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amys_bookworld's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
So thrilling and intense I loved it!
michellejaclyn's review against another edition
4.0
Actually 3.5 stars. Why are all the crime novels so long now! The story was really good, beautiful Tasmanian imagery, but just so long.
nancy132334's review against another edition
3.0
I am incredibly disturbed by the casual treatment of paedophelia, child grooming and teen suicide in this book.
I agree with other reviewers. Far fetched and unresolved, but for me the lack of any real outrage over multiple teachers sleeping with multiple students bothers me badly.
I believe it is down right dangerous and normalising of child sexual abuse and it concerns me that the author is a young to middle aged Tasmanian man who works with men and youth at risk. Does he think this behaviour is normal or acceptable? Because surely if he didn’t then at least one of his characters would show concern over it?
To me it is tone deaf, especially considering #letherspeak and all that Grace Tame has recently achieved and exposed in Tasmania.
Having said all of that I found parts of the book quite readable so I would encourage the author to continue writing but beware that he does not normalise abuse in his casual treatment of it.
I agree with other reviewers. Far fetched and unresolved, but for me the lack of any real outrage over multiple teachers sleeping with multiple students bothers me badly.
I believe it is down right dangerous and normalising of child sexual abuse and it concerns me that the author is a young to middle aged Tasmanian man who works with men and youth at risk. Does he think this behaviour is normal or acceptable? Because surely if he didn’t then at least one of his characters would show concern over it?
To me it is tone deaf, especially considering #letherspeak and all that Grace Tame has recently achieved and exposed in Tasmania.
Having said all of that I found parts of the book quite readable so I would encourage the author to continue writing but beware that he does not normalise abuse in his casual treatment of it.
rheashami's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 but rounded down because I was laughing out loud at some of the ludicrosity.
I have a lot of thoughts but don’t care enough to write them out so in summary-
tasmania : mainland aus
this book : picnic at hanging rock
I have a lot of thoughts but don’t care enough to write them out so in summary-
tasmania : mainland aus
this book : picnic at hanging rock
laylaloveslimes's review
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? Yes
3.0
kacy_too's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. After reading the authors story online I was invested in reading this book. I wanted for it to be good so bad but unfortunately there were a few things I did not enjoy about it.
The writing is simple and clear. It's easy to read but can get a bit dull at times. The characters I found to be very unusual. One of the first things I noticed was that every single character seemed to have some sort of problem or issue (drugs, cheating, abuse, trauma etc etc). I can see why the author did this as he is a counsellor and he would see these sorts of issues every single day. It just felt a bit odd that every single character not only had something but it was one of the first things we'd learn about them. It made it feel like it was their one defining trait as a person.
A lot of the characters actions didn't feel real and was very cartoonish at times. The two detectives felt like two people playing dress up (for example Con writing up a word doc of suspects using the dnd chart). Them not knowing what was going on also made it very confusing for me to read.
I did get more invested in the book about 150 pages in (when it is revealed that Maddie and the girls planned to go missing) and things started to improve from there. At one point I actually couldn't put the book down because I got so interested and invested. I actually got scared reading a section of it as well.
Unfortunately the ending never really explains things (cliffhanger endings can be done right but this felt like a random curve ball got thrown into the mix). I was left feeling a little confused at the timeline of events and felt very unsatisfied. I will say though that I did feel the writing improved a lot the further I read so if/when Perry writes another book I'll be definitely giving it a go.
The writing is simple and clear. It's easy to read but can get a bit dull at times. The characters I found to be very unusual. One of the first things I noticed was that every single character seemed to have some sort of problem or issue (drugs, cheating, abuse, trauma etc etc). I can see why the author did this as he is a counsellor and he would see these sorts of issues every single day. It just felt a bit odd that every single character not only had something but it was one of the first things we'd learn about them. It made it feel like it was their one defining trait as a person.
A lot of the characters actions didn't feel real and was very cartoonish at times. The two detectives felt like two people playing dress up (for example Con writing up a word doc of suspects using the dnd chart). Them not knowing what was going on also made it very confusing for me to read.
I did get more invested in the book about 150 pages in (when it is revealed that Maddie and the girls planned to go missing) and things started to improve from there. At one point I actually couldn't put the book down because I got so interested and invested. I actually got scared reading a section of it as well.
Unfortunately the ending never really explains things (cliffhanger endings can be done right but this felt like a random curve ball got thrown into the mix). I was left feeling a little confused at the timeline of events and felt very unsatisfied. I will say though that I did feel the writing improved a lot the further I read so if/when Perry writes another book I'll be definitely giving it a go.
bronnyb's review against another edition
5.0
Can not believe this is a debut, it was absolutely wonderful! Creepy, suspenseful, set somewhere I’ve visited once before but was still alien to me. I can not recommend this book enough for lovers of horror and crime. Honestly, I hope this gets made into a TV show.
caramelly's review against another edition
5.0
'The Bluffs', by debut novelist Kyle Perry is an astounding and nail-biting work of fiction.
With a compelling story from the very first page, to a shock conclusion on the very last, 'The Bluffs' will draw you into its realistic landscape and convincing character narrative with ease.
With true-to-life descriptions of Tasmania's beautiful but harsh wilderness, Perry brings you cleverly into his home state and personal experiences through this fictional crime thriller. The characters are realistic, compelling you to condemn your assumed antagonist and cheer for your good guys.
Highly recommend.
With a compelling story from the very first page, to a shock conclusion on the very last, 'The Bluffs' will draw you into its realistic landscape and convincing character narrative with ease.
With true-to-life descriptions of Tasmania's beautiful but harsh wilderness, Perry brings you cleverly into his home state and personal experiences through this fictional crime thriller. The characters are realistic, compelling you to condemn your assumed antagonist and cheer for your good guys.
Highly recommend.
turningpagesmm's review against another edition
5.0
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