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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
The whodunnit aspect was interesting and kept me reading. The narrator’s constant ruminating about her undercover role wasn’t the most interesting.
4.75 stars
IF YOU CLICKED ON THIS REVIEW WITHOUT HAVING READ THE BOOK, BE WARNED: IT SPOILS EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. DO NOT READ.
This book SERIOUSLY had almost everything I wanted. An undercover op, strange university students with even stranger secrets, Ireland as a Setting, not a setting. In no particularly order, here were the things I liked:
1) Cassie is cool AF. Her infiltration of a group of sinister students is nearly seamless, but it's not just the stuff she does right. She has a flaw--identifying too much with Lexie Madison. She withholds evidence, defies direct orders, and messes with her recording device. The first time she did something like that, I was annoyed. It seemed more like something the author wanted than Cassie. But as the story went on, it became obvious that the flaw was not with Tana French, but with Cassie. She's still awesome, though! Love you!
2) The students she's infiltrating had distinct personalities, and I got to know each of them. From creepy creepy creepy Daniel (blank eyes hidden by glasses are ALWAYS creepy) to adorable (murderous) Justin to suave Rafe to Abby, whom I'd kind of like to be best friends with, each housemate flew off the page.
3) To keep this list short, I'll stick to three things. Off the top of my head, another thing I loved was the Irish history and Whitehorn house. It's really the history and the picture of Ireland that makes this book not just a mystery, but literary fiction. Honestly, I like Tana more than Donna (see what I did there? Donna Tart, if you were wondering).
Three things I didn't like/left me dissatisfied:
1) So does Daniel have a criminal past or not? If so, what? Please don't leave us hanging!
2) Why did the Whitehorn house group assume Lexie would stop trying to sell her share of the house after being stabbed??? What's their logic? Lexie is trying to sell share-->Lexie gets stabbed-->Lexie loses memory of day she was stabbed-->Lexie stops trying to sell share? Was this explained? I don't think it was. Maybe, though. But I don't remember it.
3) I just can't get over the central conceit. I mean, two unrelated women that look so alike that one can TAKE OVER THE OTHER'S LIFE??? I kept picturing a stranger taking my friend's place, and it just never computed. I really can't imagine it. I had to force my disbelief to suspend itself.
IF YOU CLICKED ON THIS REVIEW WITHOUT HAVING READ THE BOOK, BE WARNED: IT SPOILS EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. DO NOT READ.
This book SERIOUSLY had almost everything I wanted. An undercover op, strange university students with even stranger secrets, Ireland as a Setting, not a setting. In no particularly order, here were the things I liked:
1) Cassie is cool AF. Her infiltration of a group of sinister students is nearly seamless, but it's not just the stuff she does right. She has a flaw--identifying too much with Lexie Madison. She withholds evidence, defies direct orders, and messes with her recording device. The first time she did something like that, I was annoyed. It seemed more like something the author wanted than Cassie. But as the story went on, it became obvious that the flaw was not with Tana French, but with Cassie. She's still awesome, though! Love you!
2) The students she's infiltrating had distinct personalities, and I got to know each of them. From creepy creepy creepy Daniel (blank eyes hidden by glasses are ALWAYS creepy) to adorable (murderous) Justin to suave Rafe to Abby, whom I'd kind of like to be best friends with, each housemate flew off the page.
3) To keep this list short, I'll stick to three things. Off the top of my head, another thing I loved was the Irish history and Whitehorn house. It's really the history and the picture of Ireland that makes this book not just a mystery, but literary fiction. Honestly, I like Tana more than Donna (see what I did there? Donna Tart, if you were wondering).
Three things I didn't like/left me dissatisfied:
1) So does Daniel have a criminal past or not? If so, what? Please don't leave us hanging!
2) Why did the Whitehorn house group assume Lexie would stop trying to sell her share of the house after being stabbed??? What's their logic? Lexie is trying to sell share-->Lexie gets stabbed-->Lexie loses memory of day she was stabbed-->Lexie stops trying to sell share? Was this explained? I don't think it was. Maybe, though. But I don't remember it.
3) I just can't get over the central conceit. I mean, two unrelated women that look so alike that one can TAKE OVER THE OTHER'S LIFE??? I kept picturing a stranger taking my friend's place, and it just never computed. I really can't imagine it. I had to force my disbelief to suspend itself.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An unbelievable premise and at times a little draggy, but I still enjoyed this book. Can't say I was totally surprised by who dun it, but stayed engaged with the story. Really a 3 1/2 star book but I’m feeling generous so will round up.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved it! Starts out kinda slow though. Once you get into it, awesome book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes