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mrsfligs's review against another edition
3.0
2 Words that describe the book: Amnesia thriller
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
* Setting: Florida in the far past, the recent past and the present
* Annie Powers—a devoted but isolated mother whose past is starting to catch up with her, despite her own best efforts to avoid it
* Ophelia March—the person who Annie used to be and “killed” but who just won’t stay dead until her past is dealt with
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
* I liked the whole “what is real/what isn’t” aspect of the book. Annie often cannot tell what is real and what is an illusion and neither can the reader. This leads to fake-outs, red herrings and sudden abrupt changes in what you think is happening.
* I disliked the whole “what is real/what isn’t” aspect of the book. (Having deja vu?) Although it was kind of neat device, it often led to some confusion. I think the idea was to reflect what is happening in Annie’s confused mind, but it began to seem a bit too much at times. It seemed that everything in Annie’s life was called into question after awhile. At points, I began feeling unsure what I knew to be “real” and what wasn’t.
* I liked that the book alternated between three times: Ophelia’s life in the past, Annie’s life recently, and Annie’s current situation as she fights for her life. Unger does a relatively good job of keeping you on the right path, but I sometimes had to figure out where exactly I was. Unlike other books that jump back and forth, Unger does not provide any dates or time clues. You have to figure it out on your own. This might be annoying to some readers.
* I disliked that the characters never felt really fleshed out to me. This might be because some are “figments” of Annie’s imagination … or are they?
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I’m giving the book 3 stars. If you’re a fan of thrillers where the protagonist suffers from amnesia or blocked memories, this would be great read for you. You need to keep on your toes to follow along (at least I did), so if jumping back and forth in time bothers you, this book might be a struggle. Overall, I thought it was a decent thriller that kept me interested. I might read more by this author some day when I need a “don’t want to invest too much but I kind of want to read a thriller” type book.
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
* Setting: Florida in the far past, the recent past and the present
* Annie Powers—a devoted but isolated mother whose past is starting to catch up with her, despite her own best efforts to avoid it
* Ophelia March—the person who Annie used to be and “killed” but who just won’t stay dead until her past is dealt with
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
* I liked the whole “what is real/what isn’t” aspect of the book. Annie often cannot tell what is real and what is an illusion and neither can the reader. This leads to fake-outs, red herrings and sudden abrupt changes in what you think is happening.
* I disliked the whole “what is real/what isn’t” aspect of the book. (Having deja vu?) Although it was kind of neat device, it often led to some confusion. I think the idea was to reflect what is happening in Annie’s confused mind, but it began to seem a bit too much at times. It seemed that everything in Annie’s life was called into question after awhile. At points, I began feeling unsure what I knew to be “real” and what wasn’t.
* I liked that the book alternated between three times: Ophelia’s life in the past, Annie’s life recently, and Annie’s current situation as she fights for her life. Unger does a relatively good job of keeping you on the right path, but I sometimes had to figure out where exactly I was. Unlike other books that jump back and forth, Unger does not provide any dates or time clues. You have to figure it out on your own. This might be annoying to some readers.
* I disliked that the characters never felt really fleshed out to me. This might be because some are “figments” of Annie’s imagination … or are they?
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I’m giving the book 3 stars. If you’re a fan of thrillers where the protagonist suffers from amnesia or blocked memories, this would be great read for you. You need to keep on your toes to follow along (at least I did), so if jumping back and forth in time bothers you, this book might be a struggle. Overall, I thought it was a decent thriller that kept me interested. I might read more by this author some day when I need a “don’t want to invest too much but I kind of want to read a thriller” type book.
hugbandit7's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good book but strange too...I mean the book ended and I still wasn't sure about Ophelia/Amy's state of mind and what was real and what wasn't. That aside I really did like the book and the back and forth between the past and the present and how it intertwined what happened during Ophelia's childhood and how it affected her as Amy. It definitely gives you an insight into the mental state of people and how they might act or react to different situations.
ashleylillis's review against another edition
3.0
I felt like it took too long to pull me in and then it wasn’t until the last 100 pages that I couldn’t put it down. It was a slow burn.
cpriley401's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cassstillwill's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.25
kleedc73's review against another edition
4.0
Annie Powers seems to have the perfect life -- a beautiful daughter, handsome, loving husband, a gorgeous home on the beach. But all is not right with Annie......even her name. Annie starts seeing signs that her past is coming back to haunt her, and that everything she thought to be true may be an illusion. After years of depending on men to get her through life (even when they let her down), Annie must learn to stand on her own two feet to protect herself and her daughter. The plot definitely required some suspension of disbelief but it was fast-moving and never lost my attention.
abartley73's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books that questions how I rate them. Most books I read, I know instantly what star rating I feel like they deserve, but with this one I'm struggling.
I want to start out by saying that I'd never heard of this one. I was scrolling through my goodreads news feed and came across a friend on here, Cait, that wrote a simple intriguing review that made me go pick up the book instantly. This typically isn't a genre I read, but I thought I'd try it and branch out. Test the waters.
