Scan barcode
daniallreads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, and Kidnapping
hooksbookswanderlust's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an arc of this book.
I was so excited to have been approved to read this book, one of the most-anticipated thrillers of 2023. I really liked The Whisper Man and The Shadows, and this book has the same sinister quality.
One thing that North does well is write atmospheric stories. As in his other two novels, this one has a similar paranormal realism that you question the validity of the entire way through. I'm not sure quite how to classify this. Similar to magical realism, but bordering more on the occult. Either way, this aspect lends to the overwhelming creepiness of the book.
The thing I struggled with in this one was that with so many points of view and timelines jumping from present to recent past to present to farther back, it could be a bit tricky to follow along with. I think that this would have been easier to follow if reading the print version instead of listening to the audio, so if you prefer audio, just be aware of that.
I also had a problem with the narration of the audiobook. The diction of the reader was a bit difficult to make out at points and I had to listen very carefully to try to work out what she said. Overall, she had a nice cadence, but sometimes it was how she would say certain names or words that it took a few minutes to try to work out whose POV she was reading from. Since keeping up with those POVs and timelines was already a struggle, this was not helpful.
I had most of the reveals figured out long ahead of time, which took some of the fun out, but I never quite understood the motivations of Michael. Still, I enjoy how North delved into determinism and how that effected the motivations of the characters in the story. Combined with the atmosphere and quick pace, it still made for an enjoyable listen.
I think if you liked his previous work, you'll like this one well-enough, though I don't think it's as good as The Whisper Man, which still maintains its spot as my favorite of his books.
I was so excited to have been approved to read this book, one of the most-anticipated thrillers of 2023. I really liked The Whisper Man and The Shadows, and this book has the same sinister quality.
One thing that North does well is write atmospheric stories. As in his other two novels, this one has a similar paranormal realism that you question the validity of the entire way through. I'm not sure quite how to classify this. Similar to magical realism, but bordering more on the occult. Either way, this aspect lends to the overwhelming creepiness of the book.
The thing I struggled with in this one was that with so many points of view and timelines jumping from present to recent past to present to farther back, it could be a bit tricky to follow along with. I think that this would have been easier to follow if reading the print version instead of listening to the audio, so if you prefer audio, just be aware of that.
I also had a problem with the narration of the audiobook. The diction of the reader was a bit difficult to make out at points and I had to listen very carefully to try to work out what she said. Overall, she had a nice cadence, but sometimes it was how she would say certain names or words that it took a few minutes to try to work out whose POV she was reading from. Since keeping up with those POVs and timelines was already a struggle, this was not helpful.
I had most of the reveals figured out long ahead of time, which took some of the fun out, but I never quite understood the motivations of Michael. Still, I enjoy how North delved into determinism and how that effected the motivations of the characters in the story. Combined with the atmosphere and quick pace, it still made for an enjoyable listen.
I think if you liked his previous work, you'll like this one well-enough, though I don't think it's as good as The Whisper Man, which still maintains its spot as my favorite of his books.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Child death, Addiction, Violence, and Stalking
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Out February 28, 2023 [Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!]
Rating: 4/5 stars
The lives and secrets of Katie Shaw, a wife and mother who lived through a violent tragedy in her family’s past, and Detective Laurence Page, investigating the brutal murder of a former philosophy professor, intersect with one another and with the legacy of a gruesome serial killer who believed he could see the future.
I love Alex North’s writing and I love any serial killer thriller, so I was particularly excited for The Angel Maker, and I really enjoyed it! It’s a fast and smooth read, with just the right amount of “wtf did I just read?” mind-bending moments and lots and lots of creepy chills.
I did mostly see the main twist coming, but the real attraction of this book comes less from the plot and more from the fascinating commentary on fate, free will, and religion, which was presented here in a way I’ve never before encountered in a thriller. The Angel Maker is a novel that raises fascinating and important questions and keeps you on your toes until the very last page.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: serial killer thrillers; ensemble casts; paranormal vibes
CW: Murder/blood/violence (including violence towards children and child death); kidnapping; drug use/abuse (off-page); domestic violence/physical abuse
Rating: 4/5 stars
The lives and secrets of Katie Shaw, a wife and mother who lived through a violent tragedy in her family’s past, and Detective Laurence Page, investigating the brutal murder of a former philosophy professor, intersect with one another and with the legacy of a gruesome serial killer who believed he could see the future.
I love Alex North’s writing and I love any serial killer thriller, so I was particularly excited for The Angel Maker, and I really enjoyed it! It’s a fast and smooth read, with just the right amount of “wtf did I just read?” mind-bending moments and lots and lots of creepy chills.
I did mostly see the main twist coming, but the real attraction of this book comes less from the plot and more from the fascinating commentary on fate, free will, and religion, which was presented here in a way I’ve never before encountered in a thriller. The Angel Maker is a novel that raises fascinating and important questions and keeps you on your toes until the very last page.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: serial killer thrillers; ensemble casts; paranormal vibes
CW: Murder/blood/violence (including violence towards children and child death); kidnapping; drug use/abuse (off-page); domestic violence/physical abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Drug abuse
connorjdaley's review against another edition
challenging
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was super stoked when I was approved for the audiobook from NetGalley. I am a huge fan of The Shadows and The Whisper Man, so I couldn’t wait to get to this one. I love how the audio mixes crime with horror elements.
