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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Honestly probably my least favorite read of the year.
I found the ending completely unbelievable and too rushed to finish.
I did like being able to translate the greek into english to see the translations and try to guess what might happen next but the payoff wasn’t there.
There are better greek books than this one, you aren’t missing much.
I found the ending completely unbelievable and too rushed to finish.
I did like being able to translate the greek into english to see the translations and try to guess what might happen next but the payoff wasn’t there.
There are better greek books than this one, you aren’t missing much.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
This book, like The Silent Patient, was exceedingly digestible. Just a page turner. Big text, big margins and short chapters made it feel like I flew through the book, and I did. The book is not without a few flaws, namely some cheap plot devices and heavy handed red herrings, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable psychological thriller/whodunnit/dark academia book that I’d recommend to anyone who is a fan of those genres.
The Liberal Arts part of me enjoyed parts of this but I was waiting to be surprised and I wasn’t.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.5 stars. The ending felt rushed and the reveal didn’t make any sense
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Infertility
My instinct said 4 stars but my system says otherwise.
All books start with 5 stars.
This book loses 3
⭐️The one star lost is due to unbelievability. I guess I mean plot holes.
- the maidens thing would never be allowed, right? I’m not even sure the drinking with students thing would be allowed, but it happens in A Secret History so who knows? Maybe it’s a real fancy school thing, idk. But he for sure wouldn’t have gotten away with sleeping with them for so long.
- Mariana keeps being in dangerous situations and not once does she ever think to call someone on her phone.
- They had class the day after a student was killed? Yeah right.
- The police found no DNA?
- The police didn’t notice the post cards?
- Why are the maidens so flippant about their dead friend if they have nothing to do with it?
⭐️⭐️ It loses another for bad character writing that leads to even more plot holes. Mariana is delusional and stupid and she is terrible at reading people. I kept thinking the twist was that Mariana is the killer or made everything up or something.
Delusional: Mariana thinks she’s somehow solving the case with no crime experience and no real help or support from the police. She thinks everyone wants her there to help.
Stupid: The man she thinks is the killer force kisses her and she still goes to his place for dinner? A guy catches her spying on him having sex with a student and she still goes to him when she’s in trouble? She’s being followed, but she keeps walking the streets at night alone.
People Reading: she has the wrong guy the whole time and won’t listen to anyone else’s opinion, she constantly trusts people’s testimony when they’re obviously lying, she believes Henry isn’t dangerous, she misreads the whole maiden situation, she married a pedo, raised a murderer, and was raised by an abuser (?)
Mariana is just not likable— she’s beautiful but never knew it (one of my least favorite female traits)— she’s “plucky” but really just a bad listener— she’s smart but only because she memorizes definitions, she has no wisdom to back them up… she’s hard to root for.
⭐️⭐️⭐️a stupid ending
there. I said it. the ending was bad. I understand that a psycho doesn’t typically use logic but… even this. It’s like he had this Maidens idea and this idea of a woman being married to a pedo and not knowing it and then combined them at the last minute. I have no problem with it being Zoe, but her motives were impossible to untangle and the lack of clues too. And the little “oh but he was arrested anyways” is awful
THEN the ending where Theo keeps calling her and she goes to see her? Not necessary. Too much… unlesssssss it’s a ploy to get Mariana in the facility herself because she’s really pretty delulu herself.
☀️bright sides
1. The tie in to the silent patient— I love.
2. The possibility that the whole book is part of a bigger story and isn’t as it seems. It has an unreliable narrator so… it could still happen.
3. The Greek stuff is awesome and could’ve been a great base for crimes and delusions… just missed the mark.
4. It wasn’t THAT bad it just wasn’t a smash like the silent patient. poor Alex hit a dinger right out the gate and will be chasing the high his whole career I’m afraid.
All books start with 5 stars.
This book loses 3
⭐️The one star lost is due to unbelievability. I guess I mean plot holes.
- the maidens thing would never be allowed, right? I’m not even sure the drinking with students thing would be allowed, but it happens in A Secret History so who knows? Maybe it’s a real fancy school thing, idk. But he for sure wouldn’t have gotten away with sleeping with them for so long.
- Mariana keeps being in dangerous situations and not once does she ever think to call someone on her phone.
- They had class the day after a student was killed? Yeah right.
- The police found no DNA?
- The police didn’t notice the post cards?
- Why are the maidens so flippant about their dead friend if they have nothing to do with it?
⭐️⭐️ It loses another for bad character writing that leads to even more plot holes. Mariana is delusional and stupid and she is terrible at reading people. I kept thinking the twist was that Mariana is the killer or made everything up or something.
Delusional: Mariana thinks she’s somehow solving the case with no crime experience and no real help or support from the police. She thinks everyone wants her there to help.
Stupid: The man she thinks is the killer force kisses her and she still goes to his place for dinner? A guy catches her spying on him having sex with a student and she still goes to him when she’s in trouble? She’s being followed, but she keeps walking the streets at night alone.
People Reading: she has the wrong guy the whole time and won’t listen to anyone else’s opinion, she constantly trusts people’s testimony when they’re obviously lying, she believes Henry isn’t dangerous, she misreads the whole maiden situation, she married a pedo, raised a murderer, and was raised by an abuser (?)
Mariana is just not likable— she’s beautiful but never knew it (one of my least favorite female traits)— she’s “plucky” but really just a bad listener— she’s smart but only because she memorizes definitions, she has no wisdom to back them up… she’s hard to root for.
⭐️⭐️⭐️a stupid ending
there. I said it. the ending was bad. I understand that a psycho doesn’t typically use logic but… even this. It’s like he had this Maidens idea and this idea of a woman being married to a pedo and not knowing it and then combined them at the last minute. I have no problem with it being Zoe, but her motives were impossible to untangle and the lack of clues too. And the little “oh but he was arrested anyways” is awful
THEN the ending where Theo keeps calling her and she goes to see her? Not necessary. Too much… unlesssssss it’s a ploy to get Mariana in the facility herself because she’s really pretty delulu herself.
☀️bright sides
1. The tie in to the silent patient— I love.
2. The possibility that the whole book is part of a bigger story and isn’t as it seems. It has an unreliable narrator so… it could still happen.
3. The Greek stuff is awesome and could’ve been a great base for crimes and delusions… just missed the mark.
4. It wasn’t THAT bad it just wasn’t a smash like the silent patient. poor Alex hit a dinger right out the gate and will be chasing the high his whole career I’m afraid.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated