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steven_v's review
3.0
I’ve been a Dean Koontz fan for a long time. I like his style of suspense novels, the way he builds tension, the way he writes his characters, and so on.
This book has some interesting and some suspenseful elements, but unfortunately it does not rise to the standards of Koontz classics like [b:Lightning|32424|Lightning|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312500123s/32424.jpg|1396631], [b:Watchers|32423|Watchers|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308458930s/32423.jpg|2200683], [b:Whispers|64948|Whispers|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309198136s/64948.jpg|442705]. The characters are very well done, as usual, but that’s the book’s only real strength.
The plot itself is very simplistic, much less complicated than usual for a Dean Koontz novel, and the story is much too slow to build up. Normally in a Koontz novel, something startling, supernatural, or surprising happens right away, and then you are on a rollercoaster ride of suspense for the rest of the book, unable to stop turning the pages until the ending. This time, however, the startling or surprising thing comes later, and is too subtle and vague to be quite as tension-building as usual. The plot took too long to develop.
If this had been a very long book, a slow-to-develop plot, although not typical of Koontz, might have been just fine. But unfortunately, just as he finishes developing to the story to the point where it’s interesting, the book comes to its ending — an ending that felt rushed and was distinctly unsatisfying.
I won’t put any specifics here, since I don’t want to spoil the surprises for people — this book does have some surprises as most Koontz books do. But from where I sit many were predictable and thus not all that shocking, and the climax happened so fast I had to actually re-read the few pages at the end just to see if I missed something or if my Nook had messed up and skipped a bunch of pages (it didn’t).
This book is fair, but not up to Koontz’s usual standards. He has many better novels I would recommend ahead of this one. If you want to read one of his really good newer ones, I’d recommend [b:The Good Guy|32441|The Good Guy|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320497886s/32441.jpg|1443220] or [b:The Taking|16434|The Taking|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166723460s/16434.jpg|944262].
This book has some interesting and some suspenseful elements, but unfortunately it does not rise to the standards of Koontz classics like [b:Lightning|32424|Lightning|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312500123s/32424.jpg|1396631], [b:Watchers|32423|Watchers|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1308458930s/32423.jpg|2200683], [b:Whispers|64948|Whispers|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309198136s/64948.jpg|442705]. The characters are very well done, as usual, but that’s the book’s only real strength.
The plot itself is very simplistic, much less complicated than usual for a Dean Koontz novel, and the story is much too slow to build up. Normally in a Koontz novel, something startling, supernatural, or surprising happens right away, and then you are on a rollercoaster ride of suspense for the rest of the book, unable to stop turning the pages until the ending. This time, however, the startling or surprising thing comes later, and is too subtle and vague to be quite as tension-building as usual. The plot took too long to develop.
If this had been a very long book, a slow-to-develop plot, although not typical of Koontz, might have been just fine. But unfortunately, just as he finishes developing to the story to the point where it’s interesting, the book comes to its ending — an ending that felt rushed and was distinctly unsatisfying.
I won’t put any specifics here, since I don’t want to spoil the surprises for people — this book does have some surprises as most Koontz books do. But from where I sit many were predictable and thus not all that shocking, and the climax happened so fast I had to actually re-read the few pages at the end just to see if I missed something or if my Nook had messed up and skipped a bunch of pages (it didn’t).
This book is fair, but not up to Koontz’s usual standards. He has many better novels I would recommend ahead of this one. If you want to read one of his really good newer ones, I’d recommend [b:The Good Guy|32441|The Good Guy|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320497886s/32441.jpg|1443220] or [b:The Taking|16434|The Taking|Dean Koontz|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166723460s/16434.jpg|944262].
reading_rider's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
beytwice's review
1.0
I almost feel as if my rating is being too harsh on this one as the book itself was easy enough to read, but it really felt like a pointless read to me. So many typical Koontz tropes (dogs, miracles, disabled characters) re-hashed into a nonsensical plot: the narrative felt forced and shoddy, as if writing to meet a deadline without any finesse. I was not invested in any of the characters nor was I intrigued by the villains; the ending was mediocre and I just feel so indifferent that I may as well have not wasted my time reading it.
miajmu's review
3.0
Dean Koontz delivers another enjoyable thriller. Supernatural occurences, interesting connections betweens characters, and of course golden retrievers!
beelzebex's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
minerva1221's review
3.0
When Amy Redwing rescues Nickie, a beautiful golden retriever, and takes her into her own home, it is clear that Nickie is a special animal. It also becomes clear that Amy has a past that is coming back to haunt her.
Not as horrifying as Koontz's other works, this book manages to be suspenseful while weaving a sweet tale of a woman and her love of dogs. Golden retrievers to be specific.
Not as horrifying as Koontz's other works, this book manages to be suspenseful while weaving a sweet tale of a woman and her love of dogs. Golden retrievers to be specific.
smurfolis's review
3.0
I picked up this book because I absolutely love dogs and I am also getting into reading horror fiction. I was surprised with what a captivating read it was though I didn't like the ending much at all. The book was brilliant until the finale, the characters were wonderfully brought to life, each chapter became more thrilling than the former, but the end through it down a well and there was no hope to bring it back out. To be honest, I wanted the ending to be realistic not some fantasy magic that fixed everything in a simple sentence.
It was a good book and an easy read but the ending could have been better.
It was a good book and an easy read but the ending could have been better.
macnchz's review
4.0
[author: Dean Koontz]'s latest novel is about a woman who rescues Golden Retrievers whose dark past comes back to haunt her. Also her boyfriend just so happens to have a dark past that intersects. It's well written, and the parts about dog abuse, etc. make you sad for humanity. It has a sweet ending (deus-ex-machina!) and as many Koontz books do, involves odd supernatural occurrences that might be due to the existence of God. Overall, a good, quick read.