Sadly, I’m not much of a fan of this one. I feel like the book lost me within the first 20 minutes of audio. This book features like Goosebumps-level short chapters but from different perspectives. Not to mention also time periods? It jumps so fast and so often that you aren’t really spending significant time with anyone, which wasn’t allowing me to settle into any one perspective. It was incredibly confusing.
The hooks and twists of the story were lacking for me, they read as kind of unbelievable. I’m not sure if it was because they were too simple, too coincidental, or because they actually didn’t make sense. This read like a book that got published 2 or 3 drafts before it was finished. There’s interesting stuff here, but it’s not collected well. The Angel Maker? It’s like oddly referenced two or three times, sounds super creepy and weird, but literally has no pay out. Did they forget? It kind of sets up its horror elements, but then forgets to add them in.
Personally a 2/5* for me. Oddly disappointed!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, Blood, and Murder
definitelynotreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Alex North is my favorite thriller author, so when I saw that he had a new release coming, I knew I had to read it as quickly as humanly possible. After the Shadows and the Whisper Man, The Angel Maker absolutely did not disappoint. This seems to be his most ambitious project yet, with multiple POVs and overlapping timelines, it has the potential to be confusing. Due to the nature of the book, I was barely able to put it down and flew through it in just over a day. I had chills from the prologue and North managed to maintain the aura of suspense through every page. It didn't outright scare me the way the Shadows did, but I found myself checking the corners and being glad I wasn't reading in sight of any windows.
It was clear early on that the pieces of this story would connect some how, but it wasn't until the very end that the whole picture came together. I often find myself making wild prediction as a read a book, especially thrillers, but my brain only had space for the information it was reading and I rode the twists and turns with the characters predicting very little. One of my favorite things about Alex North books is the POV of detectives as they do a large portion of the detective work in the story. So often thrillers leave the suspense up to amateurs who get themselves into unnecessary scrapes, ultimately making the situation worse. While there were elements of that in this book, it was refreshing to follow detectives on the case as well as both protagonists and antagonists who were directly involved.
Alex North writes the kind of books that make me want to check on him. Are we sure he's okay? Does he have a good therapist? We're truly convinced he's *not* a serial killer himself? I'm glad he's using his genius to entertain us rather than any of the alternatives.
Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for my advanced copy to review.
It was clear early on that the pieces of this story would connect some how, but it wasn't until the very end that the whole picture came together. I often find myself making wild prediction as a read a book, especially thrillers, but my brain only had space for the information it was reading and I rode the twists and turns with the characters predicting very little. One of my favorite things about Alex North books is the POV of detectives as they do a large portion of the detective work in the story. So often thrillers leave the suspense up to amateurs who get themselves into unnecessary scrapes, ultimately making the situation worse. While there were elements of that in this book, it was refreshing to follow detectives on the case as well as both protagonists and antagonists who were directly involved.
Alex North writes the kind of books that make me want to check on him. Are we sure he's okay? Does he have a good therapist? We're truly convinced he's *not* a serial killer himself? I'm glad he's using his genius to entertain us rather than any of the alternatives.
Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for my advanced copy to review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Murder
morethanmylupus's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was so happy to be granted an ARC of the new Alex North! I started it immediately.
This one focuses on serial killers and determinism - the idea that everything is preordained.
The book begins with Alan Hobbes thinking about the lives that are connected to his as he waits to die:
1/ Katie Shaw, who feels overprotective of her daughter and guilty because of something that happened to her little brother when he was a kid and she left him alone.
2/ Christopher Shaw, who is Katie's younger brother and has a history of drug use amongst other things resulting from what happened to him as child.
3/ Detective Page, who will be assigned Alan's death and discover that it is linked with 2 cases he previously worked.
My only real complaint about this book was that it took me awhile to figure out the cast of characters and whether they were supposed to be good or evil. We get some past instances in Alan's life mixed in to the story following his death as well. I wasn't sure how it would end and I can definitely say I've never read this story before. Another big winner from Alex North!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
This one focuses on serial killers and determinism - the idea that everything is preordained.
The book begins with Alan Hobbes thinking about the lives that are connected to his as he waits to die:
1/ Katie Shaw, who feels overprotective of her daughter and guilty because of something that happened to her little brother when he was a kid and she left him alone.
2/ Christopher Shaw, who is Katie's younger brother and has a history of drug use amongst other things resulting from what happened to him as child.
3/ Detective Page, who will be assigned Alan's death and discover that it is linked with 2 cases he previously worked.
My only real complaint about this book was that it took me awhile to figure out the cast of characters and whether they were supposed to be good or evil. We get some past instances in Alan's life mixed in to the story following his death as well. I wasn't sure how it would end and I can definitely say I've never read this story before. Another big winner from Alex North!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child abuse
More...