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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
There seems to be a flood of psychological thrillers these days since Gone Girl. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of that book and so, I feel a little ambivalent towards this genre. In saying that, it still hasn’t stop me reading one or two and I thought this was one. Fortunately, it’s not! And fortunately, I have absolutely enjoyed this reading this book –even if my heart was permanently in my mouth from start to end.
The book began with a chilling scene. It’s a scene which grabbed my attention straight away from the contrast of a nice safe homey feeling (with smells of baking!) to the intrusion of sinister strangers. This is all in one (1) sentence. Yes, the very first sentence! My heart began to race and did not stop until right the very end. The tension of the chase and the pace of the tale was maintained exquisitely throughout the telling.
The Killing Lessons was so much more than the book blurb. It wasn’t just about the little girl who survived nor the detective on the trail of these murderers. There were a number of other perspectives which took a little time to get used to but which I fully appreciated later on. It’s almost like hearing a story from everybody’s points of view so you’d get the full picture of what’s happening.
I could not put this book down. It was an electrifying ride reading from the points of view of victims, murderers, and detectives. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to all thriller lovers and I’ve fallen in love with this author too! I think I might even try his fantasy works
Thanks to Hachette Australia via The Reading Room for Uncorrected Proof in exchange of honest review
The book began with a chilling scene. It’s a scene which grabbed my attention straight away from the contrast of a nice safe homey feeling (with smells of baking!) to the intrusion of sinister strangers. This is all in one (1) sentence. Yes, the very first sentence! My heart began to race and did not stop until right the very end. The tension of the chase and the pace of the tale was maintained exquisitely throughout the telling.
The Killing Lessons was so much more than the book blurb. It wasn’t just about the little girl who survived nor the detective on the trail of these murderers. There were a number of other perspectives which took a little time to get used to but which I fully appreciated later on. It’s almost like hearing a story from everybody’s points of view so you’d get the full picture of what’s happening.
I could not put this book down. It was an electrifying ride reading from the points of view of victims, murderers, and detectives. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to all thriller lovers and I’ve fallen in love with this author too! I think I might even try his fantasy works
Thanks to Hachette Australia via The Reading Room for Uncorrected Proof in exchange of honest review
I’ll start by saying this is a low four-star rating. There were a few moments throughout in which I considered giving three stars, yet in the end I had to opt for the four. It is far from the strongest four star rating I have ever given, but I couldn’t bring myself to drop it down to a three star rating as I enjoyed it too much for that.
I’m not one hundred percent sure about how I feel about this one, though. As I said, I enjoyed it too much to give a three star rating but it wasn’t quite a four stars. Mostly, it’s because I did not engage with the story as much as I would have liked to.
I’ll start with the writing style. I’m a lover of individual writing styles, the type that works as an identifier. I can safely say such is the case with this author. They have a writing style that is very much their own. However, I’m not one hundred percent sure about how I felt towards the particular style. It’s not bad; it simply wasn’t something I would go out of my way to read more of. Partly, I believe, this is due to the same words being used over and over again. Not just any words, though. It was as though the author occasionally used a thesaurus and realised they had a new favourite word. It reminded me far too much of the ‘word of the day’ and how people will go out of their way to use it far too many times in sentences.
The story itself, however, was really interesting. I was gripped to see where things would go, enjoying the way we followed many aspects of the story. I do feel, though, that Nell’s aspect of the story was a bit of a let down. I had expected more of a struggle for survival. When it became obvious that Nell wouldn’t be getting the attention the blurb had me believing she would, it became clear how the ending would play out. We knew she played a vital part, and with the way things were working, we knew it was only a matter of time before certain aspects came to be. I would have liked more from this aspect of the story, but other than that I did enjoy the way we followed many different characters.
Despite this, I couldn’t bring myself to connect with any of the characters. None of the stories really stood out for me. Mostly, their individual backstories and side stories bored me. There wasn’t anything overly original. The cops were clichés. The criminals were clichés. The reasoning for actions were clichéd. I’ve seen them before, and I’ll probably see them again.
