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kinghornreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping
bekkabergamot's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
This was a dark but fascinating read. Marissa Mo is in her late twenties and still struggling to survive after a very extreme childhood. Marissa was born in a basement prison to a mother who had been abducted and raped and raised with two other girls, her half-sisters, who were born to two other abducted women. Sadly, her dark past has continued to haunt her leaving part of her always stuck in the basement.
The book alternates between Marissa, who now goes by the name Claire Lu, move to Portland, where a serial killer is leaving personalized clues and hints of the next kill for Claire/Marissa, and a flashback to events in the basement. While this was not a pleasant read per the content matter, I found myself drawn into the story and needing to know who the killer was. Therefore, I did enjoy this engrossing, dark read! I recommend this for fans of dark thrillers and domestic dramas.
A note on other reviews: I think that it’s really important that reviewers check their own bias when reviewing books, especially when they are by BIPOC authors (as is the case here). I saw a one-star review that bemoaned not finding out more about the city of Portland: get a guidebook; the book is set in Portland not about the city! Although, interestingly enough another reviewer said they are from Portland and that the author did get the city right in her description of it. Additionally, they claimed that the girls in the book are not American – this is incorrect. The girls were all born in a basement in America: they are American, but they are not all white. What I think tripped this reviewer up is that one of the girls’ mothers is Asian American, one is Indian American, and the last was white – a truly cringey misreading. It’s really important to pay attention to these details, especially when deducting stars for them. Oh, and the reviewer claimed that “all the characters had unusual names and this I felt didn’t help me imagine Portland or its culture.” The three sisters’ names are: Marissa (who goes by Claire), Jenessa, and Lily. Reviewers, we need to do better!!!!
The book alternates between Marissa, who now goes by the name Claire Lu, move to Portland, where a serial killer is leaving personalized clues and hints of the next kill for Claire/Marissa, and a flashback to events in the basement. While this was not a pleasant read per the content matter, I found myself drawn into the story and needing to know who the killer was. Therefore, I did enjoy this engrossing, dark read! I recommend this for fans of dark thrillers and domestic dramas.
A note on other reviews: I think that it’s really important that reviewers check their own bias when reviewing books, especially when they are by BIPOC authors (as is the case here). I saw a one-star review that bemoaned not finding out more about the city of Portland: get a guidebook; the book is set in Portland not about the city! Although, interestingly enough another reviewer said they are from Portland and that the author did get the city right in her description of it. Additionally, they claimed that the girls in the book are not American – this is incorrect. The girls were all born in a basement in America: they are American, but they are not all white. What I think tripped this reviewer up is that one of the girls’ mothers is Asian American, one is Indian American, and the last was white – a truly cringey misreading. It’s really important to pay attention to these details, especially when deducting stars for them. Oh, and the reviewer claimed that “all the characters had unusual names and this I felt didn’t help me imagine Portland or its culture.” The three sisters’ names are: Marissa (who goes by Claire), Jenessa, and Lily. Reviewers, we need to do better!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Kidnapping, and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
Minor: Pedophilia
noellelovesbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
It’s been a while since I picked up a thriller/mystery, mostly because I didn’t know if I was in the right mental space to be able to handle triggers and the stress that can come with the genre. This thriller has actually been sitting in my Kindle for about a year, I bought it during a sale and then kind of forgot about it. After a few fantasy reads and countless contemporaries, I figure it was time to give a good old thriller book a go.
This book is set mostly in Portland Oregon, where I actually lived for about a year and a half back in 2016-2018, roughly. It was easy to picture the Pearl district and Old Town China Town and though I’m not sure if the locations (coffee shops, bars, etc) the author used are real it was easy to imagine them possibly sitting in all those neighborhoods.
About halfway through the book, I thought for sure I knew who the murderer was, and was already formulating the motivation and history behind the murders…only to find out I was wrong. I was left feeling a little disappointed as I’d already constructed an entire life history on who I thought was the murder just based on the little bit of detail we were given on them.
Overcoming trauma, and the past is just as big a part, if not bigger, than the murder mystery in this story which I really enjoyed. As someone who still hasn’t faced, or overcome, all of my childhood trauma, it seems therapeutic to see others overcome their pasts and look towards a brighter future. I’m currently still in the “gonna keep it all in a box until I feel I can really handle unpacking it all” part of my life. Sometimes we just need to live in the moment and continue pushing forward.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Did I think it was the most thought-provoking, “hand to mouth gasp at the reveal”, story…no but it was a great book to curl up on a cold winter day with. Most thrillers/mysteries lose all their mystery once I finish reading and I usually don’t connect to any of the characters so the idea of a re-read never crosses my mind. In this story, however, I could see myself re-reading. Trying to see if I could pick up anything I missed during the first read as well as pay closer attention to all the different relationships that are shown throughout this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Violence
amandaamanda's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, and Self harm
Moderate: Kidnapping and Sexual assault
Minor: Pedophilia and Incest
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