less than successful conclusion of a case.
I couldn’t give the book five stars because of the subject matter. Not that Slaughter doesn’t treat the subject matter with the utmost respect, but it’s hard to give five stars to a truly horrendous story.
Overall, Kisscut is definitely not for everyone. It features a truly horrific case and digs deep into the psyche of someone suffering from inconceivable trauma. I will certainly be continuing with the series since Slaughter is second to none in the genre.
I’m a big fan of Slaughter’s Will Trent series and for the longest of times I told myself I needed to read what came before, that I needed to know what happened in Sara’s life prior to her appearance in the Will Trent books. It took me longer to work around to them than I had hoped, but I’m there now. More importantly, I can say they are not disappointing.
I read the Will Trent series in the wrong order. I brought a pack of books and a couple of them were in said pack. I was so interested that I didn’t bother to search whether or not they were part of a series. I simply jumped right in. Whilst the books worked as standalone novels, it was clear that there was an overarching story I was missing out on. I attempted to amend my lack of knowledge, but continued to read them in the wrong order as I started each one as it arrived in the post. I promised myself I would not do the same with her Grant County novels.
Thus, when I found books one and two going dirty cheap in the university’s second hand bookstore, I grabbed them. I promised myself I would stick to reading them in order, even if it meant annoying waits between the books, and jumped right in.
I’ll admit that I’m not as in love with them as I am the Will Trent series, but they’re still great reads. I think, however, that this comes down to the fact that I read the Will Trent books first. There are many fans who read the books in the correct order and enjoyed these stories more. Perhaps it’s just a case of what you read first being your bigger love, but we’ll never really know for sure.
As with all of Slaughter’s work, this second book in wonderfully dark. We have a great storyline, intricately connected, gripping us throughout. We’re left on the edge of our seats as more and more details come to light, with things progressing in wonderful ways. I could sit here trying to sound poetic about her work, but anyone who has read any of Slaughter’s other work will know what to expect. Darkness. Twists and turns. The harshness of humanity. Mystery. A questionable cast of characters (and that goes for both the bad guys and our leading roles).
Honestly, if you enjoyed the first there is no reason not to pick this one up.
I read the Will Trent series in the wrong order. I brought a pack of books and a couple of them were in said pack. I was so interested that I didn’t bother to search whether or not they were part of a series. I simply jumped right in. Whilst the books worked as standalone novels, it was clear that there was an overarching story I was missing out on. I attempted to amend my lack of knowledge, but continued to read them in the wrong order as I started each one as it arrived in the post. I promised myself I would not do the same with her Grant County novels.
Thus, when I found books one and two going dirty cheap in the university’s second hand bookstore, I grabbed them. I promised myself I would stick to reading them in order, even if it meant annoying waits between the books, and jumped right in.
I’ll admit that I’m not as in love with them as I am the Will Trent series, but they’re still great reads. I think, however, that this comes down to the fact that I read the Will Trent books first. There are many fans who read the books in the correct order and enjoyed these stories more. Perhaps it’s just a case of what you read first being your bigger love, but we’ll never really know for sure.
As with all of Slaughter’s work, this second book in wonderfully dark. We have a great storyline, intricately connected, gripping us throughout. We’re left on the edge of our seats as more and more details come to light, with things progressing in wonderful ways. I could sit here trying to sound poetic about her work, but anyone who has read any of Slaughter’s other work will know what to expect. Darkness. Twists and turns. The harshness of humanity. Mystery. A questionable cast of characters (and that goes for both the bad guys and our leading roles).
Honestly, if you enjoyed the first there is no reason not to pick this one up.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I thought that book 1 was fast-paced and intense, but in this book, Slaughter takes things to a new level.
This dark, emotional thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, and there were even a few twists that I didn't anticipate. Characters from the first book show up again and this time around we get more depth and complexity to them, especially Lena's character.
Another great addition to this crime series.
This dark, emotional thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, and there were even a few twists that I didn't anticipate. Characters from the first book show up again and this time around we get more depth and complexity to them, especially Lena's character.
Another great addition to this crime series.