Even though I did enjoy it, I’m not sure whether I will continue on with more stories following these characters. I guess we’ll find out when we have conformation as to whether or not the talk of a series is true. Perhaps I will pick up the next book, but I cannot say for sure.
Overall, a decent enough read.
I’m not one hundred percent sure about how I feel about this one, though. As I said, I enjoyed it too much to give a three star rating but it wasn’t quite a four stars. Mostly, it’s because I did not engage with the story as much as I would have liked to.
I’ll start with the writing style. I’m a lover of individual writing styles, the type that works as an identifier. I can safely say such is the case with this author. They have a writing style that is very much their own. However, I’m not one hundred percent sure about how I felt towards the particular style. It’s not bad; it simply wasn’t something I would go out of my way to read more of. Partly, I believe, this is due to the same words being used over and over again. Not just any words, though. It was as though the author occasionally used a thesaurus and realised they had a new favourite word. It reminded me far too much of the ‘word of the day’ and how people will go out of their way to use it far too many times in sentences.
The story itself, however, was really interesting. I was gripped to see where things would go, enjoying the way we followed many aspects of the story. I do feel, though, that Nell’s aspect of the story was a bit of a let down. I had expected more of a struggle for survival. When it became obvious that Nell wouldn’t be getting the attention the blurb had me believing she would, it became clear how the ending would play out. We knew she played a vital part, and with the way things were working, we knew it was only a matter of time before certain aspects came to be. I would have liked more from this aspect of the story, but other than that I did enjoy the way we followed many different characters.
Despite this, I couldn’t bring myself to connect with any of the characters. None of the stories really stood out for me. Mostly, their individual backstories and side stories bored me. There wasn’t anything overly original. The cops were clichés. The criminals were clichés. The reasoning for actions were clichéd. I’ve seen them before, and I’ll probably see them again.
Even though I did enjoy it, I’m not sure whether I will continue on with more stories following these characters. I guess we’ll find out when we have conformation as to whether or not the talk of a series is true. Perhaps I will pick up the next book, but I cannot say for sure.
Overall, a decent enough read.
This book was so good. It’s thrilling, creepy, and exciting the entire time. I’ve never read anything else like it. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen next, the entire plot twists, or a new character comes in. I definitely recommend this book!!
The Killing Lessons was one of those books that you so desperately wanted to put down but couldn't. A book so gory and disturbing that just as you convince yourself to close it- to take a break- a little part of you knows you can't.
This book is well written and while there is a lot going on, it's very simple to understand. Though with each passing chapter, you're in a different characters part of the story, there's always a through line which makes the piece of the timeline you've been dropped in comprehensible. Pretty much every character other than Nell is unlikeable at some point but you still want them all to live and to be ok.
In short, this book was compelling and well-written, but don't read it if you have a weak stomach or a low tolerance for disturbing circumstances.
This book is well written and while there is a lot going on, it's very simple to understand. Though with each passing chapter, you're in a different characters part of the story, there's always a through line which makes the piece of the timeline you've been dropped in comprehensible. Pretty much every character other than Nell is unlikeable at some point but you still want them all to live and to be ok.
In short, this book was compelling and well-written, but don't read it if you have a weak stomach or a low tolerance for disturbing circumstances.
This book was downright scary. And I don't typically find books scary. But then again, serial killers are my biggest fear. So makes sense. But I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was terrifying, gruesome, and entertaining. I don't usually like books that are heavy on police investigations, but the detective in this book is done a bit differently. She has an enemy who is trying to get her fired, and pretty much has to solve this case totally alone. There are three main points of view we read from, and they are all gripping and I just couldn't put it down.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Graphic, explicit, riddled with profanity, definitely not something I would ever let my kids read until they were in college and able to make their own decisions. However, I did think it was an interesting story overall and the author did a good job with creating a believable serial killer (in terms of his backstory and his inner thoughts) and he also did a good job with managing the different perspectives he wrote from I thought, and that's rarer than you'd think.
Eh... more like 3.5. It was pretty slow overall and had wayyyy too much exposition in my opinion. The twists and turns near the end had me on the edge of my seat though. Worth the read if you have the patience!
Full of bad language and gruesome storyline, but what one can expect from a book that reminds you of silence of the lambs.