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emilia97's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. Felt like I was watching a movie while reading it. Author did a magnificent job on writing out the plot.
lindseylu's review against another edition
2.0
Please note that this genre is not the genre I typically read. I am a fantasy/fantasy romance reader. I read this book and annotated it as a gift for a loved one who loves this author.
Overall I did enjoy the story. It was suspenseful and the interconnecting stories told from multiple POVs had me turning pages to figure out what was happening. The book had my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through.
My only real issues with the book:
1. The pacing was great up until the last 30-something pages. You have all this buildup and relationships that develop through the book to just abruptly end. It felt abrupt at least. It would have been nice to have one more chapter from the children’s perspective of what happened. Even if it was in a time jump to the future.
2. Whenever a female character is introduced, she is described as either very attractive/beautiful or overweight/her weight is mentioned. Doesn’t matter if they are a main or side character. A woman appears and it’s either blatantly “she’s overweight/heavyset”/ “her clothes strained at their buttons” or “She was so attractive/the most attractive woman in town.” I don’t recall this being the case for the men in the book-unless it was important to their character/story (I.e. Tom being a body builder/taking steroids.)
There are so many creative ways to describe and paint pictures of characters. Weight and beauty are not synonymous. I will acknowledge that I am writing this in 2023 and the book was published in 2007, so that may be part of it.
Overall I did enjoy the story. It was suspenseful and the interconnecting stories told from multiple POVs had me turning pages to figure out what was happening. The book had my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through.
My only real issues with the book:
1. The pacing was great up until the last 30-something pages. You have all this buildup and relationships that develop through the book to just abruptly end. It felt abrupt at least. It would have been nice to have one more chapter from the children’s perspective of what happened. Even if it was in a time jump to the future.
2. Whenever a female character is introduced, she is described as either very attractive/beautiful or overweight/her weight is mentioned. Doesn’t matter if they are a main or side character. A woman appears and it’s either blatantly “she’s overweight/heavyset”/ “her clothes strained at their buttons” or “She was so attractive/the most attractive woman in town.” I don’t recall this being the case for the men in the book-unless it was important to their character/story (I.e. Tom being a body builder/taking steroids.)
There are so many creative ways to describe and paint pictures of characters. Weight and beauty are not synonymous. I will acknowledge that I am writing this in 2023 and the book was published in 2007, so that may be part of it.
greaydean's review against another edition
4.0
Very fun ride. Enough complexity and nothing wasted. Good descriptions, enough action, and a minor mystery.
debwendler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bmpicc's review against another edition
3.0
Not really an author for me, but I can see the appeal. The story moved along quickly thanks to the dialogue. My personal issue: There was a severe lack of character development and I honestly didn't care about any of them.
littletaiko's review against another edition
3.0
Blue Heaven is a departure from C. J. Box's Joe Pickett series. This was a solid thriller but not as enjoyable for me as the series books. Twelve year old Annie and 10 year old William have witnessed a brutal murder and are soon on the run from the bad guys. Several stories are woven together in the race to find the missing children. My main quibble is that with the exception of a couple of characters (Hearne - the banker and possibly the sheriff), the characters felt a bit like caricatures of what they were supposed to be.
emenendez1's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite mystery books. This book is the reason why I started reading C.J. Box. Great book.
emckeon1002's review against another edition
4.0
As far as crime writers go, CJ Box has got the goods. What I particularly like is the way he takes a sociological or community issue, and uses it to create a unique angle on crime. Here, it's the transition of a remote Idaho community when a number of ex-LA cops retire to the country. I lost some more sleep when I got to the critical final sixty pages and could not rest until it was finished.
jake_w_ma's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5