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jenhurst's review
4.0
Another solid book from Jennifer McManhon. If you like her other books, you’ll like this one. It starts of as a standard mystery/thriller with a supernatural twist and has the alternating time lines that is her staple. I like how they always follow adult woman and are fast paced.
dowryofbooks's review
2.0
To be honest I just ended up feeling pretty bored with this one throughout my time reading it. And the ending was a bit underwhelming. I didn't find myself as immersed in this as I did The Children on the Hill, I couldn't really connect to or care about any of the characters in either timeline. Maybe it was the audio that left me feeling detached from the story? Not sure. This is one of those cases where I feel like I maybe could've enjoyed it more if I read it on a different day in a different mood but oh well. I'm glad to get this off my TBR because it's been sitting there for ages.
renjenn03's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mariyavd's review
4.0
Two stories, from two different periods, that actually connect at the end(I was more interested i the 1929 one). Just enough of creepy and scary, so everyone can enjoy it. I really liked the ending and to be honest didn't expected it. I give it 4 stars and not 5, only because it was a little repetitive in the beginning and because I wanted to know more about the water and the power and where it comes.
blemishedhearth's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ceeelizabethreads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
5.0
Hooray for a new Jennifer McMahon book and bonus hooray for being able to get a copy of the audiobook to listen to from the publisher and NetGalley!
I believe this has assumed the top spot for the McMahon books I've read. The tone is perfect for a creepy ghost story. The protagonists were nicely fleshed out and the intertwined tales meshed perfectly. And I think the epilogue was absolutely fantastic. For me, this book was close to perfect.
I do admit to having some trouble with the narrators but, once I got really used to them, I was able to mostly let it go. I think this would be one that, when I read it again, because I probably will, I'll go for an ebook version instead.
If you've enjoyed any of McMahon's previous books, you'll love this one. If you haven't read anything by the author yet, this is a great one to start with.
I believe this has assumed the top spot for the McMahon books I've read. The tone is perfect for a creepy ghost story. The protagonists were nicely fleshed out and the intertwined tales meshed perfectly. And I think the epilogue was absolutely fantastic. For me, this book was close to perfect.
I do admit to having some trouble with the narrators but, once I got really used to them, I was able to mostly let it go. I think this would be one that, when I read it again, because I probably will, I'll go for an ebook version instead.
If you've enjoyed any of McMahon's previous books, you'll love this one. If you haven't read anything by the author yet, this is a great one to start with.
tatyanavogt's review
4.0
Love the mood and the mystery. I was pretty invested in everything happening throughout the whole book. It is true that towards the end one of the characters was being a little annoying but other than that I was here for it.
Don't want to say much because of the type of book that it is but I enjoyed it.
Don't want to say much because of the type of book that it is but I enjoyed it.
suppyguppy's review
2.0
I wouldn't say this book is bad, but it is very mediocre.
It felt like a surface level story, just a telling of events without interesting insight. Maybe it's my fault for choosing the wrong type of book to read, but I thought it was at least supposed to have an element of mystery. I think most readers would solve any of the "mysteries" this book presents long before their answers are officially revealed, as the hints are always heavy handed.
As for its horror aspect, I was disappointed in that regard as well. The book never came close to scaring or thrilling me, but that might be my fault as I consume a lot of horror media.
So if this book does not excel as mystery nor horror, what does it excel at? In my opinion, nothing.
Disclaimer: I listened to the audiobook version, which might have influenced my opinion of the story. I found the narrator for Jax's portion of the book to be unenjoyable to listen to. Her impressions of male characters and children were either grating or silly, and she made almost every character unlikeable because of the way they spoke. Perhaps I would have liked the book more had I read it, hard to say.
It felt like a surface level story, just a telling of events without interesting insight. Maybe it's my fault for choosing the wrong type of book to read, but I thought it was at least supposed to have an element of mystery. I think most readers would solve any of the "mysteries" this book presents long before their answers are officially revealed, as the hints are always heavy handed.
As for its horror aspect, I was disappointed in that regard as well. The book never came close to scaring or thrilling me, but that might be my fault as I consume a lot of horror media.
So if this book does not excel as mystery nor horror, what does it excel at? In my opinion, nothing.
Disclaimer: I listened to the audiobook version, which might have influenced my opinion of the story. I found the narrator for Jax's portion of the book to be unenjoyable to listen to. Her impressions of male characters and children were either grating or silly, and she made almost every character unlikeable because of the way they spoke. Perhaps I would have liked the book more had I read it, hard to say.
pam2375's review
5.0
This is definitely a page turner. Once I started, I could not stop until I was done.
If you like a bit of folk lore, haunting, ghost stories, family secrets and everything that goes with; then this is the book for you. Jennifer McMahon does not disappoint in her latest.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in April 2021.
If you like a bit of folk lore, haunting, ghost stories, family secrets and everything that goes with; then this is the book for you. Jennifer McMahon does not disappoint in her latest.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in April 2021.