Now this is where my rating comes into question. I sat down to read a few pages, thinking I would try it out. I couldn't put it down for the first 100 pages. It's mysterious, intriguing, interesting. It makes you lose yourself in this world and makes you want to keep reading just to find out answers. And the story was told in a unique way. When I did finally put it down that day, it was only because of work. Work alllllways gets in the way :x
I had a busy couple of days at work, which usually means no reading time because I'm either super busy or tired. So I spent all week looking forward to diving back into this. I get up this morning, pick up the book first thing, and get lost again in the world. It's told in an incredibly interesting way that weaves the past, present, and future together. And she does it flawlessly.
About another 50 pages in, I started getting bored. While the story is something that I definitely want to see play out, the book lost its magic for me and I started quickly losing interest. I think the problem was that it was meant to be mysterious, but we get zero answers throughout the first 300+ pages. Obviously every book has their big reveal at the end, but we are told nothing really throughout the entire thing.
At about the 250 page mark, I started getting determined to finish it for two reasons. I was hoping for a big reveal that explained everything and made up for the boring middle, and the other reason? Honestly, I was just ready to move onto something else. And then the end happens.
If you are the type that wants nothing revealed in a book, stop reading this review. I'm not revealing any major spoilers, but I am describing how the book ends, which could result in a bad reading experience. You've been warned :)
So I get to the last two chapters. Still waiting for this big reveal. And while there was one, it was completely unsatisfying and left so many questions in my head. Without revealing any major spoilers, I will just say that about half was explained in the last few pages. The next chapter was spent making me more confused. And the epilogue did nothing for the book at all.
I was hopeful with this one. Especially with how it started out, but was left with a major disappointment. So how do you rate a book that blows you away at the start, bored you for 200 pages, and then leaves you very unsatisfied? I think I'll be generous and bump up the rating I want to give it to a 2.5 star.
I'm just waiting for a book to blow my mind this year, and this definitely was not it.
I want to start out by saying that I'd never heard of this one. I was scrolling through my goodreads news feed and came across a friend on here, Cait, that wrote a simple intriguing review that made me go pick up the book instantly. This typically isn't a genre I read, but I thought I'd try it and branch out. Test the waters.
Now this is where my rating comes into question. I sat down to read a few pages, thinking I would try it out. I couldn't put it down for the first 100 pages. It's mysterious, intriguing, interesting. It makes you lose yourself in this world and makes you want to keep reading just to find out answers. And the story was told in a unique way. When I did finally put it down that day, it was only because of work. Work alllllways gets in the way :x
I had a busy couple of days at work, which usually means no reading time because I'm either super busy or tired. So I spent all week looking forward to diving back into this. I get up this morning, pick up the book first thing, and get lost again in the world. It's told in an incredibly interesting way that weaves the past, present, and future together. And she does it flawlessly.
About another 50 pages in, I started getting bored. While the story is something that I definitely want to see play out, the book lost its magic for me and I started quickly losing interest. I think the problem was that it was meant to be mysterious, but we get zero answers throughout the first 300+ pages. Obviously every book has their big reveal at the end, but we are told nothing really throughout the entire thing.
At about the 250 page mark, I started getting determined to finish it for two reasons. I was hoping for a big reveal that explained everything and made up for the boring middle, and the other reason? Honestly, I was just ready to move onto something else. And then the end happens.
If you are the type that wants nothing revealed in a book, stop reading this review. I'm not revealing any major spoilers, but I am describing how the book ends, which could result in a bad reading experience. You've been warned :)
So I get to the last two chapters. Still waiting for this big reveal. And while there was one, it was completely unsatisfying and left so many questions in my head. Without revealing any major spoilers, I will just say that about half was explained in the last few pages. The next chapter was spent making me more confused. And the epilogue did nothing for the book at all.
I was hopeful with this one. Especially with how it started out, but was left with a major disappointment. So how do you rate a book that blows you away at the start, bored you for 200 pages, and then leaves you very unsatisfied? I think I'll be generous and bump up the rating I want to give it to a 2.5 star.
I'm just waiting for a book to blow my mind this year, and this definitely was not it.
res81278's review against another edition
4.0
A bit like Shutter Island in this book. I enjoyed it but it was a little scary. Definitely a quick read.
jajorgen's review against another edition
3.0
I've really enjoyed Unger's books when she was writing under the Lisa Miscione name but haven't connected with her newer thrillers quite as much.
Black Out is good, suspenseful stuff with nicely paced writing and a solid mystery. And yet...Somehow it left me wanting something more. I think I didn't grow to like the heroine. I didn't dislike her, and thought her backstory was intriguing but she left me a little cold.
Still Unger/Miscione is a good writer and I'll definitely pick up her next.
Black Out is good, suspenseful stuff with nicely paced writing and a solid mystery. And yet...Somehow it left me wanting something more. I think I didn't grow to like the heroine. I didn't dislike her, and thought her backstory was intriguing but she left me a little cold.
Still Unger/Miscione is a good writer and I'll definitely pick up her next.
anarcisos's review against another edition
1.0
Um livro sem personalidade, sem suspense e sem emoção.