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evelikesbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
paulakhance's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Meh. Found myself skimming more and more as the story went on, just to finish...
libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
2.0
Tana French books can be rather hit or miss, I've found. The Secret Place was mostly a miss. Taking place in a girl's school, the characters are not nearly so compelling as usual. Unlike in The Likeness, the friendship between the four main teenagers was not at all appealing to me. I'm so over teenage drama, apparently.
I figured out the murderer quite early and enjoyed reading the flashbacks in order to confirm my suspicious. However, there was a bizarre element of fantasy/magic that felt distinctly out of place with French's gritty, modern, and realistic genre. She has flirted with fantasy in her previous books, but for the first time she openly made the connection. I really didn't like it, especially since it jolts the reader out of her carefully constructed world. I did like the two detective characters including the narrator. The writing, as ever, had moments of beauty. All together though, it just wasn't that good.
I figured out the murderer quite early and enjoyed reading the flashbacks in order to confirm my suspicious. However, there was a bizarre element of fantasy/magic that felt distinctly out of place with French's gritty, modern, and realistic genre. She has flirted with fantasy in her previous books, but for the first time she openly made the connection. I really didn't like it, especially since it jolts the reader out of her carefully constructed world. I did like the two detective characters including the narrator. The writing, as ever, had moments of beauty. All together though, it just wasn't that good.
thebellsjar's review against another edition
5.0
"my body my mind the way I dress the way I walk the way I talk, mine all mine."
Watching young girls take back control of their own minds and bodies when they realise they don't owe boys shit. Never saved a note on my kindle so quickly. Also cried like a baby on this one (the girls who get it get it), maybe took the spot of The Likeness as my favourite Tana French.
Watching young girls take back control of their own minds and bodies when they realise they don't owe boys shit. Never saved a note on my kindle so quickly. Also cried like a baby on this one (the girls who get it get it), maybe took the spot of The Likeness as my favourite Tana French.
jaci666's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
4.0
I was thrilled to see that French's newest book features Stephen Moran, who she introduced in Faithful Place, and who I felt was so much more appealing than that book's protagonist, Frank Mackey. Mackey plays a role in this new story, but it's Stephen who takes the lead.
French plays with point-of-view in this book, and it's successful. The story of Chris Harper's murder is approached from the present, with Moran and his "partner" DI Conway, and Moran is narrating first person as he and Conway tread though the lies upon lies told by two packs of teenage boarding school students.
And while Moran and Conway move backwards to retrace what happened and solve Chris's murder, the other side of the narration is moving forward from months before the murder happened. This approach uses a third person point-of-view that dips into each of the minds of the main players in this drama, a quartet of best friends: Holly, Julia, Selena, and Rebecca.
As usual, French's prose is rich and paints a beautiful setting for the characters to navigate. And, as usual, the setting is essential to the conflict. I really enjoyed this story, especially the new narrative style and subject matter French is playing with. The audiobook is terrific as well, using Stephen Hogan to narrate the first person Stephen Moran sections and Lara Hutchinson to narrate the girls' parts.
French plays with point-of-view in this book, and it's successful. The story of Chris Harper's murder is approached from the present, with Moran and his "partner" DI Conway, and Moran is narrating first person as he and Conway tread though the lies upon lies told by two packs of teenage boarding school students.
And while Moran and Conway move backwards to retrace what happened and solve Chris's murder, the other side of the narration is moving forward from months before the murder happened. This approach uses a third person point-of-view that dips into each of the minds of the main players in this drama, a quartet of best friends: Holly, Julia, Selena, and Rebecca.
As usual, French's prose is rich and paints a beautiful setting for the characters to navigate. And, as usual, the setting is essential to the conflict. I really enjoyed this story, especially the new narrative style and subject matter French is playing with. The audiobook is terrific as well, using Stephen Hogan to narrate the first person Stephen Moran sections and Lara Hutchinson to narrate the girls' parts.
klaireparavel's review against another edition
4.0
Holly, Julia, Selena, and Becca. Like In the Woods, this one is going stay with me for a while. Tana French nails the wonder and complexity of teenage girls and their friendships.
"They are forever, a brief and mortal forever, a forever that will grow into their bones and be held inside them after it ends, intact, indestructible."
"They are forever, a brief and mortal forever, a forever that will grow into their bones and be held inside them after it ends, intact, indestructible."
kristinhzta90's review against another edition
4.0
Gripping mystery, that had you guessing until the end. The setting is a posh girls boarding school where the girls are horrible to each other and how the distrust and secrets amongst “friends” leads to a really bad outcome. The supernatural stuff felt out of place and unnecessary, and I found it distracting in this story. On a lighter note, It was great to see Frank Mackey again and his daughter Holly.
alishabuford's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0