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svalle2's review against another edition
4.0
Suspenseful, intriguing, but also confusing. There was a lot of past to present back and forth and it wasn't always clear which timeframe you were reading about. The last few chapters were chaotic (in a good way) and pulled me back in, but again, just kind of confusing and a lot to piece together.
findintea's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
justlily's review against another edition
5.0
This was unbelievably good. Without a doubt one of the best mystery/thrillers I've ever read.
The pace and the way the author weaves in the backstory is perfect. The way we think we get answers when really all we're getting is more questions makes it impossible to put down. Until the very end you don't know who does what and why or how and if any of it is real. But in the last moments all the threads are tied together perfectly.
The story in and of itself is twisted and creepily intriguing. A girl held prisoner (but not really) by a serial killer who can't remember anything about her past...until he comes back for her. That alone makes you want to read, but when it ends up being that AND so much more?
Honestly, it was just a fun as hell read. I added this authors entire collection of works to my TBR before I even finished.
The pace and the way the author weaves in the backstory is perfect. The way we think we get answers when really all we're getting is more questions makes it impossible to put down. Until the very end you don't know who does what and why or how and if any of it is real. But in the last moments all the threads are tied together perfectly.
The story in and of itself is twisted and creepily intriguing. A girl held prisoner (but not really) by a serial killer who can't remember anything about her past...until he comes back for her. That alone makes you want to read, but when it ends up being that AND so much more?
Honestly, it was just a fun as hell read. I added this authors entire collection of works to my TBR before I even finished.
katzreads's review against another edition
3.0
Not really my genre, but there must have been something in the Daedalus review to make me think I would like it. I read it fairly quickly, and it certainly held my attention, but it really isn't my favorite type of book. Well developed characters, fascinating plot, but "psychological thrillers" often leave me guessing about what was real and what was imagined throughout the book.
stevem0214's review against another edition
1.0
Not terrible, but not that great either. I listened to this on CD...if I'd been reading it, I probably would have sat it down. Too crazy a plot and too long.
melohpa's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I think I was left with more questions than answers with this one.
See my complete review at https://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com/2020/02/black-out-by-lisa-unger-u-author-well-i.html
See my complete review at https://topplingbookpile.blogspot.com/2020/02/black-out-by-lisa-unger-u-author-well-i.html
lizella's review against another edition
3.0
Black Out was probably one of my least favorite books by Lisa Unger. I found the narrator "Annie" a bit too unreliable, which made it harder to distinguish what events were real and what events were figments of her imagination.
Motives of the shadowy people trying to manipulate her were not as compelling as the plots of some of her other novels.
I just didn't have as much to connect to in this book.
Motives of the shadowy people trying to manipulate her were not as compelling as the plots of some of her other novels.
I just didn't have as much to connect to in this book.
k_cavacini's review against another edition
4.0
I agree with Courtney that, while I enjoyed this book, I didn't like it as much as Beautiful Lies or Sliver of Truth. Part of the reason that I didn't enjoy this book as much is because I didn't trust Ophelia/Annie as a narrator. The constant jumps in time did get confusing at times and may have been easier to understand if there was a simple indicator when the time was changing (ie. asterisks surrounding the flashbacks/flashforwards).
One of the things that I love about Lisa Under's writing is that it's suspenseful and I was constantly changing my mind about where the story was going (and who I thought "done it"). Definitely a fast-paced, intriguing read!
One of the things that I love about Lisa Under's writing is that it's suspenseful and I was constantly changing my mind about where the story was going (and who I thought "done it"). Definitely a fast-paced, intriguing read!
petersenftleben's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this, I really did. But I put it down about 150 pages in and just had no desire to pick it up again, even after renewing it at the library. There was so much potential for a good psychological suspense novel, but I never felt much suspense in the chapters that I read, and when I did, it turned out to be a dream or was written off in some other way.
I do admit that the author is a good writer, and there were some well-crafted passages. And as hesitant I was about the choice to use present throughout, I ended up not being as confused by the timeline as I was expecting. But, still, as curious as I was about the Annie/Ophelia question, the plot didn't grab me. I would have liked to have seen more of the scenes on the boat, but the rest of the story felt kind of pedestrian and unexciting to me.
I do admit that the author is a good writer, and there were some well-crafted passages. And as hesitant I was about the choice to use present throughout, I ended up not being as confused by the timeline as I was expecting. But, still, as curious as I was about the Annie/Ophelia question, the plot didn't grab me. I would have liked to have seen more of the scenes on the boat, but the rest of the story felt kind of pedestrian and unexciting to me.