Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I found this book too slow. It was alright for the most part, though, and I was intrigued. But the ending just ruined it all for me. I did not like it at all.
First of all, I was completely confused who Scott was. I was sure he had at least been mentioned before and I just forgot about him, so I searched his name in the ebook. Nope. He was never mentioned before. I didn't like that.
But my biggest problem was how the whole Harley situation was handled. It's pretty disgusting honestly. He was a 16 year old CHILD being groomed by an adult. Scott lied, pretended to be a teenage girl, and abused Harley. And then they make it seem like Harley wanted it so that's fine??? What the hell? And he drowned his own brother because he didn't want it to come out? It's just so uncomfortable, and not in a good way. It's not interesting, it's not thrilling, it's not surprising. Just awful.
First of all, I was completely confused who Scott was. I was sure he had at least been mentioned before and I just forgot about him, so I searched his name in the ebook. Nope. He was never mentioned before. I didn't like that.
But my biggest problem was how the whole Harley situation was handled. It's pretty disgusting honestly. He was a 16 year old CHILD being groomed by an adult. Scott lied, pretended to be a teenage girl, and abused Harley. And then they make it seem like Harley wanted it so that's fine??? What the hell? And he drowned his own brother because he didn't want it to come out? It's just so uncomfortable, and not in a good way. It's not interesting, it's not thrilling, it's not surprising. Just awful.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three years ago, Zoe’s fourteen year old son Ethan and his best friend Josh were found drowned in a river. It was ruled an unfortunate accident. Now, Zoe and her family have moved away and are trying to move on from the dramatic loss. But then Zoe receives an email. Was Ethan’s death not an accident after all? What really happened that night? And who is behind these messages?
Well, who indeed. I thought I knew and held on to that belief throughout the story, even when at some point my theory failed to make sense even to me. Kathryn Croft has created an immensely dark and twisted story here and if you manage to figure it out, there’s a whole box of cookies waiting for you right here!
Obviously, the truth about what happened to Ethan is what kept me hooked. But more than that, I felt the author did an incredible job bringing these characters and their struggles to life. Zoe, her husband and her remaining son all have very different ways of dealing with the loss of Ethan and the never-ending grief. The changing family dynamics fascinated me and there are a multitude of lies and secrets to discover.
Kathryn Croft manages to combine a few uncomfortable topics into a twisty psychological thriller. Zoe is stunned to find that Josh’s mother Roberta seems quite reluctant to help her in finding out the truth. After all, she lost her son as well. But there is more than meets the eye and as always, the reader soon finds out that you just never know what goes on behind closed doors.
The Warning is a well-paced tale of love, grief, loss and a mother’s desperate search for the truth with realistic and believable characters. I couldn’t at all predict the outcome. Full of suspense, this psychological thriller will keep you gripped from start to finish.
Well, who indeed. I thought I knew and held on to that belief throughout the story, even when at some point my theory failed to make sense even to me. Kathryn Croft has created an immensely dark and twisted story here and if you manage to figure it out, there’s a whole box of cookies waiting for you right here!
Obviously, the truth about what happened to Ethan is what kept me hooked. But more than that, I felt the author did an incredible job bringing these characters and their struggles to life. Zoe, her husband and her remaining son all have very different ways of dealing with the loss of Ethan and the never-ending grief. The changing family dynamics fascinated me and there are a multitude of lies and secrets to discover.
Kathryn Croft manages to combine a few uncomfortable topics into a twisty psychological thriller. Zoe is stunned to find that Josh’s mother Roberta seems quite reluctant to help her in finding out the truth. After all, she lost her son as well. But there is more than meets the eye and as always, the reader soon finds out that you just never know what goes on behind closed doors.
The Warning is a well-paced tale of love, grief, loss and a mother’s desperate search for the truth with realistic and believable characters. I couldn’t at all predict the outcome. Full of suspense, this psychological thriller will keep you gripped from start to finish.
I have enjoyed all of Kathryn Crofts previous books and couldn't wait to get into this one. It certainly did not disappoint. Full of twists and storylines that have you wondering how on earth it is going to all end, this book kept me up late into the night,.
3 years ago Zoe's 14 year old son Ethan and his best mate drowned in the lake near their home in what was ruled a terrible accident. The family have moved away to London to get a fresh start. When Zoe starts receiving anonymous messages that suggest that there was more to his death she started looking into what really happened. Her husband is less than supportive but she is determined to find out the truth.
It is a great, very fast paced story as always with Kathryn Croft. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
3 years ago Zoe's 14 year old son Ethan and his best mate drowned in the lake near their home in what was ruled a terrible accident. The family have moved away to London to get a fresh start. When Zoe starts receiving anonymous messages that suggest that there was more to his death she started looking into what really happened. Her husband is less than supportive but she is determined to find out the truth.
