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lgstanfield's review against another edition
5.0
Apparently I’m obsessed with these little crime thriller novels. I love these so much.
sarah_restell's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 ⭐️
I love this series the books are so complex and well written.
The characters are always spot on and the back stories are well planned I loved the idea of dream manipulation.
Jessica’s family dynamic is always interesting and I love Kevin!
I love this series the books are so complex and well written.
The characters are always spot on and the back stories are well planned I loved the idea of dream manipulation.
Jessica’s family dynamic is always interesting and I love Kevin!
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
I spent many a minute floating my cursor between the 2 star and 3 star. I came down on the 3-star because I am a pleasant person. Joking, I'm definitelynot. I weighed it up and though I wasn't crazy about the book it was well-written, fairly enjoyable and honestly, there weren't any major issues. Can you really give two stars to a book with no major issues?!
If there were no major issues then what is my beef with this book?
Excitement. Drama. Tension. Frustration. Fear.
These are all emotions that I did not feel as I read this novel. I just floated through it, appreciating the characters and the pace of plot, but never falling into the novel like Alice through the looking glass. If I had to summarise this novel in a word then I would say, “Distant”.
I never felt out-right bored, but neither did I feel the thrill of the investigation, the creepiness of the killer or the shock of the big twist toward the end. Whether this is because the narrative voices chopped and changed frequently, whether the flashbacks to years passed disrupted the flow… I can’t quite put my finger on it. But the novel never excited me.
I did really enjoy the relationship between Jess and Kevin. There was a well-crafted balance and respect there that made the novel enjoyable. Often in these novels there is a detective who can pick a murderer out of a crowd like ‘Where’s Wally?’. Skipping alongside him, and usually just happy to be involved, you have a slower, has-to-have-everything-explained-to-them partner.
While Kevin did seem to have more of the investigator instincts, Jess was the organised and practical one. She felt more grounded, which allowed Kevin to be a tad more liberal with the hunches and realisations without falling into the ridiculous.
I enjoyed the novel. I have certainly and absolutely read worse but this one just bumbled along. Maybe my expectations were just too high?
If there were no major issues then what is my beef with this book?
Excitement. Drama. Tension. Frustration. Fear.
These are all emotions that I did not feel as I read this novel. I just floated through it, appreciating the characters and the pace of plot, but never falling into the novel like Alice through the looking glass. If I had to summarise this novel in a word then I would say, “Distant”.
I never felt out-right bored, but neither did I feel the thrill of the investigation, the creepiness of the killer or the shock of the big twist toward the end. Whether this is because the narrative voices chopped and changed frequently, whether the flashbacks to years passed disrupted the flow… I can’t quite put my finger on it. But the novel never excited me.
I did really enjoy the relationship between Jess and Kevin. There was a well-crafted balance and respect there that made the novel enjoyable. Often in these novels there is a detective who can pick a murderer out of a crowd like ‘Where’s Wally?’. Skipping alongside him, and usually just happy to be involved, you have a slower, has-to-have-everything-explained-to-them partner.
While Kevin did seem to have more of the investigator instincts, Jess was the organised and practical one. She felt more grounded, which allowed Kevin to be a tad more liberal with the hunches and realisations without falling into the ridiculous.
I enjoyed the novel. I have certainly and absolutely read worse but this one just bumbled along. Maybe my expectations were just too high?
wordsofapaige's review
3.0
I have always enjoyed Montanari’s books. However, this one left far too many unanswered questions for me. I rushed through the book as it was gripping and I just wanted to know what happened.
But I was left wondering what had actually happened in this book, while some questions were answered they generally lead to even more questions, many of which are either given vague answers, or are not answered at all. The book hurls itself towards a conclusion that never comes. The dreams and what happened in the hospital to lead to the murder is not explained, and while it is understood that there is a connection I just couldn’t figure out quite what it was. While I didn’t expect the answers to be handed to me, I wanted more than a vague explanation, or in fact none at all.
This is such a shame, because I truly do enjoy Montanari’s writing.
But I was left wondering what had actually happened in this book, while some questions were answered they generally lead to even more questions, many of which are either given vague answers, or are not answered at all. The book hurls itself towards a conclusion that never comes. The dreams and what happened in the hospital to lead to the murder is not explained, and while it is understood that there is a connection I just couldn’t figure out quite what it was. While I didn’t expect the answers to be handed to me, I wanted more than a vague explanation, or in fact none at all.
This is such a shame, because I truly do enjoy Montanari’s writing.
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