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mehitabels's review against another edition
3.0
Walters has always impressed me with her deeply psychological development of characters. Often flawed and damaged, they still come across as real and devastatingly relatable. And then there are the mysteries, which are horrifying and penetrate into the subconscious in ways I cannot define.
This is a quick read, brief and sad and vindictive. I was drawn in and then torn between cheering the protagonist and desperately wanting to run away from the situation. Well done, Walters, for filling me with dread and the need to read something precious, like [a:Joe Hill|88506|Joe Hill|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393602032p2/88506.jpg] or [a:Jason Blum|9843808|Jason Blum|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].
This is a quick read, brief and sad and vindictive. I was drawn in and then torn between cheering the protagonist and desperately wanting to run away from the situation. Well done, Walters, for filling me with dread and the need to read something precious, like [a:Joe Hill|88506|Joe Hill|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393602032p2/88506.jpg] or [a:Jason Blum|9843808|Jason Blum|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].
amn028's review against another edition
3.0
This is a short, quick read. The book is well developed and written, drawing me in almost immediately. The characters seem a little one dimensional at first, but as the twists in the plot come, they become fleshed out. There are plenty of twists and turns, and it is dark and disturbing. About halfway through, it's hard to determine if you want the police to figure out it out, or if you're cheering for things to continue as they are.
michellejaclyn's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely not a bad book, and had some really different and odd elements you don't normally see in most thrillers.
Lacked suspense or grit.
Lacked suspense or grit.
rmmcdowell's review against another edition
3.0
Creepy. Disturbing. Horrifying. Sadistic. And quite a bit good. If this is any indication of the psychological thriller Minette Walters writes, I want to check out the rest.
penguinslovebooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
I went into this book with super high hopes based on the cover synopsis but was a little disappointed. I did enjoy that it was a quick read but it became very predictable after the first “twist” and the police involvement was unbelievable. (Did they really not notice anything weird about the cellar at all?) The ending also left me wanting more as I feel like it didn’t truly wrap up the story along with the pointless letter at the end.
The writing style was not very good in that the author never used any kind of quotation marks so I had to reread sections a couple times just to understand who was saying what.
One thing I will say I loved is how it’s told completely from the viewpoint of Muna, the main character, and in such a way that you can never truly tell if she’s really clever or if her experiences have just twisted her to the point of insanity. Maybe a little bit of both?
I did give it 3 stars because it captured my attention just enough to make me read it all the way to the end just to see what happens.
The writing style was not very good in that the author never used any kind of quotation marks so I had to reread sections a couple times just to understand who was saying what.
One thing I will say I loved is how it’s told completely from the viewpoint of Muna, the main character, and in such a way that you can never truly tell if she’s really clever or if her experiences have just twisted her to the point of insanity. Maybe a little bit of both?
I did give it 3 stars because it captured my attention just enough to make me read it all the way to the end just to see what happens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, and Murder
lilyy36's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cecilie_flohr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
It was like a revenge fantasy.
Watching Muna slowly get agency, and use it was nice. Muna's relationship with the world slowly changed and that was interesting to see.
It deals with some harsh topics, like rape, and is not for the faint of heart, furthermore, the way that both black and disabled people are portrayed is bad.
Watching Muna slowly get agency, and use it was nice. Muna's relationship with the world slowly changed and that was interesting to see.
It deals with some harsh topics, like rape, and is not for the faint of heart, furthermore, the way that both black and disabled people are portrayed is bad.
blkoller_author's review against another edition
3.0
This wasn’t present to read. I mean this in the sense that the main characters situation was dreadful. She was abused both sexually and mentally.
It wasn’t poorly written, and the ending was satisfying enough.
I wouldn’t reread it, but it was okay.
It wasn’t poorly written, and the ending was satisfying enough.
I wouldn’t reread it, but it was okay.