Scan barcode
defaultnamespace's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rayvn1004's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
attsmanola's review
3.0
This took me awhile to get through. I just don’t think I’ve been in the mood for serial killers
carolyn0613's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't finish this book. I read about a fifth of it but I really don't like books about pure evil and that was the main theme of the book. I just didn't want to get into the story. It was well written and very evocative of eastern Europe at the turn of the 20th century.
breeperscreepers's review
I should've loved this, it's got all of the right ingredients for a dark tale involving a serial killer inspired by Jack the Ripper, an asylum for heinous criminals housed within a medieval castle, and POV's from a detective and psychiatrist. However the writing was not at all to my taste - everything was so surface level, lots of meaningless mumbo-jumbo from the psychiatrist and the detective focused mostly on his inner ruminations, not enough on the crime scenes or police procedures. Every woman is either ugly or nondescript, or flawlessly dark and beautiful, and both men are instantly besotted with the first female they encounter within the story. The plot and dialogue do not feel realistic and everything happens too coincidentally. And lastly, the Devil's Six - the crimes they committed are simply not worthy of being considered the worst criminals in Europe, getting an entire maximum security asylum dedicated to these six individuals is laughable.
doughnutsrgud4's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's slow to start but the ending is worth it
ohwhatagloomyshow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
mayahuelita's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Love this book! A mix of all my favorite things: murder, mystery, psychology, and religious imagery!
lhart2222's review against another edition
1.0
1/5 DNF I told myself I would never stop reading a book, just in case it gets good, well I couldn’t force myself through it.
I was buzzed when I saw this book, read the description, and thought it sounded great similar to that of Silence of the Lambs. However, this was perhaps the most boring 176 pages of my life. Honestly so slow, I felt I could have read 5 other books in the time it took me to get here.
Every single minute detail is described to the absolute max, it was jarring after the first chapter. I’ve read more unnecessary words in this book than I thought possible. Not only is it so hard to read because of the over descriptions but it repeats these multiple times. I get it, the castle is made of dark thick stone walls and it feels like a stone embrace.
Content-wise this book could be great, however, am I willing to drag myself through it, less kicking and screaming more yawning and snoring? No.
This book is one with a dark tale to tell, but dull and long, and massively drawn out, with its thin paper pages, with the dark ink, which is perhaps a sign with what it was written. It just seems to never end. Capturing me in its dark paper embrace of boredom. The elongated, paragraphs of nothingness, lead me on and on as I try and discover more about this gruesome killer. Did I mention this book over describes and repeats itself?
Overall this book is not worth the effort.
I was buzzed when I saw this book, read the description, and thought it sounded great similar to that of Silence of the Lambs. However, this was perhaps the most boring 176 pages of my life. Honestly so slow, I felt I could have read 5 other books in the time it took me to get here.
Every single minute detail is described to the absolute max, it was jarring after the first chapter. I’ve read more unnecessary words in this book than I thought possible. Not only is it so hard to read because of the over descriptions but it repeats these multiple times. I get it, the castle is made of dark thick stone walls and it feels like a stone embrace.
Content-wise this book could be great, however, am I willing to drag myself through it, less kicking and screaming more yawning and snoring? No.
This book is one with a dark tale to tell, but dull and long, and massively drawn out, with its thin paper pages, with the dark ink, which is perhaps a sign with what it was written. It just seems to never end. Capturing me in its dark paper embrace of boredom. The elongated, paragraphs of nothingness, lead me on and on as I try and discover more about this gruesome killer. Did I mention this book over describes and repeats itself?
Overall this book is not worth the effort.