Reviews

The Hidden by Melanie Golding

darumachan's review against another edition

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Jumping all over the place, with nothing to hold on to. I decided to DNF when I realized I was confusing the characters and plot points with a completely different book, which was equally jumbled and lackluster for me.

itputsthebookupontheshelf's review against another edition

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4.0

Omg! I absolutely loved this book!

I have always loved stories about selkies from when I was a young girl and would watch movies with my mom of them. So I was already intrigued by the stories potential. But the mythical along with the mystery/Suspense was so well done! I should have know it would be though. I have enjoyed other books from this author in the past.

It was so interesting watching the truth unfurl as well as we followed the women through the story. I loved how everything tied into the beginning and mostly how things ended. I really don't want to say much, as it's better to just read this story.

dishuel's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book took turns I didn't expect and didn't exactly end how I thought and I loved it.

simclofton's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

madsheep25's review against another edition

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slow-paced

1.0

Too much going on, it wanted to be so many things. It just wasn’t good 

kleonard's review against another edition

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1.0

This book brings together folklore, the urban paranormal genre, and the hard-boiled copy story. It's just too much, and the method of telling it, moving back and forth through time, doesn't quite work here. There's selkies, captured selkie skins, a child, a serial killer, identity theft, women who were raised as sisters despite the older one actually being the younger's mother, oh, and the older one is the cop, who is the very stereotype of the policewoman who ruins her personal life because of her desire for work. The younger sister is a violinist and composer, but some of the music-related writing is rather dumbed down for readers, unnecessarily. The elements are all fine, mostly, but they way they're combined here is just a big mess. the book doesn't know what it wants to say or be.

theboldbookworm's review against another edition

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4.0

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book.

I wanted to read this book after loving Little Darlings so much, and this one didn't disappoint. I love the way Golding weaves folklore into her stories. This book is emotional and I really felt for the characters. We have Ruby who has been watching her neighbor and one day finds out about his secret family. Gregor the neighbor is an odd character and there's something a bit off about him, there is also something a bit off about his wife Constance, their little girl is absolutely adorable. There may be something dark hiding under the surface, but Ruby doesn't know what yet.

This book is a lot of fo things. It's a family drama, a thriller, and a police procedural. There are many layers to the story and they get slowly peeled back as it progresses. I loved the part about selkies which adds another layer to the already amazing story. This book made me angry and sad at times and that totally worked. I was very invested in finding out what happened to these characters and read this one in only a couple of sittings.

If you love emotional thrillers and folklore I highly recommend this book.

corinne82's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

🎧 Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me at all. It was far too long (13hrs 🤦‍♀️) and it really moved at a snails pace with not much happening to keep the listener engaged. I can’t say I really cared for any of the characters. If anything I found them annoying. It felt like they could have done with more development. The storyline itself had promise but it just never got to that point. I found it unbelievable from the police procedural side to the Selkie portion of the storyline. I do like a supernatural/fantasy storyline but it really needs to be executed well. I really wanted to give up on this one but I was to far in an you know ‘unfinished business’ 🤷‍♀️. I was thankful when it came to an end. 

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the opportunity to listen to and review #TheReplacement 

mailander13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad slow-paced

2.0

indiarosey's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0