3.08 AVERAGE

adventurous dark slow-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: Complicated

This book has rich, beautifully developed characters, but it that strength almost teeters into weakness... don’t get me wrong - I love getting a random backstory even about cursory characters but it did delay the pace of the book, which really didn’t pick up until 75% of the way through. Still, I enjoyed it. I’m glad I pushed through the slow parts. It was a little tropey at points but I’m not sure there’s a way to write a murder mystery that’s not at least a little tropey.
The storytelling, tone, and level of detail reminds me a lot of Stephen King, which I consider to be a plus.

I normally can't be bothered to write these reviews; however, this book was ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. I only finished it because I was stubborn.
dark emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

tkm isabel allende, no puedes hacer nada mal pero este libro no es para mi, perdoname
slow-paced

If you read the description the book is about a group of teenagers, led by Amanda Martin trying to solve a spate of murders in the San Francisco area through an internet quorum or game know as Ripper. However it's not. The story is more about Amanda's mother Indiana and her clients and boyfriends and past and the murders are incidental to the story. But they are not. Because Indiana is targeted by the serial killer and only Amanda and her cohorts can solve the crime before she is killed.

Allende is a talented writer but her attempt at a mystery fails big time. There are too many characters and character building chapters for the book to be considered a mystery and the plot plods so slowly you'll find yourself wishing the serial killer would hurry and put everyone out of their misery.

medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

very bad. all the old-fashioned tropes you can think of.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I really wanted to like this book but, DagNABbit, after a while, I just didn't care. I set it aside for a bit and heard no siren call demanding my return. It's a flaw in my character, I know.
adventurous challenging dark funny informative lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Quirky thriller.