Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Angel Maker by Alex North

10 reviews

wperdue92's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child death, and Drug abuse

Religious fanaticism

zosiablue's review

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This was a time-twisty mystery and what I liked about it was that the magical element wasn't overly explained. There was a book that told the future and that's about all you knew about it. And all you needed. I wish - and maybe in a sequel? - the serial killer dad / fortune teller and his sons backstory was there. It almost felt like the author didn't get the gist of her story until the end. Regardless, I really enjoyed this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Addiction

Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Stalking, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

jraley_writes's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Murder, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Torture

mirificmoxie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Addiction, Stalking, Drug abuse, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Gaslighting and Toxic relationship

edgaranjapoe's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death, Addiction, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Child death

Minor: Alcohol, Child abuse, Infertility, Gore, Stalking, Torture, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Drug use

kris386's review

dark mysterious fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, and Abandonment

Minor: Infertility, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Suicide

rosemaryandrue's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Katie and her brother Chris have had a strained relationship ever since the brutal attack on Chris that changed their lives forever. Decades later, it might be too late to fix things when Chris goes missing.

In this book, we are introduced to two separate mysteries that inevitably wind together – the disappearance of Chris Shaw, and the murder of Alan Hobbs – and the way that they come together made me exercise my brain and sometimes stretched my incredulity. I would hesitate to call this a mystery, as we are given nearly all the pieces in the first section of the book – it is fitting them all together which takes time.

I enjoyed the clever writing, and the theme of determinism that forms the keystone of the story, the question of if our pasts determine our present, or if we are more than the sum of our parts. I also really liked the sibling relationship between Katie and Chris, which is very complicated but still loving, and empathized with Katie’s need to not give up on her brother.

However, I thought the story moved along rather slowly, and while some reveals were well-done, I felt that others had been so telegraphed so obviously that they were rather robbed of their impact. There was also a supernatural elements to the story which I wasn’t expecting – though they are alluded to in the blurb, I did not realized how thoroughly the author leaned into them – and it seemed that many other readers were taken aback as well. Also, while I liked the character of Detective Page, I felt that his side of the narrative never really rose above being a device to move the plot along.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which is narrated by Rosalie Craig. I thought she did a good job of differentiating characters, and was especially good at portraying the fear and horror that characters felt during the story.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

readingwithkaitlyn's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Stalking, and Child death

Minor: Child abuse, Suicide, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia

soobooksalot's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved Alex North's The Whisper Man. I didn't care much for The Shadows. The Angel Maker is somewhere between. 
 Thank you to Celedon Books and Netgalley for my eARC for review!
 The first chapter winds up with a violent image, of a boy being viciously attacked with a knife.
 The book unfolds with multiple storylines and timeframes intersecting. Compelling characters and creepy scenarios keep things moving quickly. 
 Personally, I struggled a bit to keep some of the connection lines drawn between the characters, and some plot points weren't resolved enough for me.
 I enjoyed reading it, but I'm left with questions. 
 For release on Feb. 28.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Suicide, Drug abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Drug abuse