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kuraias's review against another edition
1.0
The blurb sounded cool. A time-traveling serial killer.
I didn't enjoy this book for a variety of reasons. I stopped about halfway through because I was thoroughly not enjoying it and the same was true for the two people I was traveling with (one of them had picked the audiobook).
1. Excessive cruelty and violence against women ("girls" -- I would not apply that label to most of the characters, with the exception of Kirby). Yes, it's about a serial killer who targets women. But hearing about how much joy he takes in the whole process, and was sickening.
2. There's a lot of jumping back and forth between characters, times, and places. I probably would have coped better with it on paper than I did with the audiobook. It helped to have different narrators but it was still confusing.
3. For the most part, time travel was actually not that relevant. Great, the killer stalks his prey for longer. In Kirby's case most of her life. It makes him creepier, but I don't feel it added much to the plot (pending half a book, but from what I read in other reviews, it won't actually be all that relevant).
4. The characters are not relateable. Kirby a little bit, maybe, but for the most part I just pity her. The only reason I rooted for her was that the antagonist disgusted me.
I didn't enjoy this book for a variety of reasons. I stopped about halfway through because I was thoroughly not enjoying it and the same was true for the two people I was traveling with (one of them had picked the audiobook).
1. Excessive cruelty and violence against women ("girls" -- I would not apply that label to most of the characters, with the exception of Kirby). Yes, it's about a serial killer who targets women. But hearing about how much joy he takes in the whole process, and
Spoiler
how he decorates trees with their guts, how he treats Kirby's dog, .. the list goes on2. There's a lot of jumping back and forth between characters, times, and places. I probably would have coped better with it on paper than I did with the audiobook. It helped to have different narrators but it was still confusing.
3. For the most part, time travel was actually not that relevant. Great, the killer stalks his prey for longer. In Kirby's case most of her life. It makes him creepier, but I don't feel it added much to the plot (pending half a book, but from what I read in other reviews, it won't actually be all that relevant).
4. The characters are not relateable. Kirby a little bit, maybe, but for the most part I just pity her. The only reason I rooted for her was that the antagonist disgusted me.
calliejaneg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
jencunn2024's review against another edition
3.0
This novel really gets about 3.5 / 5 stars from me. The timeline jumps around a lot but this serial murder mystery incorporates different time periods and a surprising degree of historical fiction. I was only feeling disappointed in a few things. One was that the phenomenon involved is just that and never really explained. Another was that the style of time jumping was so abrupt that it was jolting and seemed discontinuous which made it harder to follow. The last thing that really bothered me as a reader was all the unneeded dialogue and bits that were inconsequential to story and character. I felt like about half the book could have been edited out to get more to the nitty gritty of crime solving, backstory, and motive. All that said it was still a fun read. The Hulu show does a better job with the things lacking in the novel and I would recommend the show over the book in this case. The book has some neat bits the show doesn’t and I actually enjoyed both. Great idea for a novel and I’d still recommend the book of you like sleuthy thrillers.
hmbodorable's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mmccue1997's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
3.0
I read this almost immediately after finishing Lauren Beukes's Broken Monsters, so I can't help but compare the two. And, honestly, I prefer Broken Monsters.
I'm not sure if I prefer Broken Monsters because I wasn't keen on the narration for The Shining Girls (Khristine Hvam reads Kirby, and she just sounds so overly sassy that it's hard to like her), or if it was the overall story of Broken Monsters that I liked more. Clayton Broom (B.M.) is a more interesting killer than Harper Curtis (T.S.G.). Broom is haunted and not really in control; the "art" he creates is horrible and fascinating. Harper, on the other hand, is just a killer of women who happens to have a time traveling house at his disposal. Now, I have nothing against time traveling houses (way cool), but I just wasn't as scared of or horrified by Harper as I was of Clayton.
I also really enjoyed that Broken Monsters has protagonists--Gabriella and Layla--who are women of color. It's not something I see often in the horror or thriller genres, but it's something I'd like to see more of. Additionally, the regular horror of what a group of teenage boys does to Layla's friend Cass is almost as awful as the murders Clayton commits--it certainly had me yelling at the book. That adds something to Broken Monsters that The Shining Girls just doesn't have.
I'd have liked The Shining Girls more if I'd read a hard copy. It's still a good book--it's an interesting bend on both the thriller and the horror story, and it takes place in Chicago, which is fun. But if you're starting out with Beukes, I'd recommend Broken Monsters first.
I'm not sure if I prefer Broken Monsters because I wasn't keen on the narration for The Shining Girls (Khristine Hvam reads Kirby, and she just sounds so overly sassy that it's hard to like her), or if it was the overall story of Broken Monsters that I liked more. Clayton Broom (B.M.) is a more interesting killer than Harper Curtis (T.S.G.). Broom is haunted and not really in control; the "art" he creates is horrible and fascinating. Harper, on the other hand, is just a killer of women who happens to have a time traveling house at his disposal. Now, I have nothing against time traveling houses (way cool), but I just wasn't as scared of or horrified by Harper as I was of Clayton.
I also really enjoyed that Broken Monsters has protagonists--Gabriella and Layla--who are women of color. It's not something I see often in the horror or thriller genres, but it's something I'd like to see more of. Additionally, the regular horror of what a group of teenage boys does to Layla's friend Cass is almost as awful as the murders Clayton commits--it certainly had me yelling at the book. That adds something to Broken Monsters that The Shining Girls just doesn't have.
I'd have liked The Shining Girls more if I'd read a hard copy. It's still a good book--it's an interesting bend on both the thriller and the horror story, and it takes place in Chicago, which is fun. But if you're starting out with Beukes, I'd recommend Broken Monsters first.
errski's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was great! Everything was timed out well, the time jumps weren't too confusing after a few chapters. I'll admit it was a slow start to get into the story, jumping right into time and into the characters lives, but overall it was a really great read.
dblue236's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Time traveling serial killer vs. vaguely creepy girl who was almost his victim. I just... no. I couldn't get into it. Hated the premise almost as much as I hated the characters. DNF at around 20%.