Scan barcode
mishka_espey's review against another edition
2.0
I never would have given this book a second glance if it wasn't for the the author. One should always be dubious about books written by celebrities, but this one claimed to be a psychological mystery, and Krysten is a sweater-knitting, pet-crazy, dark-souled kindred spirit of mine, so I had to give it a try. (Also she plays Jessica Jones, the only good thing to come out of Marvel. So there's that.)
As it happens, Bonfire has received generally favorable reviews, if not particularly enthusiastic, since its October release. The tricky part is trying to determine how many of these favorable reviews stem from an appreciation for Krysten Ritter and how many actually stem from enjoyment of the book itself. That's what led me to write this review; yes, I'm a huge fan of Krysten, but I also like to think I have good sense when it comes mystery novels.
The premise of Bonfire follows a familiar pattern: small-town girl moves to the city and becomes an attorney, but a case draws her back to her hometown to confront the demons she had hoped to bury in the past. And beyond that, frankly, there's not much more to the story. Abby Williams, the heroine, is essentially Jessica Jones minus the teeth. The plot (what there is of one) involves corporate corruption to cover a dirty secret with roots running back into Abby's childhood. In many ways, it reads like an underdeveloped step-sibling to Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. There's the broken family relationships, the old high school scandals and rumors, the alcoholism, and plenty of mixed-up feelings and motivations on the part of Abby Williams. In fact, the story revolves exclusively around her feelings and memories, with little else offered to engage the reader.
The exposition is primitive verging on mediocre, though there are frequent, vivid sparks of personality in the descriptions that made me smile. I appreciated that the book wasn't littered with gratuitous language and innuendos, as many self-conscious new writers tend to assume that the "edgier" the better. Krysten didn't fall for that trap, and I love that. In fact, overall, Bonfire felt more like a young adult novel than the psychological thriller it purports to be. The overuse of simple and incomplete sentences left me feeling hungry after each chapter, like I'd sat down expecting a full meal and was fed only scraps. There's nothing satisfying about the prose; instead, it feels sparse and juvenile, marked by far too many blunt paragraphs and overly-sarcastic narrative quips from Abby. The pacing lags and then jumps and then dawdles like a distracted puppy, with no sense of driving purpose. The final twist I thought was decent, if a bit rushed. Whether it be the character development, plot, tone, or theme, though, there is very little that could be called cohesive about this book.
Did I think Bonfire was fantastic? Candidly, no. Do I think any less of Krysten Ritter, having read it? On the contrary, props to her for stepping out and doing something different. Writing a novel is incredibly hard work, and for a first-time author with no prior experience in the field (that we know of), she managed to pull together a tight, enjoyable little mystery that surely won't bore readers. As long as you go into it with the right expectations, Bonfire promises to be a good time. It's a clean, easy popcorn read. In fact, I think with a few tweaks Bonfire could have been released as a young adult novel and would have done quite well. While I wasn't impressed by the writing chops, the story itself has a genuineness about it that's hard to begrudge. I certainly enjoyed it. It's clear that Krysten believed in this project and gave it her best effort. If she decides to continue honing her skills as a writer, I'm excited to see where she goes next.
As it happens, Bonfire has received generally favorable reviews, if not particularly enthusiastic, since its October release. The tricky part is trying to determine how many of these favorable reviews stem from an appreciation for Krysten Ritter and how many actually stem from enjoyment of the book itself. That's what led me to write this review; yes, I'm a huge fan of Krysten, but I also like to think I have good sense when it comes mystery novels.
The premise of Bonfire follows a familiar pattern: small-town girl moves to the city and becomes an attorney, but a case draws her back to her hometown to confront the demons she had hoped to bury in the past. And beyond that, frankly, there's not much more to the story. Abby Williams, the heroine, is essentially Jessica Jones minus the teeth. The plot (what there is of one) involves corporate corruption to cover a dirty secret with roots running back into Abby's childhood. In many ways, it reads like an underdeveloped step-sibling to Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. There's the broken family relationships, the old high school scandals and rumors, the alcoholism, and plenty of mixed-up feelings and motivations on the part of Abby Williams. In fact, the story revolves exclusively around her feelings and memories, with little else offered to engage the reader.
The exposition is primitive verging on mediocre, though there are frequent, vivid sparks of personality in the descriptions that made me smile. I appreciated that the book wasn't littered with gratuitous language and innuendos, as many self-conscious new writers tend to assume that the "edgier" the better. Krysten didn't fall for that trap, and I love that. In fact, overall, Bonfire felt more like a young adult novel than the psychological thriller it purports to be. The overuse of simple and incomplete sentences left me feeling hungry after each chapter, like I'd sat down expecting a full meal and was fed only scraps. There's nothing satisfying about the prose; instead, it feels sparse and juvenile, marked by far too many blunt paragraphs and overly-sarcastic narrative quips from Abby. The pacing lags and then jumps and then dawdles like a distracted puppy, with no sense of driving purpose. The final twist I thought was decent, if a bit rushed. Whether it be the character development, plot, tone, or theme, though, there is very little that could be called cohesive about this book.
