Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
This was a good, solid book. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't quite as spooky and mysterious as I hoped. The pacing felt drawn out at times, but boy, when I hit the 75-80% mark, things took off and then I flew through the rest of it. Although the pacing could feel stretched, the writing was engaging and I really liked the narrator. The answer to the big question of the book felt a little predictable, but still, that wasn't bad enough to make me want to stop reading. The ending left some questions a little more open than I would have liked.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Good, quick thriller with a creepy old house. I read it in just two sittings; it got the job done.
I really enjoyed this mystery. I like mystery/thrillers that revolve around cold cases. It creates a creepy atmosphere that is only helped in this case by the old musty mansion, possible ghost sightings, and shady characters that may be suspects or just red herrings. I also like mysteries that have a strong sense of place - where the setting is as important as a character. Arrowood and the dying Iowa town along the Mississippi River definitely fit that category. Arden is a complex character whose character unfolds as the mystery does. I will definitely look for more from this author in the future.
So Arrowood is about Arden Arrowood. When she was younger her two twin sister disappeared and vanished on the Arrowood estate. Twenty years have passed and everything in Arden's life has changed except for one thing-her twin sisters are still missing and their kidnapping remains an open cold case. However, upon her father's death she gets news that she has inherited the Arrowood estate. She returns to her hometown to move back into her old home and hope to find something that has been missing for her; she finds a lot more than just that though.
So for me this was my first venture into adult psychological thriller well unless we are including You. But either way it really wasn't anything special? Maybe it's because I grew up watching those Lifetime movies that had all that suspense and stuff within them but I was able to make a couple of connections, jump to a couple of conclusions and I wasn't entirely wrong with my guesses so as a result the final reveals weren't as mind-blowing as I would've liked them to be.
Also, I found the first part of the book to be way too descriptive. It felt like I would read about three pages or more of the author just describing Arden's home and all these other homes and everything else. It was just too much. Once we got past all of that excessive description I wound up getting a bit sucked in and intrigued by everything. I didn't want to set it down and wanted to know more about all the little mysteries here.
Though I didn't feel really satisfied with any of the reveals. So that is why this book is just 3 stars for me. I enjoyed it. I consumed it pretty quickly and with no real issues, but also didn't feel fully satisfied with it. So it's just an ok read.
So for me this was my first venture into adult psychological thriller well unless we are including You. But either way it really wasn't anything special? Maybe it's because I grew up watching those Lifetime movies that had all that suspense and stuff within them but I was able to make a couple of connections, jump to a couple of conclusions and I wasn't entirely wrong with my guesses so as a result the final reveals weren't as mind-blowing as I would've liked them to be.
Also, I found the first part of the book to be way too descriptive. It felt like I would read about three pages or more of the author just describing Arden's home and all these other homes and everything else. It was just too much. Once we got past all of that excessive description I wound up getting a bit sucked in and intrigued by everything. I didn't want to set it down and wanted to know more about all the little mysteries here.
Though I didn't feel really satisfied with any of the reveals. So that is why this book is just 3 stars for me. I enjoyed it. I consumed it pretty quickly and with no real issues, but also didn't feel fully satisfied with it. So it's just an ok read.
Compelling story and you keep turning the pages to find out what happens. Prose is very well written. The only thing that stops me from giving it four stars is the characters. Some are okay, but others are a bit one dimensional or unrealistic/ typical. I do like her writing style and how both novels end up being more accidental or coincidental death versus plotted murders.
Arrowood - a once proud family name and a once proud home. Arden has returned to the house, basically unconcerned about what people think about the name. She has no idea what she wants to do with her future and is haunted by the ghosts of the past. Her twin sisters were kidnapped from the front yard of the home before they were two and life afterward was never the same.
This book...have you ever read a book and been so sure you knew who did it only to find out that you were completely wrong? I did that throughout this entire book. I knew who the culprit was at least 4 times plus had come up with several alternative scenarios, but I didn't see it at all the way it was (somewhat) wrapped up in the end. This book was, for me, alternatively, a journey into nostalgia and a journey into someone else's memory (yet ones that felt familiar and fuzzy to me too). I loved the details provided about Keokuk throughout this book, it feels much like places where I grew up not far away.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book before publication.
This book...have you ever read a book and been so sure you knew who did it only to find out that you were completely wrong? I did that throughout this entire book. I knew who the culprit was at least 4 times plus had come up with several alternative scenarios, but I didn't see it at all the way it was (somewhat) wrapped up in the end. This book was, for me, alternatively, a journey into nostalgia and a journey into someone else's memory (yet ones that felt familiar and fuzzy to me too). I loved the details provided about Keokuk throughout this book, it feels much like places where I grew up not far away.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book before publication.
"Arrowood is the most ornate and grand of the historical houses that line the Mississippi River in southern Iowa. But the house has a mystery it has never revealed: It’s where Arden Arrowood’s younger twin sisters vanished on her watch twenty years ago—never to be seen again."
I loved Laura McHugh's 2014 debut novel The Weight of Blood and The Wolf Wants In was one of my most anxiously anticipated releases of 2019, but somehow I missed her 2016 release Arrowood! I stayed up late reading this novel (which is something I NEVER do...I need sleep!) because it was soooo good. Set in Keokuk, IA (very near where I grew up) Arden Arrowood has returned to her childhood home during a particularly rough time (her father has died, she can't seem to finish her master's thesis, and she recently had a very misguided love affair). She has inherited the Arrowood family home and must now face her muddled memories and family secrets.
As if I wasn't a big enough fan of McHugh's detailed Midwest/rural noir writing, this novel added a fabulous gothic element. I think it's safe to say she is now an "auto-buy" author for me.
I loved Laura McHugh's 2014 debut novel The Weight of Blood and The Wolf Wants In was one of my most anxiously anticipated releases of 2019, but somehow I missed her 2016 release Arrowood! I stayed up late reading this novel (which is something I NEVER do...I need sleep!) because it was soooo good. Set in Keokuk, IA (very near where I grew up) Arden Arrowood has returned to her childhood home during a particularly rough time (her father has died, she can't seem to finish her master's thesis, and she recently had a very misguided love affair). She has inherited the Arrowood family home and must now face her muddled memories and family secrets.
As if I wasn't a big enough fan of McHugh's detailed Midwest/rural noir writing, this novel added a fabulous gothic element. I think it's safe to say she is now an "auto-buy" author for me.
3.5 stars. I think the overall writing was generic and somewhat juvenile, but the mystery was intriguing. The characters are neither likable nor unlikable. This book was like canned soup. Not bad, but not really good either.
I have similar Girl on the Train feelings about this book. It's compulsively readable, but the main character's choices didn't necessarily ring true. Several times she dismissed or shelved a question that felt as though her character would have or should have doggedly pursued. I do like that there remains some mystery, as opposed to a conveniently nice & tidy ending.