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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Behind the Red Door: a solid four-star book
From the growth of the main character to the secrets that unfold, I enjoyed this mystery-thriller. We fall deep into the main character, Fern’s, thoughts, and I enjoyed unraveling the past right alongside her.
From the growth of the main character to the secrets that unfold, I enjoyed this mystery-thriller. We fall deep into the main character, Fern’s, thoughts, and I enjoyed unraveling the past right alongside her.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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Swapping Horror Stories -- August Wrap Up || 10 books
Swapping Horror Stories -- August Wrap Up || 10 books
the way fern's anxiety is handled is so well done and infectious, where I was constantly anxious every time we turned a corner or uncovered a new suspect.
how the story is unveiled was incredibly addicting to read, bc I would have one suspect, but then another piece of evidence would be revealed or a new memory would resurface and I'd suddenly hop on to the next suspect. This happened time and time again until the killer was finally revealed, and although I guessed who it was from early on, I wasn't angry, bc it was handled in such a fascinating way!
this really pushed into a psychological thriller where you have to figure out whether you can trust fern's brain and her memories or if she may be leading you astray. It did have an unreliable narrator in that sense, which I ended up really loving.
there was an additional surprise twist at the end which I felt pretty ambivalent about. Part of me was surprised, but part of me wasn't.
finally, the ending itself left me a little unsatisfied. It's sort of ambiguous as to what the next steps will be for the protagonist in terms of the mystery, and I wasn't as big a fan of that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Collins does a wonderful job at creating tension.
Her (beliveably!) traumatised and neurotic main character's narration -frantic, intersped with intrusive thoughts- pulls the reader in the uncomfortable twilight zone of lost memory.
The subject matter is quintessentially chilling: what is fear? What do we remember?
However, I guessed the culprit very early on. I do not mind guessing towards the end, but in the first third is a bit too early. It shifted the suspense from "who did it?" to "when the hell will Fern realize it was X all along?" The novel's pace held up but it did spoil the end a bit. I didn't feel particularly satisfied by the ending - but it wasn't bad either.
All in all a solid psych thriller.
Her (beliveably!) traumatised and neurotic main character's narration -frantic, intersped with intrusive thoughts- pulls the reader in the uncomfortable twilight zone of lost memory.
The subject matter is quintessentially chilling: what is fear? What do we remember?
However, I guessed the culprit very early on. I do not mind guessing towards the end, but in the first third is a bit too early. It shifted the suspense from "who did it?" to "when the hell will Fern realize it was X all along?" The novel's pace held up but it did spoil the end a bit.
Spoiler
Astrid having been safe and sound all along was a bold choice. It fit with the rest of the story, did not rely on contrived coincidence proving that Collins' idea was well constructed.All in all a solid psych thriller.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher.
let me start this review by saying i dont dabble in thrillers very often. i like the idea of them and the content, but im always very nervous to pick them up because i find that all the crime shows ive watched make it super easy to solve the case, so to speak.
i knew the plot twist from the beginning, but that does not mean it wasnt good. it was an amazing book, very well laid out and written. Fern trying to solve this case is exactly what needed to happen to convey this story.
the representation of anxiety in this story is also very important, becauss it stems from so much trauma and its so important to show that that is indeed a real feeling.
overall, i liked it. it made me uncomfy, which is the entire point. i would recommend this to people and i hope y'all will pick it up when its released in August!
let me start this review by saying i dont dabble in thrillers very often. i like the idea of them and the content, but im always very nervous to pick them up because i find that all the crime shows ive watched make it super easy to solve the case, so to speak.
i knew the plot twist from the beginning, but that does not mean it wasnt good. it was an amazing book, very well laid out and written. Fern trying to solve this case is exactly what needed to happen to convey this story.
the representation of anxiety in this story is also very important, becauss it stems from so much trauma and its so important to show that that is indeed a real feeling.
overall, i liked it. it made me uncomfy, which is the entire point. i would recommend this to people and i hope y'all will pick it up when its released in August!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse
I don't do very many book reviews so bare with me.
While this book was well written and a compulsive read, I found it completely predictable. I didn't find it creepy or anything like that. I found the characters lacking in depth ultimately leading to a very predictable and anti-climatic ending
While this book was well written and a compulsive read, I found it completely predictable. I didn't find it creepy or anything like that. I found the characters lacking in depth ultimately leading to a very predictable and anti-climatic ending