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ladyheroj's review against another edition
3.0
I kept flipping the pages, even though at times I couldn't tell you why. This is a splendid mash of so many genres and there's always something going on...but that also seemed to be its biggest draw-back. Irwin had so many ideas packed in here that not everything got explored as much as it could have. I picked this up because I liked the idea of everyone being followed by a ghost that only they could see. And it starts off great, setting that dystopian world up but then I started to feel like Irwin put that aspect to the side to develop more of a conspiratorial mystery. Yet even with his emphasis on the conspiracy, I still felt the ball was softly dropped to the floor regarding Haig's character.
Some of the events, like there being an actual monster goddess stalking Oscar, felt too over-the-top. Then I remind myself that this story takes place in a world where, again, EVERYONE SEES GHOSTS. So why am I complaining about monsters? But with only two attacks and then one hallucinatory death scene, that plot device just seemed like something the author thought would be cool so forced in. The story easily could've just been "hey, we're ghost-crazy and we thought gruesomely killing these girls would've done the trick but oh no, you caught us" and had the same results without monsters.
But to be fair, Irwin wrapped everything up much better than I thought he would. And it left me feeling like hey, maybe a sequel could happen. I'd be interested in reading that.
Some of the events, like there being an actual monster goddess stalking Oscar, felt too over-the-top. Then I remind myself that this story takes place in a world where, again, EVERYONE SEES GHOSTS. So why am I complaining about monsters? But with only two attacks and then one hallucinatory death scene, that plot device just seemed like something the author thought would be cool so forced in. The story easily could've just been "hey, we're ghost-crazy and we thought gruesomely killing these girls would've done the trick but oh no, you caught us" and had the same results without monsters.
But to be fair, Irwin wrapped everything up much better than I thought he would. And it left me feeling like hey, maybe a sequel could happen. I'd be interested in reading that.
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
2.0
This book reminded me of one of my early 2013 books, The Last Detective. In fact, the plot was so similar I kept feeling that I had already read it, and it wasn't a joyous reread. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you were strapped for reading material.
tamara_o's review against another edition
3.0
Wow, what a whirlwind ride this was!! Its crime/detective, no wait, it's paranormal. Wait, sci-fi? Dystopian? It's everything, and it's a really exciting ride. There's lots going on, and many minor characters to keep track of, but its worth it for all the twists and turns and "whoa, where is this going" moments.
3.5 stars from me!
3.5 stars from me!
londysaurus's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastically creepy in all of the very best ways. It lingers. As I said while reading Ben Winters's The Last Policeman, these two novels resonate well together. I appreciate stories about folks of integrity in extreme circumstances. Something subtle I appreciated is how banged up Oscar becomes. Often in stories, the dings and bruises only last a few scenes. The protagonist is nominally wounded, but walks it off in coming pages. Oscar's wounds are, in contrast, cumulative. They carry over across misadventures. It demonstrated me how stubborn and durable and long-suffering our bodies are - how pain, disability and violence against the body are all parts of living. We can sustain quite a bit of damage and yet, not die.
I found myself wondering about the ghosts. Where they were in proximity to their people in any given scene.
I was often irritated by Oscar's dismissal of "the dead boy," and was deeply gratified when their relationship shifted. The later revelation about folks' relationships to their ghosts and our mystery felt a bit forced (doing some circumlocution to avoid spoilers...), but I still enjoyed the outcome. The Epilogue was nicely done, too.
Definitely dug this one. It's a slow burner, but the unfurling is lovely.
I found myself wondering about the ghosts. Where they were in proximity to their people in any given scene.
I was often irritated by Oscar's dismissal of "the dead boy," and was deeply gratified when their relationship shifted. The later revelation about folks' relationships to their ghosts and our mystery felt a bit forced (doing some circumlocution to avoid spoilers...), but I still enjoyed the outcome. The Epilogue was nicely done, too.
Definitely dug this one. It's a slow burner, but the unfurling is lovely.
laterry75's review against another edition
3.0
Suspension of disbelief is a tricky contract situation between author and reader. Irwin's "The Broken Ones" sets up a new standard of reality in the prologue -- on one remarkable Wednesday, the poles shifted and suddenly everyone was able to constantly see one ghost from their past. Other people couldn't see your ghosts, and you can't see theirs. Tragedy, mayhem, and economic collapse.
All this is fine.
From here, it becomes a nice, neo-noir murder mystery involving some of your standard tropes -- helpless young female victims, deep levels of conspiracy, police corruption, and dogged, relentless, incorruptible detective attempting to right wrongs in a world (IN A WORLD!) that seems perpetually grimy. The characters are interesting and plot moves along a good clip. However, the author then asks for another element of suspension of disbelief in bringing in an occult angle into the murders.
Unfortunately, the first request (poles/ghosts) is handled awkwardly -- there's no exploration of how/why this happened. The characters in the book all seem to be managing the transition with a sense of weary resignation. Therefore, when the second request (evil cult bringing things in from another dimension) is made, it feels a little like the author is just piling on to keep things interesting.
I can't NOT recommend this book, because the last 120 pages were spellbinding. I kept going because I demanded answers. I got some, but not nearly enough in my opinion. I would probably only recommend it in the same way the book wound up in my hands -- I would say, "I'm not sure how I feel about this book, but I trust your judgment. Whaddyathink?"
All this is fine.
From here, it becomes a nice, neo-noir murder mystery involving some of your standard tropes -- helpless young female victims, deep levels of conspiracy, police corruption, and dogged, relentless, incorruptible detective attempting to right wrongs in a world (IN A WORLD!) that seems perpetually grimy. The characters are interesting and plot moves along a good clip. However, the author then asks for another element of suspension of disbelief in bringing in an occult angle into the murders.
Unfortunately, the first request (poles/ghosts) is handled awkwardly -- there's no exploration of how/why this happened. The characters in the book all seem to be managing the transition with a sense of weary resignation. Therefore, when the second request (evil cult bringing things in from another dimension) is made, it feels a little like the author is just piling on to keep things interesting.
I can't NOT recommend this book, because the last 120 pages were spellbinding. I kept going because I demanded answers. I got some, but not nearly enough in my opinion. I would probably only recommend it in the same way the book wound up in my hands -- I would say, "I'm not sure how I feel about this book, but I trust your judgment. Whaddyathink?"
tamara_o's review against another edition
3.0
Wow, what a whirlwind ride this was!! Its crime/detective, no wait, it's paranormal. Wait, sci-fi? Dystopian? It's everything, and it's a really exciting ride. There's lots going on, and many minor characters to keep track of, but its worth it for all the twists and turns and "whoa, where is this going" moments.
3.5 stars from me!
3.5 stars from me!
bonnie_ov's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book... I thought the author did a great job developing the setting and the creepy supernatural factor. The dude's job was interesting enough. The problem was character development. Halfway through the book and I really didn't care about any of the characters and wasn't too interested in the murder mystery either. I felt like the author introduced new characters constantly without any context. Usually in mystery books you get an idea of the detective's thinking as to who they are going to talk to and why. That was completely missing from this book.
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
I started this book last night, but it was too gritty and profane for me. I just don't feel like reading the whole thing.