You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
4.5 stars rounded up. I didn't get an arc and I don't know the author. I just like military thrillers that are not mainstream.
So here's the thing. There are notes from the author at the beginning of the book and they are cautionary. You get an absolute sense of what you're in for. So if you don't like the politics of the book or the idea in general of revenge, this isn't for you.
I knew this going in and still was shocked by some of the stuff. That said, I couldn't quit listening. It wasn't just that Ray Porter is amazing in virtually every audiobook he does. It was that this is a story of extremes. Lt. Com. James Reece is faced with the utter destruction of his life. Everything he cares about is taken away without a thought. And viciously. So boy oh boy does he retaliate.
There were times I thought reality got set aside - he couldn't be the only exceptionally capable SEAL in the world, could he? And talk about loyal friends! The bad guys were kind of blustery and over the top - but everything was over the top with this story. It's meant to be that way, to elicit strong feelings from the reader. I knew this going in so I wasn't surprised that all that loss was met with a lot of horrific blood and guts.
The story is without mercy. I think it's meant to reflect what war really is. At the end, my heart broke all over again for this guy because of both the losses he suffered and the damage that revenge does to a person. He becomes the thing he hates out of what he feels is necessity. The one thing that kept coming back to me was "those who live by the sword die by the sword." At one point the author describes Reece in terms of what he does for a living and why, what he's good at, and what he likes and doesn't like about that. You can dissect it all you want, but that's not the point - this isn't a story about taking the moral high ground or what's right and wrong and how that should affect Reece's actions. Carr just tells the story of a man who's broken and because of who and what he is, breaks others for vengeance.
This reached to the borders of entertainment for me and at times teetered on the edge of things just being so bad that it's too much. But if you are a fan of military thrillers and you understand that American politics are just a stage here, you'll love the story and the main character. If you don't like an author's obvious political leanings, then this probably isn't for you. I just set all that aside in favor of great entertainment.
And I really, really liked Liz Riley. I think she was the highlight for me.
So here's the thing. There are notes from the author at the beginning of the book and they are cautionary. You get an absolute sense of what you're in for. So if you don't like the politics of the book or the idea in general of revenge, this isn't for you.
I knew this going in and still was shocked by some of the stuff. That said, I couldn't quit listening. It wasn't just that Ray Porter is amazing in virtually every audiobook he does. It was that this is a story of extremes. Lt. Com. James Reece is faced with the utter destruction of his life. Everything he cares about is taken away without a thought. And viciously. So boy oh boy does he retaliate.
There were times I thought reality got set aside - he couldn't be the only exceptionally capable SEAL in the world, could he? And talk about loyal friends! The bad guys were kind of blustery and over the top - but everything was over the top with this story. It's meant to be that way, to elicit strong feelings from the reader. I knew this going in so I wasn't surprised that all that loss was met with a lot of horrific blood and guts.
The story is without mercy. I think it's meant to reflect what war really is. At the end, my heart broke all over again for this guy because of both the losses he suffered and the damage that revenge does to a person. He becomes the thing he hates out of what he feels is necessity. The one thing that kept coming back to me was "those who live by the sword die by the sword." At one point the author describes Reece in terms of what he does for a living and why, what he's good at, and what he likes and doesn't like about that. You can dissect it all you want, but that's not the point - this isn't a story about taking the moral high ground or what's right and wrong and how that should affect Reece's actions. Carr just tells the story of a man who's broken and because of who and what he is, breaks others for vengeance.
This reached to the borders of entertainment for me and at times teetered on the edge of things just being so bad that it's too much. But if you are a fan of military thrillers and you understand that American politics are just a stage here, you'll love the story and the main character. If you don't like an author's obvious political leanings, then this probably isn't for you. I just set all that aside in favor of great entertainment.
And I really, really liked Liz Riley. I think she was the highlight for me.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
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:
Yes
It was a fine book. Very heavy on the military/SEAL knowledge but the plot seemed forced it so many ways with the introduction of friends to fix any situation.
I really loved how this was written by a former Navy SEAL of 20 years, it added a layer of authenticity and grittiness to the story. It was a bit of a slow start, but once it picked up I couldn’t put the book down!
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated