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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I started this on Saturday, late, got in a few chapters. Nestled into a plush blanket last night with this arctic cold, I dived in again, and had to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to finish! I kept thinking, "I need to go to sleep!" But then . . "I gotta know what happens next!".
I have read a bunch of thrillers with psychologist as main character, by Stephen White, and someone else who most people would recognize but escapes my fibro fog brain at present. I feel The Ninth Session was a better story than quite a few of those. It certainly kept me interested and more excited than a number of those did.
A mild criticism is that it needed a bit more editing of the proof, as words like "a", "the", and such being missing were the most frequent error I found, with a couple of other types. But the writing is quite excellent, except for a minor thing early on where a small physical thing people did, came up a lot (I understand why, though, I've been in therapy 15 years!). I find the writing of a new fiction writer, astChris Paolini was in the book Eragon, and the two after it, to be far more awkward, and difficult to read in some ways because of that. Here, the little I mention, is a much smaller thing than I'm making it sound, but given my praise of the book above, I wanted to be thorough.
I have also experienced a number of books where the editing stuff interfered in my enjoyment much more. It's there, but the story was so engaging, and the characters, and wanting to know what happened, I didn't care much about that issue.
I loved the sessions, and how things built from session to session, and in between. I've had a lot of therapy, psychodynamic anyway which isn't the same as psychoanalysis, bu there it feels like there are enough similarities I can appreciate how real the therapy in the book felt . The interplay between them was the star, and their reactions. Other books with therapy in that I've read, often have way too much extraneous description and such going on, and make it seem like 5 minutes of work in therapy is a whole session. Here, it felt more realistic (not that you can always put long enough, or near, to be a whole session, but it felt like there was plenty of therapeutic work and stuff like that). I'm not a shrink, and I'm not a violent dangerous person either, not commenting on that level of realism, just as a long time therapy patient with a psychologist in general.
The book flowed pretty well, especially the farther you went.
I have read a bunch of thrillers with psychologist as main character, by Stephen White, and someone else who most people would recognize but escapes my fibro fog brain at present. I feel The Ninth Session was a better story than quite a few of those. It certainly kept me interested and more excited than a number of those did.
A mild criticism is that it needed a bit more editing of the proof, as words like "a", "the", and such being missing were the most frequent error I found, with a couple of other types. But the writing is quite excellent, except for a minor thing early on where a small physical thing people did, came up a lot (I understand why, though, I've been in therapy 15 years!). I find the writing of a new fiction writer, astChris Paolini was in the book Eragon, and the two after it, to be far more awkward, and difficult to read in some ways because of that. Here, the little I mention, is a much smaller thing than I'm making it sound, but given my praise of the book above, I wanted to be thorough.
I have also experienced a number of books where the editing stuff interfered in my enjoyment much more. It's there, but the story was so engaging, and the characters, and wanting to know what happened, I didn't care much about that issue.
I loved the sessions, and how things built from session to session, and in between. I've had a lot of therapy, psychodynamic anyway which isn't the same as psychoanalysis, bu there it feels like there are enough similarities I can appreciate how real the therapy in the book felt . The interplay between them was the star, and their reactions. Other books with therapy in that I've read, often have way too much extraneous description and such going on, and make it seem like 5 minutes of work in therapy is a whole session. Here, it felt more realistic (not that you can always put long enough, or near, to be a whole session, but it felt like there was plenty of therapeutic work and stuff like that). I'm not a shrink, and I'm not a violent dangerous person either, not commenting on that level of realism, just as a long time therapy patient with a psychologist in general.
The book flowed pretty well, especially the farther you went.
Was a good book with a pretty good story line but editing could have been a little better there were words left out in a few places otherwise I liked it I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is a must-read if you're into psychological thrillers. I loved the writing style and the way the plot twists were incorporated in the story. I would like to read more books like this. And if a next book was available, I would definitely read it.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
My rating is based purely on the following:
This was a readable book. The writing style made it easy to follow through right till the end. I really liked the insight into Deaf people.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
This was a readable book. The writing style made it easy to follow through right till the end. I really liked the insight into Deaf people.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
At the start of the story I found it slow but as it continues, it becomes interesting and will put into a spin. The main characters Alicia and Lucas therapy session were interesting and makes you pause and think what's really going behind. Overall the story was good and can be read in one sitting. Good read.
I received this as free in exchange for my review.
I received this as free in exchange for my review.
3.5 stars
The Ninth Session is well-written, and the story did capture my attention. That said, it falls a bit short of being the edge of your seat psychological thriller that is promised. It is a psychological thriller, but the pacing is a little too slow for that edge of your seat feeling. Nevertheless, Serani does create a slowly rising tension as the story progresses. I would've liked a little more from Alicia in the beginning. The sessions are all very succinct, which I understand is due to her making notes of the things Lucas says, but it makes it hard to connect with her. There are some pretty good twists, especially in the second half of the story, and I'll admit that I didn't see a couple of them coming. The writing is certainly descriptive, making it easy to visualize the setting, and it's impossible not to want to know more about Lucas - the more he reveals, the darker the story becomes. In the end, this one felt more drama-ish for most of it, but it does pick up into something more thriller-like, and the ending wasn't what I expected which is perfect for a thriller.
The Ninth Session is well-written, and the story did capture my attention. That said, it falls a bit short of being the edge of your seat psychological thriller that is promised. It is a psychological thriller, but the pacing is a little too slow for that edge of your seat feeling. Nevertheless, Serani does create a slowly rising tension as the story progresses. I would've liked a little more from Alicia in the beginning. The sessions are all very succinct, which I understand is due to her making notes of the things Lucas says, but it makes it hard to connect with her. There are some pretty good twists, especially in the second half of the story, and I'll admit that I didn't see a couple of them coming. The writing is certainly descriptive, making it easy to visualize the setting, and it's impossible not to want to know more about Lucas - the more he reveals, the darker the story becomes. In the end, this one felt more drama-ish for most of it, but it does pick up into something more thriller-like, and the ending wasn't what I expected which is perfect for a thriller.
Wow, a psychological thriller is a perfect description of The Ninth Session. Serani does not disappoint on the thrills or suspense right up to the end. The Ninth Session is an easy and fast read. I could not put it down after the first chapter, a definite page-turner.
Dr. Alicia Reese takes on a new patient, Lucas Ferro who suffers from severe anxiety. The more he shares with Alicia the more dangerous her world becomes. If you love a riveting psychological thriller as I do you will not want to pass this one up. Best psychological thriller I have read this year for sure.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Dr. Alicia Reese takes on a new patient, Lucas Ferro who suffers from severe anxiety. The more he shares with Alicia the more dangerous her world becomes. If you love a riveting psychological thriller as I do you will not want to pass this one up. Best psychological thriller I have read this year for sure.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I have always found psychology very interesting and the authors expertise shines through in this novel. The psychologist takes on a new troubled patient and the Dr. can’t turn away from the challenge of helping the new patient. As things evolve more secrets are found. This book focuses on ethical and legal issues that I am sure psychologists deal with a lot. I found this book easy to read and I enjoyed how the story unfolded.
Disclaimer- I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Disclaimer- I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"The Ninth Session" gripped me by a unique plot. Along with an intriguing cover image, this is one of the few books that I have stumbled across that brings a mix of American Sign Language and Coda Culture. The female protagonist Dr. Alicia Reese is a psychologist whose first interaction with Lucas Ferro begins with helping him get through a panic attack. Ferro suffers from crippling anxiety. As the sessions progress, the source of this takes a malicious and dark turn. Despite her instincts, there is something that draws Alicia to Lucas. The revelations in this book are well-timed, complemented by a vivid and gripping sequence of events. Alicia's personal notes at the end of most chapters were interesting and refreshing. Dr. Reese is a well-developed character as she is portrayed in multiple lenses - as a professional, aunt, sister and wife. The metaphoric musings, along with the ethical crossroads, stood out for me. I struggled to keep this book down and finished this book in one sitting. I was on the fence when it came to the ending, but I can't imagine another conclusion. A 4.5 star read!
I received a digital advance review copy for free via Booksirens. This honest review is left voluntarily.
I received a digital advance review copy for free via Booksirens. This honest review is left voluntarily.
I was so excited for some major twist. Ultimately this was just a story of a guy fucked up because his childhood and his doctor dealing with her own pain. No twists, nothing shocking or intense. Ended boring. Loopholes, pointless back stories that did not connect with current events. Waste of time.