Reviews with content warning for Murder - The House in the Pines

Not gonna lie, this book was anti climatic. There was a lot of build up and then just, poof, it’s done. I’m kind of left feeling underwhelmed and like the story is unresolved. I do feel like Ana Reyes has a lot of potential as a writer, but I don’t think this one really hit as hard as I was promised it would.
And maybe I feel unresolved because of my own skepticism when it comes to certain aspects of the resolution that I will not mention. But I don’t think enough attention was given to how everything is resolved, and more just ends up feeling hand wavy.
Plus, as a thriller, I didn’t ever feel that Maya was really in much danger, except from herself.
That being said, I really enjoyed the tone and writing style, I liked Maya as a character and as a narrator, and I felt like the character aspects of this story were well developed. Each character felt distinct, and I could sense Maya’s imperfections and possible unreliabilities. I also liked the dreamlike quality of the writing, with flashbacks happening interspersed between the present day narration. It added to the sense of unease I’m sure Maya felt.
So, overall, it was fine.

Enjoyment: 3
Educational Value: 3
Emotional Impact: 2

Content Warnings

tamara_joy's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Content Warnings

caitycatm's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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aliciaurbain's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

lhodgson26's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

1) I had such high expectations for this book being one of Reece's book club ones and whilst it was an interesting take on a psychological thriller. The revelation that the cabin wasn't actually real and that Frank was a hypnotist which is how he murdered Audbrey and the other women was a good twist. However, I kept waiting for another twist to come as it felt so anti climatic and there were so many questions still remaining like did Frank actually get arrested for his crimes. Maya was an intriguing character and it was important to again show the issue of addiction in America when doctors will happily prescribe heavy medications which will lead to dependency and destroy the lives of the patients. As well as Mayas Guatemalan heritage and the atrocities that happened in the country when innocent people had been killed. However, there just seemed to be so much going on but not that much to do with the actual murders and the interaction between Frank and Maya at the bar seemed so underwhelming.

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ariana3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I kinda liked this! A murder-mystery thriller that seemed kinda stupid but I was determined to finish it.

A girl's best friend was supposedly murdered right in front of her when they were teens, by her maybe boyfriend. It was always a mystery and she was plagued by it, with family and professionals calling her crazy. Turns out the maybe-boyfriend had used hypnosis to trick/manipulate her and found a way to use it to kill her friend and others. She obviously forgets the tactics (because he hypnotizes her to), but she eventually remembers. The "house in the pines" was never a real place like he said, just him putting the image (along with smells, feels, and tastes) into her brain to lull her into his hypnosis trap. She's justified in the end, so she can move on, though it doesn't have much closure in the way it deals with him (just that an arrest should be coming soon...)

Content Warnings

yami_24's review

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Content Warnings

murtzzie's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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