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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is great for folks who are getting into mystery/sci-fi’s that involve secret government operations. There’s a ton of action, paranormal-type occurrences, and two great MCs that have a lovely dynamic.
As someone with Big Time Daddy Issues, Hector and Natalie’s bond was especially touching. Their personalities worked well and it was great to see their unexpected journey play out. I think overall, the beginning/middle of the story was pretty good, but the end lost me a bit.
I could have done with less vomit descriptions too, but understand it was central to the plot. Still though….. ew.
I give this a solid 3.5 stars.
This book is great for folks who are getting into mystery/sci-fi’s that involve secret government operations. There’s a ton of action, paranormal-type occurrences, and two great MCs that have a lovely dynamic.
As someone with Big Time Daddy Issues, Hector and Natalie’s bond was especially touching. Their personalities worked well and it was great to see their unexpected journey play out. I think overall, the beginning/middle of the story was pretty good, but the end lost me a bit.
I could have done with less vomit descriptions too, but understand it was central to the plot. Still though….. ew.
I give this a solid 3.5 stars.
This was really good! Sort of too close to Stranger Things/Eleven, but veered far enough away from that to be really fun - plus it kept me wanting more. It DID make me wonder if it could be in the Threshold universe (with The Fold and 14), but there just weren't the details to quite tease it in to place. Bummer - that could've been more fun!
I could easily see this being a movie.
Oh but there were parts that got repetitive to the point where they needed some editing - especially the amount of damage the main guy can take, and still have really feel mostly like "white hot needles". The needles-reference got tiring after too much usage over and over (and over).
But really - it was really good!
I could easily see this being a movie.
Oh but there were parts that got repetitive to the point where they needed some editing - especially the amount of damage the main guy can take, and still have really feel mostly like "white hot needles". The needles-reference got tiring after too much usage over and over (and over).
But really - it was really good!
Saw some describe this book as "stranger things meet...". Surprisingly enough not many described it as "Firestarter meets..." (book where a small child and her dad are chased by "The Shop", a secret lab experimenting on people, for the government). Stephen king even revisited the idea in "the Institute" (which has a cover that looks a lot like the broken room's). I still remember when stranger things came up and was said to be "Firestarter meets the goonies".
I mean, I get it. Nazi experiments, CIA experiments on people, MK-ULTRA, project Artichoke, Project chatter, etc. Gave us a lot of fiction. Just like the "Red Scare" and the cold war gave birth to a whole lot of books and fiction about aliens, parasites and body snatchers coming to take over (they are among us!).
Fiction about secret projects experimenting on people, have been coming up constantly for a long long time. Those, along with all the "secret agent" type fiction, pretty much made a shared fictional world. A common language where you can settle in pretty easily, and wont really need much explaining done at all... which usually makes me need some sort of uniqueness; something that's special enough to stand out from all the other plethora of similar books... And this one just doesn't. It's fun, but that's it. Characters are a little flat, story a bit simple and even though the ending has a Clines kinda twist, I felt it just wasn't enough.
Don't get me wrong, this was fun ride and had some good moments. Just doesn't stand out in the crowded MK-ULTRAish fiction bundle.
I mean, I get it. Nazi experiments, CIA experiments on people, MK-ULTRA, project Artichoke, Project chatter, etc. Gave us a lot of fiction. Just like the "Red Scare" and the cold war gave birth to a whole lot of books and fiction about aliens, parasites and body snatchers coming to take over (they are among us!).
Fiction about secret projects experimenting on people, have been coming up constantly for a long long time. Those, along with all the "secret agent" type fiction, pretty much made a shared fictional world. A common language where you can settle in pretty easily, and wont really need much explaining done at all... which usually makes me need some sort of uniqueness; something that's special enough to stand out from all the other plethora of similar books... And this one just doesn't. It's fun, but that's it. Characters are a little flat, story a bit simple and even though the ending has a Clines kinda twist, I felt it just wasn't enough.
Don't get me wrong, this was fun ride and had some good moments. Just doesn't stand out in the crowded MK-ULTRAish fiction bundle.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
No
medium-paced
I love Clines -- I find his writing clear and accessible and his stories move like freight trains. This story (like The Professional or Logan or even Hawkeye) is the story of a jaded older hit man and the young female apprentice he plays parent figure to. The young girl is named Natalie (hi, Professional) and has secrets and abilities of her own (hi, Logan). But this is a fun, action-packed story all of its own.
My only gripe with this story is that there's so much action, detailed lovingly shot by shot, that I sometimes got tired reading: what in this scene is important? Do I have to know what happened to each car in this pile-up?
My only gripe with this story is that there's so much action, detailed lovingly shot by shot, that I sometimes got tired reading: what in this scene is important? Do I have to know what happened to each car in this pile-up?
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you NetGalley for sending an ARC for an unbias review.
The Broken Room was not what I expected, in a good way, from Peter Clines. I'm a huge fan of his "Ex-Heroes" series, so this was the first standalone of his I've been exposed to. All in all, if you are looking for a mash-up of Jason Bourne, Black Mirror and the Twilight zone, this is your pick. Some of the horror elements got a little graphic for my taste, maybe a little too gratuitous in some cases, but all in all this was an exciting read that you keep reading to find out "how" and "why".
The Broken Room was not what I expected, in a good way, from Peter Clines. I'm a huge fan of his "Ex-Heroes" series, so this was the first standalone of his I've been exposed to. All in all, if you are looking for a mash-up of Jason Bourne, Black Mirror and the Twilight zone, this is your pick. Some of the horror elements got a little graphic for my taste, maybe a little too gratuitous in some cases, but all in all this was an exciting read that you keep reading to find out "how" and "why".
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced