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novabird's review against another edition
2.0
Norton does not give us an edge of your seat thriller or a psychological portrayal of a victim become vigilante. What we get is mystery with little action. What we get is the suspense of a whodunnit where we already know who the perp is so we also know that its just a matter of time before he is caught.
Reeve at first is a sympathetic character but she has only slight flaws. There is nothing abnormal about her. Her flaws are shown as mild symptoms of PTSD; like hypervigilance (being acutely aware of other people and one's surroundings and cued into any prospective lurking danger)and the fact that she can't stand close physical proximity/ touching/ hugging. So she ends up coming out as a flat character. As does the perp, whose only goal is to masquerade as a good guy meanwhile being the super-intelligent villain underneath.
Norton presents Reeve as a vigilante but does not explain to us how she shifted from victim to vigilante. Norton actually uses Reeve in the end to forward the plot by giving her both an uncharacteristic trusting nature (which flies in the face of her overall character) and a level-headed-ness that allows her to
I give this a rating of 2.6 barely grazing the 50% margin. It is an okay read but not memorable. I did like the premise, but not a lot of the content. I would recommend, "Room," to those interested in the psychological after effects of this type of crime. I was left with a feeling of, "Dammit this could have been so much more." Yet its unrealistic storytelling was a real let down. I compare, The Edge of Normal, to a mediocre episode of CSI or Law and Order's Special Victims Unit. Then again I prefer books to TV - can you tell?
Reeve at first is a sympathetic character but she has only slight flaws. There is nothing abnormal about her. Her flaws are shown as mild symptoms of PTSD; like hypervigilance (being acutely aware of other people and one's surroundings and cued into any prospective lurking danger)and the fact that she can't stand close physical proximity/ touching/ hugging. So she ends up coming out as a flat character. As does the perp, whose only goal is to masquerade as a good guy meanwhile being the super-intelligent villain underneath.
Norton presents Reeve as a vigilante but does not explain to us how she shifted from victim to vigilante. Norton actually uses Reeve in the end to forward the plot by giving her both an uncharacteristic trusting nature (which flies in the face of her overall character) and a level-headed-ness that allows her to
Spoiler
inflict physical damage on the perp twice and not only escape captivity but a raging fire as wellI give this a rating of 2.6 barely grazing the 50% margin. It is an okay read but not memorable. I did like the premise, but not a lot of the content. I would recommend, "Room," to those interested in the psychological after effects of this type of crime. I was left with a feeling of, "Dammit this could have been so much more." Yet its unrealistic storytelling was a real let down. I compare, The Edge of Normal, to a mediocre episode of CSI or Law and Order's Special Victims Unit. Then again I prefer books to TV - can you tell?
jmj697mn's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. My. DAMN. If I could give this book 100 stars, I would. The suspense was incredible. I actually took my time with it because it was so good. I could have flown through it in a day and I SO badly wanted to but I savored it. The author is fantastic at weaving suspense, drama and mystery together that the story just flows. Highly, highly recommended for fans of the suspense/mystery genre. Warning, there is a bit of an "ick" factor with the subject matter.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
Since I tend to read primarily new and upcoming new releases, I often find a new release so good, am quickly going back to purchase the author's previous books.
After finishing an ARC of Carla Norton’s upcoming powerful and intense psycho-thriller (6/30/2015) What Doesn’t Kill Her (Reeve LeClaire Series, #2) —was so intrigued, with the author, the style, characters, and the enthralling series, immediately afterwards, purchased the audio, THE EDGE OF NORMAL (Reeve LeClaire Series, #1), curious about Reeve’s background. (hard to believe this is a debut)
WOW, what a series! To further enhance the well-written suspense; of captivity and sadism. the narrator, Christina Delaine delivers a chilling, stellar performance.
Reeve LeClaire has lived through a nightmare. She was held captive for four years, when only twelve years old; tortured, raped, and luckily was found alive. After a trial, her captor Daryl Flint was sent to prison. She changed her name and through the help of a psychologist, Ezra Lerner--she has been trying to rebuild her life, and try to get back to some sense of normal with continued haunting nightmares.
Now in her twenties, living in San Francisco, Dr. Lerner (specializing in “captivity syndrome”) needs Reeve to help her with a similar case --a young thirteen year old girl, Tilly, who has suffered a a traumatic ordeal, found a year after her kidnapping.
