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whitreadslit's review
3.0
This was a read for book club. It had a very interesting concept, but for me the execution was a bit lacking. I was bored for large swaths of the story, and…I kind of figured out who the killer was pretty early
samneedham17's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really excellent book. Touched on a lot of important issues in the Philippines - wealth, poverty, power, corruption, the Catholic Church. Father Jerome and Father Lucero are well-written and admirable characters. I wish the author developed a bit more of their backstories, there’s still some unanswered questions for me (Father Lucero’s limp, Father Saenz’s possible adoption). The chapter about the victims’ mothers was one of the most heart wrenching chapters I’ve ever read. Fast paced read and I see why it’s endured in Philippine literature.
bibliocatts's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
chorvereads's review against another edition
4.0
Mystery and suspense is just better when you read it from a book.
thequeenreads's review against another edition
5.0
It got my 5 stars so what more do I need to say to prove that this was one hell of a good book? Kudos!
After 4 years, 5 stars padin. Review to follow ❤️
After 4 years, 5 stars padin. Review to follow ❤️
mari_epub's review against another edition
4.0
To kickstart my goal of reading more books written by Filipino authors, I finally finished F.H. Batacan's Smaller and Smaller Circles. After stumbling upon the movie adaptation on Netflix, I immediately got a copy and began reading right away without knowing what to expect aside from the movie's short synopsis. I fell into a reading slump in the middle of reading it, mostly because I've been busy with my oathtaking and getting my license, until I managed to flip through the last pages after a little over a month.
All I needed were "priests", "solve murders", and "serial killer" to get me on board with this book. I love how Batacan writes in detail, especially with the laboratory and dump site settings, making the scene alive and easy to visualize. Each character, major and minor, was well-introduced, even including a short background on them. For the most part, I genuinely love her writing style.
However, even if the build up was good, I feel like the second half of it was rushed. Batacan took her time setting everything up for the big reveal but there was this one part where I felt like all the necessary information was just suddenly dumped for the backstory to make sense.
Still, it was a great attempt on tackling social issues and mental health. The dynamics between the Church and the law enforcement was something to look forward to. The reality of how the government and the Church work was well-executed. Being able to relate to the topic and the overall setting makes it much more interesting.
All I needed were "priests", "solve murders", and "serial killer" to get me on board with this book. I love how Batacan writes in detail, especially with the laboratory and dump site settings, making the scene alive and easy to visualize. Each character, major and minor, was well-introduced, even including a short background on them. For the most part, I genuinely love her writing style.
However, even if the build up was good, I feel like the second half of it was rushed. Batacan took her time setting everything up for the big reveal but there was this one part where I felt like all the necessary information was just suddenly dumped for the backstory to make sense.
Still, it was a great attempt on tackling social issues and mental health. The dynamics between the Church and the law enforcement was something to look forward to. The reality of how the government and the Church work was well-executed. Being able to relate to the topic and the overall setting makes it much more interesting.
jwilly19's review
3.0
I was fascinated to read this because I'm half Filipino and this book came with a lot of hype. I've never been to my mother's home country, so I can't just the book on it's accuracy, but the two priest protagonists have a wonderful and fully realized relationship, and I wouldn't mind reading more about their adventures solving crimes. The book also takes swipes at political corruption and corruption within the Catholic church, which is bold for a Filipino author -- so kudos to Batacan for that. In the end, I was a bit disappointed by the mystery at the heart of the book -- wasn't much deeper than an average episode of Law & Order: SVU.
illuminere's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sayitcharlie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Took me quite a while to finish this but after I got past the first couple of chapters, reading it was a breeze. Quite a breeze that I was actually surprised that I already finished it.
As a crime/mystery enthusiast, I loved this, especially being familiar with the places and things mentioned. It doesn’t usually happen. It’s nice to relate to a degree on what you’re reading but seeing poverty through the eyes of Fr Saenz is sad, knowing how real it is even in today’s time. The prose is beautiful and descriptive.
Only thing that I wish was done differently is the choice of words used in some parts. It sometimes feels like some big words were used just for the heck of it and to flex one’s vocabulary.
As a crime/mystery enthusiast, I loved this, especially being familiar with the places and things mentioned. It doesn’t usually happen. It’s nice to relate to a degree on what you’re reading but seeing poverty through the eyes of Fr Saenz is sad, knowing how real it is even in today’s time. The prose is beautiful and descriptive.
Only thing that I wish was done differently is the choice of words used in some parts. It sometimes feels like some big words were used just for the heck of it and to flex one’s vocabulary.