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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Ooof! I’ll precipice by saying … just brilliant!!
A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this claustrophobic thriller.
Another deep, tough and creepy one from me. I loved this one from the first page. This is the first sentence…
“I’m not going back. Not now, not ever. My right ankle is the size of a fist and I can feel bone shards scraping together, six-year-old shards, as I limp away from the farm cottage towards the distant road.”
This is a dark, atmospheric, sometimes difficult to digest, psychological thriller. I’ve not read Will Dean before, however I look forward to reading more from him.
It’s a heartbreaking and harrowing story of survival. Beautifully written, capturing the voice of the victim with unique clarity and tenderness. A story of a woman’s extraordinary will to survive under unimaginable abuse to protect herself and those she loves.
It’s a fictional story of the horrors and tragically, very real horrendous human trafficking crime. Probably the best atmospheric writing I’ve read in a long time. The claustrophobia and fear were palpable. I was lucky enough to buddy read this with a group of amazing booksta’s and our chat often mentioned it’s suffocating, claustrophobic prose.
This is not your normal psychological thriller, there is so much more to this captivating and heart wrenching book. This one will stay with me for a long while. Please mind the trigger warnings though, as it won’t be for everyone.
TW- physical and emotional abuse, kidnapping, rape, torture.
A woman being held captive is willing to risk everything to save herself, her unborn child, and her captor’s latest victim in this claustrophobic thriller.
Another deep, tough and creepy one from me. I loved this one from the first page. This is the first sentence…
“I’m not going back. Not now, not ever. My right ankle is the size of a fist and I can feel bone shards scraping together, six-year-old shards, as I limp away from the farm cottage towards the distant road.”
This is a dark, atmospheric, sometimes difficult to digest, psychological thriller. I’ve not read Will Dean before, however I look forward to reading more from him.
It’s a heartbreaking and harrowing story of survival. Beautifully written, capturing the voice of the victim with unique clarity and tenderness. A story of a woman’s extraordinary will to survive under unimaginable abuse to protect herself and those she loves.
It’s a fictional story of the horrors and tragically, very real horrendous human trafficking crime. Probably the best atmospheric writing I’ve read in a long time. The claustrophobia and fear were palpable. I was lucky enough to buddy read this with a group of amazing booksta’s and our chat often mentioned it’s suffocating, claustrophobic prose.
This is not your normal psychological thriller, there is so much more to this captivating and heart wrenching book. This one will stay with me for a long while. Please mind the trigger warnings though, as it won’t be for everyone.
TW- physical and emotional abuse, kidnapping, rape, torture.
dark
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a quick but in no way easy read. At under 250 pages I devoured the story but it did turn my stomach at times. So well written, this is absolutely a must read book.
Her husband calls her Jane but it is not her real name. Thanh Dao is a captive in her own home, a farm in an isolated part of the UK. Cameras watch her every move and she is a slave in every way. The promise of a better life for her and her sister turned into a nightmare and she is trapped. She is injured, frail and constantly drugged. But she never gives up.
The main character Thanh Dao, Jane, is such a strong woman. She is determined to survive for the sake of her sister. But when she learns the truth she knows she only has one option.
Thanks to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Her husband calls her Jane but it is not her real name. Thanh Dao is a captive in her own home, a farm in an isolated part of the UK. Cameras watch her every move and she is a slave in every way. The promise of a better life for her and her sister turned into a nightmare and she is trapped. She is injured, frail and constantly drugged. But she never gives up.
The main character Thanh Dao, Jane, is such a strong woman. She is determined to survive for the sake of her sister. But when she learns the truth she knows she only has one option.
Thanks to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read.
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finished reading: November 4th 2020
"There is no handcuff keeping me here, there is no manacle locked around my ankle. And yet I am imprisoned."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton/Atria Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I really enjoyed Will Dean's writing in his Tuva Moodyson series, so I knew I wanted to read this stand-alone as soon as I first heard about it. I mean, have you seen that blurb?! A man keeping an illegal woman trapped in his home, pretending to be his wife... That most definitely sounds like a rock solid premise to build your story around. I had a feeling that I was going to enjoy my time with The Last Thing To Burn, and my instincts turned out to be absolutely right. You will want to clear your schedule for this one, as it will be REALLY hard to stop reading before you reach that final page. Unputdownable indeed!
Like I said, the premise itself is rock solid. While you can argue that nothing much is going on, as it is basically the two main characters inside the same house in the middle of nowhere during most of the story... But its power is in its simplicity. With other distractions stripped away, the sole spotlight is on that house and what happens inside. This gives the story an even bigger impact, and the descriptions of the tired house and its surroundings most definitely set the right tone for the story. An air of desperation, loneliness and a hint of foreboding... You will know things will escalate, and the future seems bleak, but you won't be able to stop reading to see if things will improve against all odds.