It is a great, very fast paced story as always with Kathryn Croft. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
my favourite kind of book! so many twists and turns that leave the reader doubting their own judgement
Once again, I appear to be in the (very) small minority of people who just didn’t enjoy this book. I’m not going to spend a great deal of time trying to convince you that it’s a “bad” read—it’s not. It just wasn’t a read for ME.
First, the main plot is relatively cut and dry. Zoe and Jake have two sons, Ethan and Harley. The reader learns that three years prior to the start of the story, 14 year old Ethan and a friend, Josh, both drown after sneaking out late at night and making their way to the nearby river. Police ruled their deaths accidental. When the book opens, Zoe and Jake are still trying to find their way out of the darkness of grief that consumes them. Zoe, however, begins getting text messages from an unknown sender—messages that suggest Ethan’s death may not have been an accident. She sets out to discover the tuth, though the cost may be more than she bargained for.
In spite of the promising plot, there are a number of reasons I only gave this one three stars:
1. The structure is actually three-fold, which makes the entire work feel messy and disconnected—a series of chapters told in first person from an anonymous writer (in italics); another series written by Zoe, also in first person; then the remaining chapters, written in third person.
2. Extraneous subplots are, well....extraneous! For example, Cara, who works with Jake, is trying to seduce him. He rebuffs her, at which time she tries to (unsuccessfully) convince Zoe that he raped her. Entire pages are dedicated to detailing Cara’s attempts, yet those pages add nothing to the story itself. Other subplots were, I suppose, meant to be red herrings, but their resolutions just felt contrived.
3. The big reveal is a huge letdown and introduces characters that the reader has no idea even existed. There is NO way to puzzle this one out because the reader is never given all of the relevant details.
The writing itself is solid in construction, though there were numerous punctuation errors. This may be a Kindle issue, but if that’s the case, the electronic version should have been more closely vetted.
Overall, above average writing with an average plot and a substandard conclusion.
First, the main plot is relatively cut and dry. Zoe and Jake have two sons, Ethan and Harley. The reader learns that three years prior to the start of the story, 14 year old Ethan and a friend, Josh, both drown after sneaking out late at night and making their way to the nearby river. Police ruled their deaths accidental. When the book opens, Zoe and Jake are still trying to find their way out of the darkness of grief that consumes them. Zoe, however, begins getting text messages from an unknown sender—messages that suggest Ethan’s death may not have been an accident. She sets out to discover the tuth, though the cost may be more than she bargained for.
In spite of the promising plot, there are a number of reasons I only gave this one three stars:
1. The structure is actually three-fold, which makes the entire work feel messy and disconnected—a series of chapters told in first person from an anonymous writer (in italics); another series written by Zoe, also in first person; then the remaining chapters, written in third person.
2. Extraneous subplots are, well....extraneous! For example, Cara, who works with Jake, is trying to seduce him. He rebuffs her, at which time she tries to (unsuccessfully) convince Zoe that he raped her. Entire pages are dedicated to detailing Cara’s attempts, yet those pages add nothing to the story itself. Other subplots were, I suppose, meant to be red herrings, but their resolutions just felt contrived.
3. The big reveal is a huge letdown and introduces characters that the reader has no idea even existed. There is NO way to puzzle this one out because the reader is never given all of the relevant details.
The writing itself is solid in construction, though there were numerous punctuation errors. This may be a Kindle issue, but if that’s the case, the electronic version should have been more closely vetted.
Overall, above average writing with an average plot and a substandard conclusion.
Honestly, this took me a while to get into. There are a lot of characters and each chapter shifts perspectives so it's hard to keep up at first. It really got going about halfway through and then I was incredibly intrigued by the main mystery. The big twist - finding out who the unnamed narrator is and their connection - was crazy. I didn't see that coming at all and, even though that story line made me super uncomfortable, it was well done.
I think what keep this from getting a higher rating is that there are so many plot lines and so many characters that the really interesting stuff gets muddled down with everything else. The Cara storyline was pointless and infuriating. I thought Mel was going to be a key character but then she just vanishes. It just seemed like the author was trying to fit everything in the story to throw off the reader but it felt like too much.
I think what keep this from getting a higher rating is that there are so many plot lines and so many characters that the really interesting stuff gets muddled down with everything else. The Cara storyline was pointless and infuriating. I thought Mel was going to be a key character but then she just vanishes. It just seemed like the author was trying to fit everything in the story to throw off the reader but it felt like too much.