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lovelymisanthrope's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I picked up this book after hearing about the author on Tik Tok, and I wanted to give a smaller known author a read.
"Stone Maidens" is a crime story that follows Christine Prusik, the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI’s Chicago field office. There is a serial killer murdering young women in Indiana and leaving a small stone figurine with their bodies. These stones are linked to primitive tribes of Papua New Guinea, tribes that Christine knows more than she cares to remember.
Overall, I felt like this book was written pretty well and read much like an episode of Law and Order. This type of "true crime" feel in a book is not typically the type of book I gravitate towards, but objectively I could see the enjoyment of a book like this and I felt the heart the author put into this story.
One of my biggest hang ups about this book was with Christine. Christine as a character did not feel like a real woman, meaning I could tell that this was a woman character written by a man. Her interactions with the sheriff especially felt very staged and unrealistic. Her dialogue felt robotic and like she was written to say what a cliche FBI woman would say, not what felt true to her character.
The ultimate "why" behind the serial killer's actions and the resolution that was reached felt satisfying and I did like the twist to the story.
I am happy I picked up this book, but I am not convinced this author is for me, and I am not ready to jump into another of his books right away.
"Stone Maidens" is a crime story that follows Christine Prusik, the chief forensic anthropologist for the FBI’s Chicago field office. There is a serial killer murdering young women in Indiana and leaving a small stone figurine with their bodies. These stones are linked to primitive tribes of Papua New Guinea, tribes that Christine knows more than she cares to remember.
Overall, I felt like this book was written pretty well and read much like an episode of Law and Order. This type of "true crime" feel in a book is not typically the type of book I gravitate towards, but objectively I could see the enjoyment of a book like this and I felt the heart the author put into this story.
One of my biggest hang ups about this book was with Christine. Christine as a character did not feel like a real woman, meaning I could tell that this was a woman character written by a man. Her interactions with the sheriff especially felt very staged and unrealistic. Her dialogue felt robotic and like she was written to say what a cliche FBI woman would say, not what felt true to her character.
The ultimate "why" behind the serial killer's actions and the resolution that was reached felt satisfying and I did like the twist to the story.
I am happy I picked up this book, but I am not convinced this author is for me, and I am not ready to jump into another of his books right away.
Graphic: Stalking, Child death, Sexism, Grief, Death, Violence, Torture, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Gore, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
mellowneko's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you love true crime, thrillers, mysteries or plot twists this book is for you! I have crippling ADHD - not the kind that you see on TikTok that is meme worthy. I mean the kind where it takes all day to do a simple task. Keep this in mind when I say I could not put this down at all. Anytime I tried to wander off to do something else this book was pulling me back wanting to know more, needing to know more. I am the type of person who usually guesses the endings of books after reading the first few chapters. But with how Lloyd Devereux Richards crafted this masterpiece I was thrown for a loop at every turn - right until the end. I am hoping that he releases another book at some point because I am now addicted to this mans writing.
Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Self harm, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Medical content, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Stalking, and Torture
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