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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super exciting, creepy, action packed page turner, cliffhangers every chapter…intricate & well planned story telling, really really fun read, and I was apprehensive at first!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm a big fan of Blake Crouch's stuff. I got hooked on Dark Matter, and have since read Recursion and Snowbound. On the whole, I prefer his sci-fi stuff to the more straightforward thrillers, but Snowbound proved that he knows how to handle characters, pacing, and plotting exceptionally well, even when science is left by the wayside.
Abandon, being his first stand-alone novel, has some wrinkles to it. The premise is fantastic -- an eerie abandoned town, explored in two different timelines, with a host of interesting, albeit selfish, characters. But, for me, interest sputtered out around the mid-point, and the final act didn't bring it all together as I'd hoped. It also felt like a very conventional thriller despite having a premise that leans more into horror and mystery. That disconnect definitely drove some of my dissatisfaction toward the end of the book.
Still, Crouch is an exceptional writer and he had me hooked immediately. I loved the first act of Abandon. It's interesting to note how different his writing style is here as opposed to his later works, especially stuff like Dark Matter.
Abandon, being his first stand-alone novel, has some wrinkles to it. The premise is fantastic -- an eerie abandoned town, explored in two different timelines, with a host of interesting, albeit selfish, characters. But, for me, interest sputtered out around the mid-point, and the final act didn't bring it all together as I'd hoped. It also felt like a very conventional thriller despite having a premise that leans more into horror and mystery. That disconnect definitely drove some of my dissatisfaction toward the end of the book.
Still, Crouch is an exceptional writer and he had me hooked immediately. I loved the first act of Abandon. It's interesting to note how different his writing style is here as opposed to his later works, especially stuff like Dark Matter.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
I was sucked into this book right away. Such an interesting premise and really well done. I liked the characters and was surprised as events unfolded. My only complaint is that I didn't like how events from the past and present ended up walking such a similar line. That part was a bit cheesy to me, but even that didn't detract much from my enjoyment of this book.
Lots of action and great characters! Must read!
Lots of action and great characters! Must read!
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was not what I was expecting. Based on the summary I was expecting something paranormal or supernatural but there is none of that element even though it is teased a few times. It is just people being terrible in the past and the present. Well written but a bit slow. It also ended very depressing in my opinion, so kinda a bummer.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A dual-timeline thriller set during the gold-rush of the late 1800's in Colorado and present day, Abandon was a thrilling escapade through the mountains and explores the depth of man's greed. It's dark and twisting and had me at the edge of my seat, and I read it within two days barely putting it down during a quiet day at work. I'm not usually interested in the gold-rush or cowboy fiction, but the well-woven dual timelines worked well to keep me hooked and invested in all the characters.
Абандон. Невероятно атмосферная книга! Я начинал читать как мистический триллер, но получилось жизненное, почти историческое повествование. Очередной раз убеждаюсь, что жизнь порой страшнее хоррора. Одиночество, жестокость, грусть и ужас. Это что-то потрясающее. Автор невероятный мастер. За последний абзац книги и непередаваемую атмосферу ставлю 4 из 5.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes