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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alex North is outstanding. I usually read his books in a couple of days because I put them down only to eat and sleep if I have to.
The Half Burnt House is everything that you want and need in a thriller. It is fast paced with more than one strand coming together to make a brilliant and unforgettable ending.
I loved this book and although nowhere near as violent as the Charlie Parker novels I felt a little John Connelly supernatural in the real world at play.
Yes it takes a little concentration and yes you need to be willing to make an effort but if you do you will definitely benefit from the reward. For all those who complain about confusion I guess there are some other authors who might keep you amused but Alex North will excite you and make you long for the next chapter because you know something is going to happen that you didn’t imagine.
I have added Alex North to my top ten list of authors and I cannot wait for the next one …
The Half Burnt House is everything that you want and need in a thriller. It is fast paced with more than one strand coming together to make a brilliant and unforgettable ending.
I loved this book and although nowhere near as violent as the Charlie Parker novels I felt a little John Connelly supernatural in the real world at play.
Yes it takes a little concentration and yes you need to be willing to make an effort but if you do you will definitely benefit from the reward. For all those who complain about confusion I guess there are some other authors who might keep you amused but Alex North will excite you and make you long for the next chapter because you know something is going to happen that you didn’t imagine.
I have added Alex North to my top ten list of authors and I cannot wait for the next one …
Usually I would start one of these off by writing a synopsis of the material. With this book, however; writing a synopsis would be the ultimate spoiler. Seriously. I don't know how I would I would be able to compose a recap without spoiling one thing or another. My biggest piece of advice when starting The Angel Maker would be this: go in expecting nothing and maybe with a notebook, some pens, and your favorite highlighter. This one is a ride.
I have a lot of gripes with The Angel Maker, but one of my biggest ones is how it's marketed. I went in thinking this was going to be a mystery-thriller. What I got was a true crime whodunit. It's not a major issue, but a big reason I wanted to read this book is because I thought it was a thriller. And sure, it had it's thriller-esque moments, but not nearly enough.
The Angel Maker definitely had a lot of potential and I found myself enjoying the first 40-ish%. I was very intrigued by the characters and was excited to see them become fleshed out and complex... That never happened. Every character remained surface level and then even more got added. The "what happened?" part of this book was also very exciting... Until several timelines are introduced and everything goes haywire and it's nearly impossible to follow along. I am a good reader. I tested at a 12th grade reading comprehension level in 6th grade. I don't have problems with complicated reading materials and yet this book completely lost me several times.
All-in-all, it was a very underwhelming book when it finally ended. The conclusion was rushed and short. The plot was... meh at the best. Ultimately, this book was far too short. The characters, plot, and timelines deserved to be fleshed out and they didn't get to be. 100 or so more pages would have made this book awesome.
Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the advanced copy of The Angel Maker.
I have a lot of gripes with The Angel Maker, but one of my biggest ones is how it's marketed. I went in thinking this was going to be a mystery-thriller. What I got was a true crime whodunit. It's not a major issue, but a big reason I wanted to read this book is because I thought it was a thriller. And sure, it had it's thriller-esque moments, but not nearly enough.
The Angel Maker definitely had a lot of potential and I found myself enjoying the first 40-ish%. I was very intrigued by the characters and was excited to see them become fleshed out and complex... That never happened. Every character remained surface level and then even more got added. The "what happened?" part of this book was also very exciting... Until several timelines are introduced and everything goes haywire and it's nearly impossible to follow along. I am a good reader. I tested at a 12th grade reading comprehension level in 6th grade. I don't have problems with complicated reading materials and yet this book completely lost me several times.
All-in-all, it was a very underwhelming book when it finally ended. The conclusion was rushed and short. The plot was... meh at the best. Ultimately, this book was far too short. The characters, plot, and timelines deserved to be fleshed out and they didn't get to be. 100 or so more pages would have made this book awesome.
Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the advanced copy of The Angel Maker.
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
Normally I love multiple narrators and nonlinear timelines, but this book was far too confusing in both of those aspects. I felt like it was a bit forced and that there were too many elements involved. I enjoyed the weird/sort of paranormal aspect of having something telling you to write down what will happen in the future, but I don’t think that was actually utilized well in the story; it seemed like a seasoning added on top when it didn’t need to be there (or if that had been the whole point of the story that would’ve been fun!).
I LOVED The Whisper Man so much, but The Angel Maker was not a hit for me.
I LOVED The Whisper Man so much, but The Angel Maker was not a hit for me.
i’m a good fan of alex north’s novels, mostly his writing and his impressive way of weaving supernatural elements into his crime stories (even though i don’t sometimes appreciate these very elements in other books). the whisper man even remains one of my most memorable reads. so i was unpleasantly surprised when i found this extremely underwhelming, and boring. the synopsis was promising, and so were the first few chapters, but somewhere along the way, it failed to build a good, suspenseful & gripping atmosphere and it became just a dull narration of events.
none of the characters (or their backstories and motivations) were particularly remarkable, or interesting. i couldn’t bring myself to care about what was happening to any of them.
i can’t put my finger on what i really disliked about this read, but overall, it just lacked on what it was supposed to deliver.
the writing continues to be amazing, though, so i’m always going to be picking up north’s future reads as he’s still a really good storyteller. (just maybe not in this case.)
none of the characters (or their backstories and motivations) were particularly remarkable, or interesting. i couldn’t bring myself to care about what was happening to any of them.
i can’t put my finger on what i really disliked about this read, but overall, it just lacked on what it was supposed to deliver.
the writing continues to be amazing, though, so i’m always going to be picking up north’s future reads as he’s still a really good storyteller. (just maybe not in this case.)
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Celadon Books and Alex North for the Advance Reading Copy of "The Angel Maker." Alex North was a new author for me and I was excited to read this book. What I didn't realize was this book is not a relaxing read before going to bed. It's one that will keep you awake, thinking, and listening for sounds in the night. Just be warned!
The story deals with the complicated sibling relationship between Katie and Chris Shaw and what terrible things happen when Katie makes a spur-of-the-moment choice to one day not escort her brother home from school. What ensues leads to changes in both Katie and Chris' lives as well as Chris' eventual disappearance.
Detective Laurence Page is the detective working on this case and it is he who helps to unravel the story of a serial killer behind the crimes against Chris. I do not want to go into further detail and ruin the plot twists, but this book definitely kept me up at night.
The story deals with the complicated sibling relationship between Katie and Chris Shaw and what terrible things happen when Katie makes a spur-of-the-moment choice to one day not escort her brother home from school. What ensues leads to changes in both Katie and Chris' lives as well as Chris' eventual disappearance.
Detective Laurence Page is the detective working on this case and it is he who helps to unravel the story of a serial killer behind the crimes against Chris. I do not want to go into further detail and ruin the plot twists, but this book definitely kept me up at night.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced