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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
Solid mystery, and I enjoyed the story, despite the fact that I kept expecting it to veer to darker places than it ever really did. Fern's dad in this story provides one of those characters who is so epically hateable- the stories of the trauma inflicted on her in the name of research were the most unique and memorable parts of the story. Slow burning, but with an intriguing plot that didn't always go the expected way.
Solid mystery, and I enjoyed the story, despite the fact that I kept expecting it to veer to darker places than it ever really did. Fern's dad in this story provides one of those characters who is so epically hateable- the stories of the trauma inflicted on her in the name of research were the most unique and memorable parts of the story. Slow burning, but with an intriguing plot that didn't always go the expected way.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
This is a classic suspenseful, thriller-lite book. I truly enjoyed it. I think Megan Collins is a solid mystery writer who keeps you guessing. I’m sure there are people who feel they know twists all along, but I think there are enough red herrings, confusion and likely suspects it’s not an easy solve.
** content warnings**
Child abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia
——————————————————————
For me, this puts Megan Collins as an auto buy / auto borrow, and I look forward to going back and reading her debut book.
** content warnings**
Child abuse, emotional abuse, homophobia
——————————————————————
For me, this puts Megan Collins as an auto buy / auto borrow, and I look forward to going back and reading her debut book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping
Minor: Homophobia, Torture
⚠️ Trigger Warning: Psychological abuse; kidnapping; neglect; trauma; anxiety
Watching the news while eating dinner, Fern hears about the disappearance of Astrid Sullivan. A woman who was once kidnapped 20-years earlier only several towns away from her hometown. Something about Astrid is familiar to Fern but she cannot place how she might know her. Reoccurring nightmares of a young girl lead Fern to believe that they are not only nightmares, but memories. She just cannot seem to recall what the memories are from and how she might be connected to Astrid. As Fern returns home, she purchases the memoir that Astrid wrote about her kidnapping. Reading the memoir, more memories are triggered, and Fern begins to put the pieces together, albeit slowly. It seems as though a traumatic childhood event was deeply repressed due to dissociative amnesia. But what was so traumatizing that her body’s defense mechanism was to detach from it entirely? And can Fern regain her memories so she can save Astrid now or will Fern be the next to disappear?
Behind the Red Door had me on the edge of my seat. Tense scenes, psychological abuse, and a twisted family dynamic that depicted an abnormal upbringing. Right away Fern refers to her parents by their first name which is the first indication that her childhood was anything but normal. Add in her father’s fear “experiments” for his research and her parents overall neglect and carelessness, you have yourself an unable home. While the book was predictable, I still found myself enthralled with the story and its suspense. It’s a disturbing version of the classic “whodunnit” with an unreliable narrator and I simply couldn’t put it down. I was anxious right alongside Fern. I have yet to read The Winter Sister but you can bet I will be grabbing myself a copy now that I’m out of the Briarley’s dark and disturbing world.
Thank you @AtriaBooks {#partner} for gifting me with a finished copy of Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins in exchange for an independent and honest review. This book is scheduled to be released next Tuesday, 08/04/2020 so get your preorders in now!
Watching the news while eating dinner, Fern hears about the disappearance of Astrid Sullivan. A woman who was once kidnapped 20-years earlier only several towns away from her hometown. Something about Astrid is familiar to Fern but she cannot place how she might know her. Reoccurring nightmares of a young girl lead Fern to believe that they are not only nightmares, but memories. She just cannot seem to recall what the memories are from and how she might be connected to Astrid. As Fern returns home, she purchases the memoir that Astrid wrote about her kidnapping. Reading the memoir, more memories are triggered, and Fern begins to put the pieces together, albeit slowly. It seems as though a traumatic childhood event was deeply repressed due to dissociative amnesia. But what was so traumatizing that her body’s defense mechanism was to detach from it entirely? And can Fern regain her memories so she can save Astrid now or will Fern be the next to disappear?
Behind the Red Door had me on the edge of my seat. Tense scenes, psychological abuse, and a twisted family dynamic that depicted an abnormal upbringing. Right away Fern refers to her parents by their first name which is the first indication that her childhood was anything but normal. Add in her father’s fear “experiments” for his research and her parents overall neglect and carelessness, you have yourself an unable home. While the book was predictable, I still found myself enthralled with the story and its suspense. It’s a disturbing version of the classic “whodunnit” with an unreliable narrator and I simply couldn’t put it down. I was anxious right alongside Fern. I have yet to read The Winter Sister but you can bet I will be grabbing myself a copy now that I’m out of the Briarley’s dark and disturbing world.
Thank you @AtriaBooks {#partner} for gifting me with a finished copy of Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins in exchange for an independent and honest review. This book is scheduled to be released next Tuesday, 08/04/2020 so get your preorders in now!
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