Reeve’s kidnapper was caught; however, Tilly’s abductor is still at large, putting other young girls in danger. Reeve wants to put her ordeal behind her, as she is strong and determined not to let her tragedy rule her future; however, she has to help find the killer. As she attempts to help Tilly, (similar circumstances), she not only puts her emotions on the line, she also puts herself in danger. With a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, and a ruthless predator—always one step ahead. In the end, by helping another victim, she may find it therapeutic.
An impressive debut and series, a fast-paced page-turner. Skillful writer, Carla Norton keeps you in suspense, while building intensity, with well-developed characters, hooking you from the first page to the end. She has a special talent of diving deep into the psychological minds of her characters, making for a compelling and taunt crime mystery thriller. Her background is definitively reflective throughout the pages of this well-written series.
Be sure and read WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER (Reeve LeClaire Series, #1), coming June 30, 2015 for a continuation of this special character. Looking forward to the next in the series. Psychological crime thriller fans will devour this suspense series!
JDCMustReadBooks
After finishing an ARC of Carla Norton’s upcoming powerful and intense psycho-thriller (6/30/2015) What Doesn’t Kill Her (Reeve LeClaire Series, #2) —was so intrigued, with the author, the style, characters, and the enthralling series, immediately afterwards, purchased the audio, THE EDGE OF NORMAL (Reeve LeClaire Series, #1), curious about Reeve’s background. (hard to believe this is a debut)
WOW, what a series! To further enhance the well-written suspense; of captivity and sadism. the narrator, Christina Delaine delivers a chilling, stellar performance.
Reeve LeClaire has lived through a nightmare. She was held captive for four years, when only twelve years old; tortured, raped, and luckily was found alive. After a trial, her captor Daryl Flint was sent to prison. She changed her name and through the help of a psychologist, Ezra Lerner--she has been trying to rebuild her life, and try to get back to some sense of normal with continued haunting nightmares.
Now in her twenties, living in San Francisco, Dr. Lerner (specializing in “captivity syndrome”) needs Reeve to help her with a similar case --a young thirteen year old girl, Tilly, who has suffered a a traumatic ordeal, found a year after her kidnapping.
Reeve’s kidnapper was caught; however, Tilly’s abductor is still at large, putting other young girls in danger. Reeve wants to put her ordeal behind her, as she is strong and determined not to let her tragedy rule her future; however, she has to help find the killer. As she attempts to help Tilly, (similar circumstances), she not only puts her emotions on the line, she also puts herself in danger. With a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, and a ruthless predator—always one step ahead. In the end, by helping another victim, she may find it therapeutic.
An impressive debut and series, a fast-paced page-turner. Skillful writer, Carla Norton keeps you in suspense, while building intensity, with well-developed characters, hooking you from the first page to the end. She has a special talent of diving deep into the psychological minds of her characters, making for a compelling and taunt crime mystery thriller. Her background is definitively reflective throughout the pages of this well-written series.
Be sure and read WHAT DOESN’T KILL HER (Reeve LeClaire Series, #1), coming June 30, 2015 for a continuation of this special character. Looking forward to the next in the series. Psychological crime thriller fans will devour this suspense series!
JDCMustReadBooks
melohpa's review against another edition
4.0
Been a long time since I stayed up to the wee hours to finish a book! Kudos Ms. Norton!
kdurham2's review against another edition
5.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A thriller were the reader knows the killer from the beginning, but is just waiting for the detectives and team to put all the pieces together. Told from many point of views, the reader is able to get a full picture which was beyond entertaining.
My most favorite part of the book was thinking that it was concluding, but realizing that there were quite a few pages to go and clearly there was still a few things that were going to happen!
A thriller were the reader knows the killer from the beginning, but is just waiting for the detectives and team to put all the pieces together. Told from many point of views, the reader is able to get a full picture which was beyond entertaining.
My most favorite part of the book was thinking that it was concluding, but realizing that there were quite a few pages to go and clearly there was still a few things that were going to happen!
tensy's review against another edition
2.0
Once again, a novel starts with an interesting premise then proceeds on the typical mystery formula. We know the nemesis early on, the main character repeatedly does stupid things (like not divulging things to the police that any rational adult would do), and no one could possibly be surprised about how the ending unfolds.
I tend to stay away from mysteries generally because they inevitably follow the same formula of giving the reader misdirection about 3/4 of the way through the novel. I sat back and immediately caught the misdirection in this book, which meant I was totally unsurprised by the ending.
