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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
is about someone who faced adversity and made it through...but she is odd and really there isn't anything to like about her.
And for her, as a non-professional killer, to go around killing people with absolutely no repercussions...also odd.
And some of the characters, I didn't know why they were in the book unless their role was going to be explored more in a series.
And for her, as a non-professional killer, to go around killing people with absolutely no repercussions...also odd.
And some of the characters, I didn't know why they were in the book unless their role was going to be explored more in a series.
I so wish I could of rated this a five.... but I can't.
I loved the story, building up to the climax was awesome (grated a bit over long), but great.
The climax... well, a bit more than anti-climatic. Pretty much a complete let down. And the ending...lets just say not a fan.
Last night I went to bed with 55 pages left. And I couldn't sleep, I was too focused on the characters and story line. So I went to read. At 10 pages left, I wanted to know the ending, but it just wasn't doing it for me and I easily went to bed - promising myself I would finish before the school run this morning. And while I accomplished that, I feel so "blah" about the whole thing.
Oh well, on to the next book.
I loved the story, building up to the climax was awesome (grated a bit over long), but great.
The climax... well, a bit more than anti-climatic. Pretty much a complete let down. And the ending...lets just say not a fan.
Last night I went to bed with 55 pages left. And I couldn't sleep, I was too focused on the characters and story line. So I went to read. At 10 pages left, I wanted to know the ending, but it just wasn't doing it for me and I easily went to bed - promising myself I would finish before the school run this morning. And while I accomplished that, I feel so "blah" about the whole thing.
Oh well, on to the next book.
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great flashbacks and a constantly fluid plot
4.5 stars
If, like me, you've missed the psychological aspect of the earlier Alex Delaware books, which has been somewhat overtaken by a variety of strange or gruesome murders, you'll enjoy Kellerman's return to a more intellectual plotline in this new standalone psychological thriller.
From the poorest of beginnings (in all senses of the word) Grace manages to not only survive but also thrive, though the effects are seen throughout her life. It's both sad and sombering to consider the realities that some children must face, and the succession of foster homes that often accompany them.
This struck me as more real than most of Kellerman's later books.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If, like me, you've missed the psychological aspect of the earlier Alex Delaware books, which has been somewhat overtaken by a variety of strange or gruesome murders, you'll enjoy Kellerman's return to a more intellectual plotline in this new standalone psychological thriller.
From the poorest of beginnings (in all senses of the word) Grace manages to not only survive but also thrive, though the effects are seen throughout her life. It's both sad and sombering to consider the realities that some children must face, and the succession of foster homes that often accompany them.
Spoiler
Grace's hard-won control serves her well, helping her maintain distance as an illusion of safety and control. Throughout the story the reader feels the same isolation from Grace that she feels from others, making her Random Leaps into an understandable desire for connection, release and control in a new environment.This struck me as more real than most of Kellerman's later books.
Spoiler
The experiences of Grace, the social worker and some of the more unfortunate truths about the foster care system, along with her more tentative trust, all made a poignant appeal on behalf of an otherwise aloof character.Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow! This book is an incredible look into the mind of Grace Blades. She is smart, scarily so. And she is broken but since she is so smart, no one really knows how much her past damaged her. I did find it difficult to emphasize with Grace because she has such a core of coldness but she did utterly intrigue me.
Her foe is one from her past. One who also has that core of coldness but rather then using his intelligence for the good of society as Grace did, he uses it for his own personal gain. It is really like looking at opposite sides of the same coin.
I don't know if I would call this book a suspense since I never got that edge of the seat feeling but it is definitely a physiological thriller. The plot was rather slow in places but overall, I found the book fascinating and I feel that my readers that enjoy discovering just what makes a person tick will also.
Grace Blade is a caring, compassionate psychologist specializing in the treatment of patients who have gone through traumatic events. It’s not just her training that helps Grace to get results – Grace survived horrific events in her own life and knows what it takes to survive. However, the calm, cool Grace has a secret life that nobody else knows about. When her personal and professional lives collide and put Grace in danger, she finds herself involved in a murder investigation and playing a very dangerous game.
I have read almost all of the books in Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series, so I was eager to read this book, featuring a different main character. Both Grace and Alex are intelligent, clever, and excellent therapists, the two characters are very different, as is the tone of this book compared to the Delaware novels. Grace’s childhood years spent with her biological parents and then a series of foster homes had an everlasting effect on Grace’s life. She is extremely intelligent, but regularly behaves recklessly. Although I admired her courage and intelligence, it was hard to relate to some of the things she did both before and during the investigation.
Not all of the story is believable, but I still found it to be an exciting book. Although I didn’t fully connect with Grace, I cared what happened to her and found the flashback scenes of Grace with her various foster families to be very interesting. When she was fortunate enough to be given a good home, the interactions with those families showed another side of Grace. After a big build-up, the ending was a bit of a let-down, but I still enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Ballantine Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I have read almost all of the books in Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series, so I was eager to read this book, featuring a different main character. Both Grace and Alex are intelligent, clever, and excellent therapists, the two characters are very different, as is the tone of this book compared to the Delaware novels. Grace’s childhood years spent with her biological parents and then a series of foster homes had an everlasting effect on Grace’s life. She is extremely intelligent, but regularly behaves recklessly. Although I admired her courage and intelligence, it was hard to relate to some of the things she did both before and during the investigation.
Not all of the story is believable, but I still found it to be an exciting book. Although I didn’t fully connect with Grace, I cared what happened to her and found the flashback scenes of Grace with her various foster families to be very interesting. When she was fortunate enough to be given a good home, the interactions with those families showed another side of Grace. After a big build-up, the ending was a bit of a let-down, but I still enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Ballantine Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
There was good build up but the ending left something to be desired.