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clairejacobson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
fikavibes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
alukemartin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
callanmh's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ketyrrell's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sauvageloup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I won't put a star rating as i don't really want to make J.K.'s book look good. But a compelling if somewhat slow read.
pros:
- the cult setting was extremely well done, very frightening and sinister and the traumatic effect on Robin and the others was obvious in their reactions. It definitely made you think about the horrors of cults.
- sadly J.K. is a talented writer and the pacing and characters are very good, with the complicated plot coming together and the characters growing throughout, to a degree.
cons
- the plot did feel too complicated towards the end as I struggled to keep straight who certain people were, including Graves and Abigail and some others. Would probably reward a reread.
- Strike was a bit annoying in this book, as he seemed naive/careless about the torment Robin went through (which though well addressed as it was happening and immediately after, seemed to be forgotten as the plot came together at the end), his jealousy towards Murphy is tiring, and his lack of action towards Robin gets frustrating.
- J.K. is clearly also making a point about how the law hesitates to go against people for PC reasons and overly tip toeing around sensitive issues, like religious freedom and people living differently. Strike snidely says 'live and let live' to criticise the cult. I think she is doing a subtle dig here towards trans people and their rights.
but overall another compelling Robin and Strike novel, probably the one that gripped me most so far with the scary cult plot.
pros:
- the cult setting was extremely well done, very frightening and sinister and the traumatic effect on Robin and the others was obvious in their reactions. It definitely made you think about the horrors of cults.
- sadly J.K. is a talented writer and the pacing and characters are very good, with the complicated plot coming together and the characters growing throughout, to a degree.
cons
- the plot did feel too complicated towards the end as I struggled to keep straight who certain people were, including Graves and Abigail and some others. Would probably reward a reread.
- Strike was a bit annoying in this book, as he seemed naive/careless about the torment Robin went through (which though well addressed as it was happening and immediately after, seemed to be forgotten as the plot came together at the end), his jealousy towards Murphy is tiring, and his lack of action towards Robin gets frustrating.
- J.K. is clearly also making a point about how the law hesitates to go against people for PC reasons and overly tip toeing around sensitive issues, like religious freedom and people living differently. Strike snidely says 'live and let live' to criticise the cult. I think she is doing a subtle dig here towards trans people and their rights.
but overall another compelling Robin and Strike novel, probably the one that gripped me most so far with the scary cult plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Stalking, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Abortion, Body horror, Medical content, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, and Alcohol
All the content warnings here, very dark.davercade's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
peh1993's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
julesenglish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.5
The build up was great. I honestly didn't mind the page length because there were so many interesting threads and questions to be answered. That being said, the actually answers were a bit lackluster. I think the main death to be solved, while there were others, was Kevin, who was shot in his apartment. His laptop was stolen as he was working on a book about the cult he was a part of through most of his childhood. The answer to that was "ok, I guess". I didn't really care and it really didn't make that much sense. Although, I think that is consistent with the series. The last book I also felt that the "murderer" didn't have that much of a motive.
I will say that the tension and sense of danger that the book creates is excellent. Especially when Robin is at the farm where the cult lives, I had a sense that I needed to read faster like you would fast forward a horror movie.
The characters are always interesting and I enjoy the repeating relationships in the books. Strike's sister, Elsa, Midge, Barclay, Pat and others feel like real whole people who influence our two main detectives' lives. What I do not enjoy, because I am not a teenager, is a drawn out "will they won't they" between Strike and Robin. I don't care, but it gets brought up constantly. The length of 7 books is too long for that nonsense.
I will say that the tension and sense of danger that the book creates is excellent. Especially when Robin is at the farm where the cult lives, I had a sense that I needed to read faster like you would fast forward a horror movie.
The characters are always interesting and I enjoy the repeating relationships in the books. Strike's sister, Elsa, Midge, Barclay, Pat and others feel like real whole people who influence our two main detectives' lives. What I do not enjoy, because I am not a teenager, is a drawn out "will they won't they" between Strike and Robin. I don't care, but it gets brought up constantly. The length of 7 books is too long for that nonsense.