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springtimebooks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
icehockeystick's review against another edition
3.0
It’s pretty boring. It didn’t get interesting until the midway mark and even then, there was nothing great about it.
Also: If Nina is Brazilian, which I gather she is, calling her “beautiful in an unconventional way and more like an Amazonian way” is racist.
Also: If Nina is Brazilian, which I gather she is, calling her “beautiful in an unconventional way and more like an Amazonian way” is racist.
rachelrreads's review against another edition
3.0
Since I started reading Ruth Ware in 2024, it was only fitting to kick off 2025 by reading (finishing) her first thriller! This was an average, quick read, locked-room mystery thriller. I like that Ware kept the story moving with short chapters — especially a few that alternated past and present in the first half —but ultimately the story and the twists were pretty well-trod territory. I also thought the protagonist Leonora (Nora) was often annoying and overly negative, though it turns out in the end she had many reasons to hold a grudge — and she was ultimately a sympathetic narrator worth rooting for. I'll keep on my Ruth Ware path, but this wasn't my favorite. Still, Ware's debut proves that she understands the tropes and tricks of the classic locked-room thriller genre.
theone_gingerella's review against another edition
3.0
Misleading reviews
I was expecting to have my pants scared off and it wasn't even in the top 20 scariest things I've ever read. More of a crime thriller than a horror novel. Still quite good but not astonishingly though.
I was expecting to have my pants scared off and it wasn't even in the top 20 scariest things I've ever read. More of a crime thriller than a horror novel. Still quite good but not astonishingly though.
bex_long's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
keithlafo's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed The Woman In Cabin 10, and I had heard a lot about this book. For the most part it is extremely engrossing and page-turning. Great suspense, vivid characters, and lean plotting. The final act seemed to lose a bit of steam, and the final twist was a little anti-climactic for me. However, with all of that said, I did enjoy the book a lot.
Doesn't reinvent the crime thriller wheel, but executes its elements very well.
I enjoyed The Woman In Cabin 10, and I had heard a lot about this book. For the most part it is extremely engrossing and page-turning. Great suspense, vivid characters, and lean plotting. The final act seemed to lose a bit of steam, and the final twist was a little anti-climactic for me. However, with all of that said, I did enjoy the book a lot.
Doesn't reinvent the crime thriller wheel, but executes its elements very well.
lacytelles's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this book and found it to be entertaining for the most part. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it up until the last third, when suddenly the narrator becomes super annoying for some reason. It's like her intelligence and astuteness goes out the window in the second half.
At a bachelorette weekend away, a man is shot, and no-one is 100% sure who is responsible. The police are suspicious, and the narrator must overcome her memory loss to get to the bottom of the murder.
At a bachelorette weekend away, a man is shot, and no-one is 100% sure who is responsible. The police are suspicious, and the narrator must overcome her memory loss to get to the bottom of the murder.
cro777's review against another edition
3.0
This story starts with Nora, who receives an invite to her old friend Clare's hen party, apparently out of the blue. Nora hasn't seen or heard from Clare for ten years, so she is obviously a bit shocked to be invited to a special weekend away. Not wanting to seem like a stick in the mud by turning down the invite, Nora accepts and finds herself in route to The Glass House, tucked in a quite northern forest in England for a weekend of old friends. Upon arriving there, Nora realizes that something is off. Clare seems like no time had passed between the two and her new best friend seems a bit off and emotionally unstable. The ladies (and one man) begin their weekend of fun, but soon enough they realize that the phone lines are not working and strange footprints start showing up outside. Soon, everything comes to a head and Nora begins to realize what has happened and why she was invited to the weekend away.
Ruth Ware has a knack for writing a killer story that is packed with twists and turns, and things you might not expect. I don't know if she does it on purpose, but every time I read one of her books, I catch small details that seem to be hidden amongst the story, almost like a trail of clues. At about the mid to 3/4 ways through point, I always end up with a list of things that I want to yell at the main character about to warn them what may be coming and how to suspect. I love the way this story, and Ware's others always seem to have that aspect of reader engagement woven into them. They really keep me going.