Did I think Bonfire was fantastic? Candidly, no. Do I think any less of Krysten Ritter, having read it? On the contrary, props to her for stepping out and doing something different. Writing a novel is incredibly hard work, and for a first-time author with no prior experience in the field (that we know of), she managed to pull together a tight, enjoyable little mystery that surely won't bore readers. As long as you go into it with the right expectations, Bonfire promises to be a good time. It's a clean, easy popcorn read. In fact, I think with a few tweaks Bonfire could have been released as a young adult novel and would have done quite well. While I wasn't impressed by the writing chops, the story itself has a genuineness about it that's hard to begrudge. I certainly enjoyed it. It's clear that Krysten believed in this project and gave it her best effort. If she decides to continue honing her skills as a writer, I'm excited to see where she goes next.
amutschler's review against another edition
3.0
It was a good read and held my interest. I was interested to see how Krysten Ritter is as a writer, and I thought this was really good for a first book. However, it was a bit predictable and I never felt like I got to the point where I was super invested in the main character or solving the mystery.
manadabomb's review against another edition
4.0
It's amazing how quick you can finish a book when you are just flying and hanging around airports. I started this the night before and finished up once I got to my vacation destination.
I didn't read the blurb about this book, just heard that it was a good debut novel from one of my favorite actors. I was actually surprised to see it set in Indiana, Barrens, Indiana, to be specific. Really though, I think this is any small town, Indiana, including my own. Thankfully, when the big factories left my town, we didn't have a plastic come in and poison the water.
Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer in Chicago (I think Chicago is where all small town Indiana kids run to first) who fled Barrens once she graduated. She ends up coming back once she has a bit of proof that Optimal plastic company is poisoning the town. Abby had a rough childhood and adolescence - to put it mildly - and she has some demons to fight along with the plastics company. Kaycee Mitchell used to be her best friend but turned into the very definition of Mean Girl. Kaycee had her group of means girls, Misha being the meanest, and boys. In High School, we learn of The Game. Girls are photographed in compromising positions and blackmailed to not have the photos circulated around school. This was before social media, so it was all paper then.
Kaycee and her clan ended up very sick in school and it was initially blamed on the Optimal company, but it turned out that the girls made it all up. Shortly after that was let out of the bag, Kaycee disappeared.
Abby is not only uncovering deep secrets of the company, she's figuring out her own history and what happened to Kaycee. This turned into a deep, dark, twisted rabbit hole of perversions and greed. I was actually surprised at the actual secret of Optimal. And disgusted by it.
I didn't read the blurb about this book, just heard that it was a good debut novel from one of my favorite actors. I was actually surprised to see it set in Indiana, Barrens, Indiana, to be specific. Really though, I think this is any small town, Indiana, including my own. Thankfully, when the big factories left my town, we didn't have a plastic come in and poison the water.
Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer in Chicago (I think Chicago is where all small town Indiana kids run to first) who fled Barrens once she graduated. She ends up coming back once she has a bit of proof that Optimal plastic company is poisoning the town. Abby had a rough childhood and adolescence - to put it mildly - and she has some demons to fight along with the plastics company. Kaycee Mitchell used to be her best friend but turned into the very definition of Mean Girl. Kaycee had her group of means girls, Misha being the meanest, and boys. In High School, we learn of The Game. Girls are photographed in compromising positions and blackmailed to not have the photos circulated around school. This was before social media, so it was all paper then.
Kaycee and her clan ended up very sick in school and it was initially blamed on the Optimal company, but it turned out that the girls made it all up. Shortly after that was let out of the bag, Kaycee disappeared.
Abby is not only uncovering deep secrets of the company, she's figuring out her own history and what happened to Kaycee. This turned into a deep, dark, twisted rabbit hole of perversions and greed. I was actually surprised at the actual secret of Optimal. And disgusted by it.
csnurr's review against another edition
3.0
This feels a little too similar to Veronica Mars for me. Too much “you can try to leave but it sucks you back in” and “small town corruption, it’s a tale as old as time.” Aka this feels like a cliche and I wanted to like this way more than I did.
Would like to know why every heroine who returns to her hometown after escaping and reaching some kind of success in thrillers like this just decides to go completely off the rails the second she touches back down. This would have been so much better if Abby didn’t immediately start drunk driving every night after she returns to The Barrens.
Would like to know why every heroine who returns to her hometown after escaping and reaching some kind of success in thrillers like this just decides to go completely off the rails the second she touches back down. This would have been so much better if Abby didn’t immediately start drunk driving every night after she returns to The Barrens.
goudaparanoia's review against another edition
3.0
It feels like something I would like but it was very "meh" to me.
littlebluewindow16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.75
maggiebook's review against another edition
3.0
Very enjoyable book. Good character development. I had heard a lot about this book and expected something different. The mystery was good but not really anything new. Overall I enjoyed the book but it didn't have the wow factor for me I heard other reviewers talk about.
manderzreadz's review against another edition
4.0
This book draws you in to learn about a small town’s hidden secrets and what lengths people will go through for money and corruption. The protagonist’s unspoken OCD tendencies could have been addressed, but overall a compelling book with a no strings left loose ending.
tfpeel's review against another edition
4.0
buon esordio per la Ritter, davvero un thriller con una trama intrigante, complimenti!!!
Ammetto che avrei dato un'altra fine ma per il resto aspetto gli eventuali prossimi!
Ammetto che avrei dato un'altra fine ma per il resto aspetto gli eventuali prossimi!
livrawds's review against another edition
1.0
Wow I have not had a good record with books the start of this year