The Last Thing To Burn is a character-driven story, and the focus is mainly on Thanh (Jane) and her 'husband'. We see the events unfold through Thanh's eyes as we learn a little about the past, but mainly about what happens in the present. It's a truly terrifying and inhumane situation she finds herself in, something so hopeless that it is hard to imagine how she could ever find a way out of it all... Plot developments and twists will arrive along the way, both showing her strength and moral dilemma as she considers the consequences of her actions if he finds out. The last part of The Last Thing To Burn definitely amps up the suspense and action, and I was literally biting my nails as I kept turning those pages. The ending was more than satisfying!
All in all The Last Thing To Burn is a brilliantly written, atmospheric and suspenseful character-driven thriller and a title to watch out for in 2021. Enjoy thrillers and wonder what to put on your wishlist for next year? You have found your next addition.
3.5⭐ Claustrophobic is the perfect way to sum up this novel. But thriller may be a slight stretch, as only the last fifth of the book had any true thrilling elements. However, Will Dean's writing is phenomenal, especially the way he seamlessly switches between dialogue and the protagonist's inner monologue. He also did a wonderful job with the antagonist, Lenn... I have not despised a character so much in a looong time - I would catch myself easily nodding along to all the brutal ways the protagonist would imagine hurting him. However, I would have loved even a very brief insight into his past and childhood, especially his relationship with his mother.
Overall a super quick, good read. Although it was extremely bleak and disturbing at times, which of course was the author's intention. But a great way to shine light on the horrors of modern slavery and human trafficking.
Overall a super quick, good read. Although it was extremely bleak and disturbing at times, which of course was the author's intention. But a great way to shine light on the horrors of modern slavery and human trafficking.
Wow, wow WOW!! What. A. Book!! I absolutely raced through this - the pace of the plot and the dark, dark, grippingly compelling storyline gave me absolutely no option! After I had finished it I genuinely felt like I’d spent about 10,000 calories from the breathless tension alone.
I can’t recommend this standalone thriller highly enough - look it up, order it and read it - you can thank me later!
I can’t recommend this standalone thriller highly enough - look it up, order it and read it - you can thank me later!
I received an e-ARC of The Last Thing to Burn on NetGalley.
Synopsis: The Last Thing to Burn is about Thanh, a young Vietnamese woman who was manipulated into human trafficking with a promise of a better life. Her sister Kim-Ly is sent to the city to pay off her debt, and Thanh is sent to a farm.
After several years of abuse and rape, Thanh has a baby that she loves more than anything. With a mutilated foot, done years ago by Lenn, and being constantly monitored, Thanh has little hope of escaping.
Until a new woman is being held captive in the small cellar below the house, Thanh has a chance and she will do anything to free all three of them.
Review:
This book is very intense, each page more gripping than the last. Trying to grasp the life Thanh is forced to live everyday is too much to bare. Every time something happened I was asking myself, what would I do?
It’s a very dark story about human trafficking, abuse and rape. Amazingly enough there was always a glimmer of hope that shined through on each page.
It’s being compared to Misery and Room and I can definitely see the comparisons and feel like it’s an accurate statement. Though both of those books don’t channel human trafficking, they both involve some form of abuse, a disturbed captor, being held against there will and a confined living situation. I haven’t read those two books but I have seen the movies so I can’t speak to the books when I say that the difference is, The Last Thing to Burn really captures the feelings and thoughts of Thanh and painted an extremely vivid picture, so much so you really feel like you’re right there with her experiencing it all.
It’s a great psychological thriller, it’s less than 300 pages but it definitely doesn’t feel that way. Nothing is left out, it feels complete.
This is a 4/5 for me
Synopsis: The Last Thing to Burn is about Thanh, a young Vietnamese woman who was manipulated into human trafficking with a promise of a better life. Her sister Kim-Ly is sent to the city to pay off her debt, and Thanh is sent to a farm.
After several years of abuse and rape, Thanh has a baby that she loves more than anything. With a mutilated foot, done years ago by Lenn, and being constantly monitored, Thanh has little hope of escaping.
Until a new woman is being held captive in the small cellar below the house, Thanh has a chance and she will do anything to free all three of them.
Review:
This book is very intense, each page more gripping than the last. Trying to grasp the life Thanh is forced to live everyday is too much to bare. Every time something happened I was asking myself, what would I do?
It’s a very dark story about human trafficking, abuse and rape. Amazingly enough there was always a glimmer of hope that shined through on each page.
It’s being compared to Misery and Room and I can definitely see the comparisons and feel like it’s an accurate statement. Though both of those books don’t channel human trafficking, they both involve some form of abuse, a disturbed captor, being held against there will and a confined living situation. I haven’t read those two books but I have seen the movies so I can’t speak to the books when I say that the difference is, The Last Thing to Burn really captures the feelings and thoughts of Thanh and painted an extremely vivid picture, so much so you really feel like you’re right there with her experiencing it all.
It’s a great psychological thriller, it’s less than 300 pages but it definitely doesn’t feel that way. Nothing is left out, it feels complete.
This is a 4/5 for me