I read this at the recommendation of the thriller group here on Goodreads, but I should have known better. My brother-in-law, who writes mysteries, has heard my complaint before, and he says that readers like the formula and enjoy the thrill of the surprise ending. I generally respond with the question, "how can anyone be surprised when the formula consistently leaves the killer/criminal roaming free (after the wrong person has been apprehended) to create chaos in the last 1/4 of the book?"
Oh well, just my personal diatribe on mysteries, and by the way, have you noticed that in TV mystery series you can pretty much spot who the killer is by the semi-celebrity actor that shows up in the first 10 minutes of the show? And yes, no one in my family will watch TV with me because I pretty much nab the killer early because the actor used to be on another recently cancelled TV show!
On the plus side, the narration of the audiobook was excellent.
I tend to stay away from mysteries generally because they inevitably follow the same formula of giving the reader misdirection about 3/4 of the way through the novel. I sat back and immediately caught the misdirection in this book, which meant I was totally unsurprised by the ending.
I read this at the recommendation of the thriller group here on Goodreads, but I should have known better. My brother-in-law, who writes mysteries, has heard my complaint before, and he says that readers like the formula and enjoy the thrill of the surprise ending. I generally respond with the question, "how can anyone be surprised when the formula consistently leaves the killer/criminal roaming free (after the wrong person has been apprehended) to create chaos in the last 1/4 of the book?"
Oh well, just my personal diatribe on mysteries, and by the way, have you noticed that in TV mystery series you can pretty much spot who the killer is by the semi-celebrity actor that shows up in the first 10 minutes of the show? And yes, no one in my family will watch TV with me because I pretty much nab the killer early because the actor used to be on another recently cancelled TV show!
On the plus side, the narration of the audiobook was excellent.
susanthebookbag's review against another edition
5.0
Whew! What an intense and edge-of-my-seat story. The Edge of Normal was a quick read for me because I just had to keep going to find out what was going to happen to Reeve and all of the other girls. Reeve has been through a lot and at only 22, she is wise beyond her years. She is such a smart, strong person.
And then there's the evil in the book. So much evil. How can one person be so evil? The author does a great job of creating two such opposite personalities that I came to love and hate. I found myself rooting for Reeve and hoping that the bad guy gets what he deserves, for putting her and the other girls through what he did to them.
The character of Reeve, and the strength that she has, endeared her to me. This book, and her character left such an impression on me that I immediately got my hands on book 2 of the series so I can follow up with Reeve's life.
And then there's the evil in the book. So much evil. How can one person be so evil? The author does a great job of creating two such opposite personalities that I came to love and hate. I found myself rooting for Reeve and hoping that the bad guy gets what he deserves, for putting her and the other girls through what he did to them.
The character of Reeve, and the strength that she has, endeared her to me. This book, and her character left such an impression on me that I immediately got my hands on book 2 of the series so I can follow up with Reeve's life.
lbatch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
tehlanna's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quick, thrilling read about a young girl who survives being kidnapped and tortured, and isles her experience to help another kidnap victim.
whimpulse's review against another edition
3.0
The hard subjects like pedophilia and abductions seemed to be handled pretty well. I was afraid the book would get so graphic it'd make me feel guilty about reading it, but in the end it wasn't that hard to read. I was more interest on possible after-effects of abductions, not the gory details of torture, so the book was pretty good for that purpose. It didn't go overboard.
I remember thinking the chapters were a bit too short for my taste. I don't mind having short chapters every now and then, but this time it was so constant it annoyed me. I also happened to see a review beforehand, in which the reader was criticising the author for making Reeve sound like a lecturer, and thus I immediately noticed whenever this happened. I do like Reeve as a character, but sometimes it felt like the supporting characters were only talking to emphasise how clever she was.
I especially enjoyed finding more and more about the main culprit and all the work that went behind his actions, and the climax seemed appropriate.
I remember thinking the chapters were a bit too short for my taste. I don't mind having short chapters every now and then, but this time it was so constant it annoyed me. I also happened to see a review beforehand, in which the reader was criticising the author for making Reeve sound like a lecturer, and thus I immediately noticed whenever this happened. I do like Reeve as a character, but sometimes it felt like the supporting characters were only talking to emphasise how clever she was.
I especially enjoyed finding more and more about the main culprit and all the work that went behind his actions, and the climax seemed appropriate.