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quillye's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Murder, Gun violence, Vomit, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Body horror, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia and Rape
galleytrot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
READ: Jul 2023
FORMAT: Audio
BRIEF SUMMARY:
In this murder mystery/supernatural thriller set in Seattle, the world is still trying to figure out what level of regulation or oversight is needed for the first generation of empaths, the breadth of whom’s abilities are still not widely understood or fully explored. After the murder of a high-profile politician championing anti-empath legislation, Reece is contacted by a stranger who is widely known and feared as The Dead Man, a boogeyman who by all accounts should have just been a made-up bedtime story used to scare little empaths like himself into behaving. Evan sets Reece on a path to support and assist his detective sister’s investigation, when the very last place Reece needs to be is anywhere near the victim of an especially brutal murder – particularly in a case so deeply tied into empathy leaving the city on high alert.
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 5 / 5⭐
Oh man, where do I even begin? This book takes place over the stretch of a little over 24 hours, and it’s a high-octane ride from front to back. I am absolutely exhausted, but I don’t have it in me to let this review simmer for a while. I don’t typically reach for books like this – I can’t take the emotional strain of stories that lean so heavily into conspiracy and shadow agents and coverups and “this goes all the way to the top” -ism. The ‘emotionless supersoldier’ trope is also one that can be difficult for me to handle. Despite that, I finished this book in one sitting and didn’t take nearly as many breaks as I probably should have.
When Reece gets a strange call on a newer phone where only a small handful of people even know his number, and the caller has a shocking amount of information about him, he is warned that his sister doesn’t have what she will need for what will probably become the most important murder investigation in the city’s history, he literally cannot help but to run off to her aid. When he finds Jamie, she is less than thrilled to see him there, because the last thing this particular crime needs is an empath consultant. His big mouth and his compulsion to help those in need soon have him meddling in a way that irreversibly entangles him into the investigation.
Evan fully intended for Reece to get carted off and hidden away from the crime for the duration of things resolving and blowing over, but his warnings go unheeded and he soon finds himself playing chaperone to the snarky and opinionated empath. Reece doesn’t – and shouldn’t – trust Evan, particularly when his abilities are about as effective with the man as a whisper against a brick wall, and so much is at stake. There are things The Dead Man must never find out about himself and Jamie, but at the same time, he might be the only person who could have any insight about their unusual circumstances.
TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 5 / 5⭐
I’m not sure I have anything to complain about regarding the writing of the book. It’s not my typical genre, so I’m willing to admit that I could simply be easily impressed, but for as challenging as these types of stories can be for me to enjoy, I never felt like this one was inaccessible or excessively convoluted. I was able to call a number of beats before their reveal, but always in a way that felt like I’d done the work for myself, and never negatively impacting the direction of the book in a meaningful way.
The story here followed a lot of similar beats to another supernatural series that I absolutely adored (the Shadows of London series by Ariana Nash). The main characters are similarly special chosen-one types in a modern world where their powers are poorly understood, largely feared, and regulated by some form of government oversight. They both are facing the possibility that they’re losing control of themselves and liable to cause some pretty extreme damages and risk to the safety of others. There’s a similar theme of villains tapping into the true potential of their powers to become something greater. And both men are guided by secretive, mysterious blond hotties who are above the law and know way more about the lead’s powers than they’re letting on.
I’m not sure Joel Leslie was the right narrator for this one, but I appreciate the effort he put into its performance all the same.
FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 5 / 5⭐
My thoughts on this story may cool down over the next week or two, in which case I might revisit this review and adjust as I feel necessary, but as it stands right now I highly recommend this book and I am truly excited for further installments to be released in the future. If you’ve read this book and you need more of it and you haven’t yet discovered the series I mentioned in the previous section, please please please do yourself a favour and look up Twisted Pretty Things, because the Shadows of London series is more of this but British. And I especially encourage you to seek out the audiobook formats, because the performance is peak Cornell Collins.
This book has representation for bisexuals, and lots of them. Some characters are noted as being mix-raced; a small handful of others are implied to be non-white.
The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Gore, Vomit, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Police brutality, Confinement, Stalking, Torture, Alcohol, Gun violence, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Homophobia, Drug abuse, Genocide, Biphobia, Death of parent, and Suicide
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