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2.64 AVERAGE
2.64 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In a Nutshell: The third story in the Alibis collection and the weakest one so far. The whole story struck a false note in all aspects except for pacing. My feelings are hence quite discordant.
Plot Preview:
William’s father is a renowned opera singer in Stockholm. Since childhood, William has seen not just his father’s fame but also his secret side: his vanity, his temper, his alcoholism, and his physical cruelty towards women. As an adult, William finally has a life and a love of his own, but even now, his father casts a long shadow over him. When William’s girlfriend Ebba decides that they ought to meet his father and settle the issues of the past, their lives change in an unexpected direction.
This is the third standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.”
For the first time (as far as I know), an Amazon Original story is a translation, with this being translated from Swedish by Elizabeth DeNoma. However, I don’t think the issues I had were translation-related as they stem more from the plot and character handling than from the language or writing style.
Woohoos:
🥳 Fast pace. Easy to read the 41 pages in a single setting of 20-30 minutes.
🥳 Despite the issues I have listed below, I wasn’t bored by the story. Annoyed with the characters, yes. But definitely not bored. I was invested enough to want to know what would happen next. (Even though much of the main plot was guessable.)
IDKs:
😐 Not much of a resolution at the end. But it was still an ending I didn’t see coming, so I did like it, I think… .👀
Mehs:
😒 Flat main characters, none of whom are likeable or even relatable. It’s tough to understand why they behave the way they do with such poor detailing. Worse, none show growth or self-realisation as the story progresses.
😒 All characters have some serious daddy issues. Including the “daddy”. 🤐
😒 Unreliable first-person narration. Hate this trope.
😒 Mentions Stockholm multiple times but barely even uses the location. The plot could have occurred anywhere. (Ooh, unless it was hinting at ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, which does fit the plot to a teeny extent…? 🤔 Or it might just be because the author lives in Stockholm… Let me not overthink this.)
😒 0% mystery. 0% thrills. 90% predictable. (The balance 10% belongs to the ending.)
😒 Limited number of characters, so it is not very difficult to pinpoint the culprit. No subtlety or suspense.
😒 Man writing woman – ugh!
Overall, the potential in the story is amazing, but with barely any detail to the characters and minimal suspense, it is tough to like the story more.
I haven’t read this author before. I knew his name only for being the author chosen to continue the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series. After how this went, I think I will stick to Larsson’s original trilogy and not continue the series beyond that.
Might work as a quick one-time read but not at all a must-read.
2 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Alibis’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Plot Preview:
William’s father is a renowned opera singer in Stockholm. Since childhood, William has seen not just his father’s fame but also his secret side: his vanity, his temper, his alcoholism, and his physical cruelty towards women. As an adult, William finally has a life and a love of his own, but even now, his father casts a long shadow over him. When William’s girlfriend Ebba decides that they ought to meet his father and settle the issues of the past, their lives change in an unexpected direction.
This is the third standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.”
For the first time (as far as I know), an Amazon Original story is a translation, with this being translated from Swedish by Elizabeth DeNoma. However, I don’t think the issues I had were translation-related as they stem more from the plot and character handling than from the language or writing style.
Woohoos:
🥳 Fast pace. Easy to read the 41 pages in a single setting of 20-30 minutes.
🥳 Despite the issues I have listed below, I wasn’t bored by the story. Annoyed with the characters, yes. But definitely not bored. I was invested enough to want to know what would happen next. (Even though much of the main plot was guessable.)
IDKs:
😐 Not much of a resolution at the end. But it was still an ending I didn’t see coming, so I did like it, I think… .👀
Mehs:
😒 Flat main characters, none of whom are likeable or even relatable. It’s tough to understand why they behave the way they do with such poor detailing. Worse, none show growth or self-realisation as the story progresses.
😒 All characters have some serious daddy issues. Including the “daddy”. 🤐
😒 Unreliable first-person narration. Hate this trope.
😒 Mentions Stockholm multiple times but barely even uses the location. The plot could have occurred anywhere. (Ooh, unless it was hinting at ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, which does fit the plot to a teeny extent…? 🤔 Or it might just be because the author lives in Stockholm… Let me not overthink this.)
😒 0% mystery. 0% thrills. 90% predictable. (The balance 10% belongs to the ending.)
😒 Limited number of characters, so it is not very difficult to pinpoint the culprit. No subtlety or suspense.
😒 Man writing woman – ugh!
Overall, the potential in the story is amazing, but with barely any detail to the characters and minimal suspense, it is tough to like the story more.
I haven’t read this author before. I knew his name only for being the author chosen to continue the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series. After how this went, I think I will stick to Larsson’s original trilogy and not continue the series beyond that.
Might work as a quick one-time read but not at all a must-read.
2 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Alibis’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
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:
Yes
Good short book the little twist at the end made the book
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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:
No
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Famous dad, abusive and negligent father. Som falls in love with a wanna be singer, who ultimately leaves him for his father (shocker….didnt see that hoe coming from a mile away). Father “couldn’t help himself”. Father dies and both the son and girlfriend were together. Son is accused, but for whatever reason he kept that a secret til the end, then the girlfriend turns in the son (again….totally and completely shocked…….can you sense the sarcasm?)
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book was well written but I didn't like the story at all or have sympathy of like any of the characters. Glad this was a Kindle Unlimited book.