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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Nothing of this book hook me, not the plot, not the writing, not the characters, not even the premise (i went in blind). I read it til only 17% but it felt sooo long?? Such a slog. I read some 3-stars reviews and decided to stop, bc even if i continue i think it will only get 3-stars max.
I loved The Golden Spoon and had high hopes for Maxwell’s sophomore effort. Unfortunately, this one felt a little flat for me. To be clear, Maxwell is talented and this was an entertaining read. It just didn’t live up to her debut! Mild spoilers ahead…
Alex is an odd character and we never fully get in her head, due to Maxwell’s desire for a “twist.” This is an effort that is laboriously obvious, to the point that so much work to keep it under wraps just feels overdone. Alex’s assistant is terribly see-through, the panic over Tom is obvious red herring. Especially odd was the decision to give Raymond a completely unnecessary back story that did nothing to advance or inform the plot. The eventual villain reveal was disappointing, since there was not a single breadcrumb that could unveil the motive. Instead of feeling like a twist, however, the reveal is annoying because you had no way to guess it. The character also comes across as completely unhinged, which takes away from the goal of empathizing we’re meant to do. And the final, final villain felt too obvious and too much of a one-note.
Alex is an odd character and we never fully get in her head, due to Maxwell’s desire for a “twist.” This is an effort that is laboriously obvious, to the point that so much work to keep it under wraps just feels overdone. Alex’s assistant is terribly see-through, the panic over Tom is obvious red herring. Especially odd was the decision to give Raymond a completely unnecessary back story that did nothing to advance or inform the plot. The eventual villain reveal was disappointing, since there was not a single breadcrumb that could unveil the motive. Instead of feeling like a twist, however, the reveal is annoying because you had no way to guess it. The character also comes across as completely unhinged, which takes away from the goal of empathizing we’re meant to do. And the final, final villain felt too obvious and too much of a one-note.
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
mysterious
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:
No
An enjoyable and quick read. Not as much as a thriller or as creepy (at least to me) as it was marketed as. I liked how we got the backstory through old letters to Dear Constance sprinkled throughout the book. None of the plot twists really shocked me much at all, most of them I saw coming or at the very least wasn't surprised by them. The ending had a lot going on and then seemed to end a bit abruptly after that.
There were a few grammar errors in the book and a couple sentences that weren't finished correctly that were not caught by the editor. I feel like most people wouldn't notice but those sorts of things stand out to me when reading.
Overall thoughts are if someone asked about it and showed interest I'd say go ahead and read it, but I would not go out of my way to recommend it.
There were a few grammar errors in the book and a couple sentences that weren't finished correctly that were not caught by the editor. I feel like most people wouldn't notice but those sorts of things stand out to me when reading.
Overall thoughts are if someone asked about it and showed interest I'd say go ahead and read it, but I would not go out of my way to recommend it.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No