I think I prefer stories of family secretes set in big, rambling gothic mansions, but this story still worked for me. I enjoyed the way it was told, through both flashbacks from Nora in the hospital to a more current-day flow of events as Nora is experiencing them. This really upped the story in terms of keeping you on your toes and guessing who the "bad guy" really was.
Something else is that Ware is really skilled at writing characters and making the reader develop feelings for or have empathy for them. By the end of this book, I really felt sorry for Nora, not just for her hard time at the hen party and the events that took place, but also for the sad lot in life she had to deal with and her relationship with Clare. I don't want to give too much away on this point, but by the end of the book my attitude for Nora really changes drastically from what it was in the beginning.
Overall, I highly recommend anything by Ruth Ware if you want something that is quick and that will keep you enthralled and guessing. Even at the end, I was still grasping for straws while the story continued developing. This book is a really fun, quick read, perfect for a weekend read or an audio listen.
Ruth Ware has a knack for writing a killer story that is packed with twists and turns, and things you might not expect. I don't know if she does it on purpose, but every time I read one of her books, I catch small details that seem to be hidden amongst the story, almost like a trail of clues. At about the mid to 3/4 ways through point, I always end up with a list of things that I want to yell at the main character about to warn them what may be coming and how to suspect. I love the way this story, and Ware's others always seem to have that aspect of reader engagement woven into them. They really keep me going.
I think I prefer stories of family secretes set in big, rambling gothic mansions, but this story still worked for me. I enjoyed the way it was told, through both flashbacks from Nora in the hospital to a more current-day flow of events as Nora is experiencing them. This really upped the story in terms of keeping you on your toes and guessing who the "bad guy" really was.
Something else is that Ware is really skilled at writing characters and making the reader develop feelings for or have empathy for them. By the end of this book, I really felt sorry for Nora, not just for her hard time at the hen party and the events that took place, but also for the sad lot in life she had to deal with and her relationship with Clare. I don't want to give too much away on this point, but by the end of the book my attitude for Nora really changes drastically from what it was in the beginning.
Overall, I highly recommend anything by Ruth Ware if you want something that is quick and that will keep you enthralled and guessing. Even at the end, I was still grasping for straws while the story continued developing. This book is a really fun, quick read, perfect for a weekend read or an audio listen.
lynnes_library's review against another edition
3.0
It's not great literature but it's definitely a page-turner.
thelitpirate's review against another edition
4.0
3.5(rounded to 4)/5
I love the way Ruth writes. I think she might be my favorite modern writer, honestly.
In a Dark, Dark Wood was captivating--and while I was pretty sure I figured out 'whodunnit' earlier one--it was still a fun read.
Ware spins a great tale of a decade long rivalry-ish, threaded with bits of great humor, characters that came to life, followed by tragedy, mystery, and a feeling of total exhaustion. I didn't even realize this was Ware's first book until I finished and reached the back of the book jacket! It reminds me so much of the short stories I would write and concern my middle-school teachers :) Maybe that's why I'm so struck by the book.
Again, the end was a little predictable after all was said and done, but even still, it had me doubting myself until the last 5 pages. I plowed through this book despite work and kids, haha.
peace, love, and thrillers!
I love the way Ruth writes. I think she might be my favorite modern writer, honestly.
In a Dark, Dark Wood was captivating--and while I was pretty sure I figured out 'whodunnit' earlier one--it was still a fun read.
Ware spins a great tale of a decade long rivalry-ish, threaded with bits of great humor, characters that came to life, followed by tragedy, mystery, and a feeling of total exhaustion. I didn't even realize this was Ware's first book until I finished and reached the back of the book jacket! It reminds me so much of the short stories I would write and concern my middle-school teachers :) Maybe that's why I'm so struck by the book.
Again, the end was a little predictable after all was said and done, but even still, it had me doubting myself until the last 5 pages. I plowed through this book despite work and kids, haha.
peace, love, and thrillers!