Reviews

Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb

alliescott26's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

mels_reading_rook's review against another edition

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4.0

Kate Granger has returned to her parents' home on Lake Superior after her marriage ends badly. Instead of finding relaxation, however, she finds herself embroiled in a mystery as the body of a dead woman holding a baby is found washed up on the shore outside their home. What's more, Kate has been dreaming about this woman for the past several weeks. As she works to unravel the mystery of their supernatural connection, she discovers that the past won't always stay in the past, especially if there are dark secrets that want to come to light.

Daughters of the Lake, first and foremost, was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The story had me hooked from the very beginning, and it wouldn't let me go until I finished the last page. It was an intriguing, unique mystery with a touch of paranormal, giving it a gothic feel in the modern era. I loved the atmosphere, and I loved the story. However, be aware that this is a slow-burn story that takes its time to convey all the information to the readers - to tell them about the characters and their histories. If you're not a fan of slow-developing novels, then this probably isn't for you.

As much as I liked the book, there were a couple of things that I thought brought down the quality of the book. For one, the dialogue at times didn't seem natural. What five-year-old says "a human baby"? Maybe if it were placed in a full-fantasy setting and there were other races other than humans, but here, it didn't fit. In fact, all of the children's dialogues came across as things adults would say, and even then, I'm not sure the dialogue was natural even for adults.

The other issue I had with the book was with the plot holes. I didn't notice them when I was first reading it, but thinking back now, I can notice them. I think it's a testament to the author's ability to create enough immersion to cause the readers to ignore the plot holes at the moment. But still. Plot holes.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it to others who are interested in giving it a try.

missemg's review

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dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

amirabazilah's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

andiemags53's review against another edition

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2.0

Meh

Had a really hard time getting into the book. Honestly skimmed through most of it just to have it finished

tatyanavogt's review

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4.0

this is a book with great vibes. Really enjoyed the process of reading this.

lady_luckless's review against another edition

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2.0

Premise was great but the generations of people you have to keep track of and their crossover was so hard to keep up with. We’re talking great-great-great grandparents here. Also the author changed the identity of a character between the middle and the end of the story and didn’t go back and fix it, just mentioned she changed her mind on who it actually was in the Q&A at the end of the book so I was completely lost for a while. This book needed a detailed family tree in the beginning like fantasy books need maps. I predicted the twist maybe 60% of the way through and finishing it from there got pretty boring when I knew what was going to happen. The last minute wrench thrown in didn’t make up for that boredom either.

mckenziemartines's review against another edition

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4.0

Pretty good, an interesting story, but there were times when I felt like the character's voices were inauthentic, as if the author was just trying to move the story along and wasn't developing characters as much as I would have liked. Also, with a 100 year time difference being a major part of the plot, the way people spoke wasn't that different in each setting so that made it harder for me to envelop myself in the story. The storyline is good, though, and I like the idea of it all, the lore especially.

kari13's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0