Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.25 - this had a lot of potential, but it ended up overly complicated and very anti-climactic. There was a good 100 pages in the middle where it really hit its stride, but then it stumbled again. It just had one too many elements.
An ambitious book both in structure and theme but it fails on character and plot. It reads like a first draft and needs a good structural edit to tease the essence of the story out. There are too many characters and too many poorly signaled timeframes. There’s an ingenious story lurking here which is the reason I kept turning the pages, but I sort of regret that.
This was an interesting and creepy book. Would you really want to know the future? Do you really have free will and the ability to make your own decisions?
I did find the many characters and timelines confusing. It was very hard to follow in some places. I would have liked to see more character development and more sussing out of the relationships between characters (sibling relationships especially).
Thanks to Netgalley for the book to review.
I did find the many characters and timelines confusing. It was very hard to follow in some places. I would have liked to see more character development and more sussing out of the relationships between characters (sibling relationships especially).
Thanks to Netgalley for the book to review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thoroughly enjoyed Alex North’s previous book which felt like early Stephen King to me. In common with that novel, these characters revisit an earlier horror that has stunted a young life. The possibility of supernatural influences at play lend an eerie aspect. The denouement comes with a natural explanation, although we might wish for an unearthly cause if only to avoid seeing the darkness in men’s hearts! Unlike his previous novel though, the plotting here was unnecessarily complicated. I didn’t feel drawn in, just confused. North also applies a thin veneer of philosophy, the kind of thing with which fictional serial killers love to varnish their bloodlust. Normally I can appreciate that, but I found it too annoying to get into causal determinism while trying to follow the labyrinthine plot.
3-3.5. Not as creepy as his others, really more Shakespearean in its tragedy, and it should have been easier to figure out what timeline and narrator was speaking (even by just starting each chapter with that), but still a good thriller that makes you ponder determinism…or not!
What I loved about this is that I never knew where it was going, I had an inkling towards the end what was happening but even then plenty more surprises awaited
Definitely be reading more Alex North books in the future
Definitely be reading more Alex North books in the future
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3/5 ⭐️
The Half Burnt House is a slow-burn thriller that blends crime, philosophy, and psychological suspense. Alex North’s atmospheric writing creates an eerie, unsettling mood, and the book’s musings on fate and free will are thought-provoking. However, the multiple timelines and shifting perspectives can be confusing, making it difficult to fully engage with the story.
While the pacing is slow, the novel lingers in your mind long after you finish. If you enjoy thrillers with a cerebral, philosophical edge, this one is worth a read but be prepared for a fragmented narrative that requires patience.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Couldn't get into it. I felt bored and didn't care about the characters hardly at all.