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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very intriguing plot. Characters will draw you in. The suspense was top notch. A splash of romance w/no spice. If you’re looking for suspense with a historical artistic flair and intriguing plot, this book is for you. Bonus points for the Christian based elements in the book 🙌🏻
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy
Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble had an intriguing beginning. Carly is a strong woman who puts her family first. She has a big heart. At times, though, I did find myself rolling my eyes. I do not want to give anything away, but I am curious as to how Carly could be that naïve (in her relationships with men). The main characters are developed while others fell a little flat. There was one individual in particular who had a major role that I thought needed more development. The first third of the book was engaging. It had me curious to find out what would happen next. Then, unfortunately, the story seemed to slow down as a slew of new characters were introduced along with farfetched, superfluous storylines. I wish the author had not tried to overcomplicate the mystery. I liked that the mystery involved a Faberge egg. Like the author, I find them appealing. They are unique works of art. I liked the action. I did feel that the story could have used more of it, especially in the middle. The guilty party can easily be identified despite the misdirection. A dramatic scene near the end had me rolling my eyes (again). The epilogue neatly wraps up the book (gives readers a heartwarming ending). There were some details in the book that were unrealistic (no way would they happen in real life). Carly made some choices regarding her child during the story that were questionable (would have mothers with young children screaming “what are you thinking”). The longwinded and repetitive explanations slowed down the pace of the story (and took away from the suspense). Fragile Designs has a good concept. I wish the last third of Fragile Designs had been like the beginning.
Loved the narrator and there was an interesting premise for this novel. I enjoyed the parts about the hunt for a family treasure and the provenance of the faberge egg.
I did find some of it a bit far-fetched though, especially towards the end. Maybe the tension between Carly and her family should have been explored more, with no instafix? Its not bad though, well worth the listen.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson for approving me for this title via Netgaley.
I did find some of it a bit far-fetched though, especially towards the end. Maybe the tension between Carly and her family should have been explored more, with no instafix? Its not bad though, well worth the listen.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson for approving me for this title via Netgaley.
This story began a high level of intensity and immediately captured my attention. After reading the synopsis, I had high hopes for this release from an author who I have enjoyed reading over the years. However, this book was simply ok for me.
With intrigue and a unique premise, I enjoyed the aspects of the Faberge egg, lost family found and a relic of historic significance. The Russian mafia interest added a certain level of anticipation and excitement, also.
I liked the dual POV and I enjoyed Lucas' character. I found him to be relatable and endearing for the most part, but I struggled immensely with Carly. As a young mom, I felt she made questionable choices concerning her grandmother and son and wasn't relatable or believable. She was good to a fault and the author seemingly needed to continue reminding me of that. Quite frankly, Carly came across to me as lackluster and boring. I wanted her to stand up for herself, have doubts, inner turmoil and struggles from the highly emotional events of her past, yet she seemed more concerned with writing her novel than taking time to process what was happening in her life.
Because I read an ARC copy of this story through NetGalley, perhaps some of the details were ironed out before print, but I found far too many inconsistencies in details which is a big pet peeve of mine when reading suspense (for instance, Lucas reviewing security footage on his home a week later only to find someone had broken in and accessed his safe? My cameras notify me of movement IMMEDIATELY!).
The questionable, dull or sometimes dismissive reactions of the main characters, especially Carly, after deep suspense elements made me want to DNF. I kept wishing for reactions that better followed normal human behavior.
Lastly, the word use of the baby "squawking" instead of crying, rousing or fussing, nearly drove me crazy. I couldn't get past it and it was used seven times. Similarly, I found other phrases in the book mildly crude and felt they could have been worded better.
Overall, this book had a great premise and an exciting plot with a lot happening that kept me invested in seeing it through, but the rating ultimately reflects reliability issues, word choices and inconsistent details that could have made it so much better.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. Please know that while I may not have enjoyed this book entirely, I still encourage you to read it and see what you think! All books are subjective to the reader's own opinions, beliefs and enjoyment.
With intrigue and a unique premise, I enjoyed the aspects of the Faberge egg, lost family found and a relic of historic significance. The Russian mafia interest added a certain level of anticipation and excitement, also.
I liked the dual POV and I enjoyed Lucas' character. I found him to be relatable and endearing for the most part, but I struggled immensely with Carly. As a young mom, I felt she made questionable choices concerning her grandmother and son and wasn't relatable or believable. She was good to a fault and the author seemingly needed to continue reminding me of that. Quite frankly, Carly came across to me as lackluster and boring. I wanted her to stand up for herself, have doubts, inner turmoil and struggles from the highly emotional events of her past, yet she seemed more concerned with writing her novel than taking time to process what was happening in her life.
Because I read an ARC copy of this story through NetGalley, perhaps some of the details were ironed out before print, but I found far too many inconsistencies in details which is a big pet peeve of mine when reading suspense (for instance, Lucas reviewing security footage on his home a week later only to find someone had broken in and accessed his safe? My cameras notify me of movement IMMEDIATELY!).
The questionable, dull or sometimes dismissive reactions of the main characters, especially Carly, after deep suspense elements made me want to DNF. I kept wishing for reactions that better followed normal human behavior.
Lastly, the word use of the baby "squawking" instead of crying, rousing or fussing, nearly drove me crazy. I couldn't get past it and it was used seven times. Similarly, I found other phrases in the book mildly crude and felt they could have been worded better.
Overall, this book had a great premise and an exciting plot with a lot happening that kept me invested in seeing it through, but the rating ultimately reflects reliability issues, word choices and inconsistent details that could have made it so much better.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. Please know that while I may not have enjoyed this book entirely, I still encourage you to read it and see what you think! All books are subjective to the reader's own opinions, beliefs and enjoyment.
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Almost didn't finish.
Storyline is wrapped up in the end with all the different strings coming to one but thought the middle of the book is a bit jumbled. Not the cleanest writing. For a thriller/suspense pace was too slow for me and a lot unneeded descriptions/repetitive.
The author turned me off with "pray to God or I prayed" in every other sentence. Too much religious zeal for me.
Storyline is wrapped up in the end with all the different strings coming to one but thought the middle of the book is a bit jumbled. Not the cleanest writing. For a thriller/suspense pace was too slow for me and a lot unneeded descriptions/repetitive.
The author turned me off with "pray to God or I prayed" in every other sentence. Too much religious zeal for me.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The book has so many new characters just hope you figure out who is who, their ages and relationships. If you can pretend to believe Russians descend on a small southern town to find a Faberge egg and that twins separated at an orphanage have the pieces of the egg AND many people get murdered, this is the book for you! Coble must be a practicing Christian because every chapter had the line “just pray” at least twice.