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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
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
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