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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Promising start, if Hogan and Del Toro split writing chapters you can definitely feel the tone shift between them, skimmed to the end and found it was pretty meh.
The story starts with a horrific chase where main character Odessa Hardwick turns her gun into her partner. A mist, a heat wave or image appears after her partner is shot down. Odessa isn’t sure if what she saw was real or if she imagined it. All she knows is that this will not go down well with the FBI.
Reassigned to desk duty while an investigation takes places other murder sprees take place. Odessa is given an assignment to clean out an old detectives desk. When returning the items to the retired agent she tells the agent her story. He senses he knows what happened and tells her to send a letter unpostmarked to a mysteries place. Addressed to Hugo Blackwood.
No sure why but Odessa does it. She is not sure what to think of Mr. Blackwood and she isn’t sure he can help. What happens after they meet is filled with suspense.
Following and trying to capture the hollow ones will be a hard task. Especially if one of them gets infected.
The book is filled with good character development and the authors do a great job telling some of the origin story of Hugo Blackwood.
A little hit horror but more suspense and thriller.
One of my top picks of the year.
I would have given it 5 stars if it had a bit more horror elements but I love how it had a hint of the occult.
Reassigned to desk duty while an investigation takes places other murder sprees take place. Odessa is given an assignment to clean out an old detectives desk. When returning the items to the retired agent she tells the agent her story. He senses he knows what happened and tells her to send a letter unpostmarked to a mysteries place. Addressed to Hugo Blackwood.
No sure why but Odessa does it. She is not sure what to think of Mr. Blackwood and she isn’t sure he can help. What happens after they meet is filled with suspense.
Following and trying to capture the hollow ones will be a hard task. Especially if one of them gets infected.
The book is filled with good character development and the authors do a great job telling some of the origin story of Hugo Blackwood.
A little hit horror but more suspense and thriller.
One of my top picks of the year.
I would have given it 5 stars if it had a bit more horror elements but I love how it had a hint of the occult.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
In an attempt to stop a spree killer, rookie FBI Agent Odessa and her partner, Walt, rush to killer's house to find a massacre. When Odessa arrives upstairs, she sees Walt wrestling with the assailant, but it appears he is trying to kill him not disarm him. Walt kills the man, runs into the next room where the surviving child is located, and turns his knife on the the young girl. Confused and terrified for the girl's safety, she shoots Walt whereupon a strange black mist smelling of sulfur departs his body.
Assuming she's lost her mind, she is set on desk duty until she is asked to clean the desk of a retired FBI agent and return his belongings. Odessa meets Earl Soloman, who apparently has been working way past retirement age. Worried about what she may have seen, she confides in Soloman, who gives her a very specific set of instructions to illicit the aid of John Blackwood. Then things really begin getting weird.
I must admit, while I have the trilogy on my shelf, I have not read del Toro and Hogan's Strain books. But perhaps they should be moved up the TBR because this was some book! The characters were well-developed, there were some interesting settings. I like the set-up showing where Soloman initially met Blackwood 50 years prior. And some really weird shit happens - and I happen to like that too. The narrator was also really good - a solid voice performance.
Overall, very enjoyable. I will definitely be seeking out the next one.
*Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio download provided in exchange for my honest feedback.*
Assuming she's lost her mind, she is set on desk duty until she is asked to clean the desk of a retired FBI agent and return his belongings. Odessa meets Earl Soloman, who apparently has been working way past retirement age. Worried about what she may have seen, she confides in Soloman, who gives her a very specific set of instructions to illicit the aid of John Blackwood. Then things really begin getting weird.
I must admit, while I have the trilogy on my shelf, I have not read del Toro and Hogan's Strain books. But perhaps they should be moved up the TBR because this was some book! The characters were well-developed, there were some interesting settings. I like the set-up showing where Soloman initially met Blackwood 50 years prior. And some really weird shit happens - and I happen to like that too. The narrator was also really good - a solid voice performance.
Overall, very enjoyable. I will definitely be seeking out the next one.
*Thank to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio download provided in exchange for my honest feedback.*
I enjoyed the first 70% and the ending just didn't land for me.
3.5 rounding up. Cool concept but feels too much like a drawn out prologue. Characters needed more depth imo. My engagement level repeatedly dropped at the setting changes but that's more of a personal preference. Definitely interested in a sequel!
I like a fun, creepy read and this ticked those boxes. It was well written, with characters I cared about and wanted to follow through to the end.
A good bit of blood and violence, a nice mix of strange and creepy occult and a world under breath it all that has clearly been well thought out. I imagine that there will be sequels, the ending made that very possible and will read them as they come out.
A good bit of blood and violence, a nice mix of strange and creepy occult and a world under breath it all that has clearly been well thought out. I imagine that there will be sequels, the ending made that very possible and will read them as they come out.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes