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A review by keybladium
The Housemaid Is Watching by Freida McFadden
2.0
A whole load of nothing, a mystery with no enigmas but a couple of sprinkles of what worked in the prior books.
My experience with this series has been very complicated. I loved the first book but found the second to be a more generic replica and now this one has done something new and different but has failed at everything it set up to be.
The biggest problem I had with this book was that the mysteries were not set up nor foreshadowed at all. They were all set up in the flashbacks *after* the murder happened 300 pages into the book. The book was just a series of events that served little purpose and just didn’t feel meaningful in any way. Everything was so underwhelming and predictable, the other books were predictable too but things were happening and building up to the inevitable twist whereas this one was just a mess that didn’t contribute to the story. The sub plot that was the only thing that was set up, yet had such an underwhelming resolve and was mostly happening in the background. It just didn’t feel important and Enzo’s characterization was so different compared to the other books just because of this plot that lasted most of the story that it was so frustrating.
All the characters introduced aside from Millie’s children were all just a waste of ideas and potentials. They serve no purpose outside of 2 of them (just barely) and after finishing the book, I can’t tell why they were even included. To put it in perspective, the person killed who was the big bad villain in this book was rarely even in the book. They had like 5 lines, if that total and was always in the background when he was mentioned. Why should I feel shocked or surprised or any emotion when they die? And every single plot line set up had such an underwhelming conclusion or didn’t make sense with the way the characters reacted and it was all so uninteresting aside from a couple moments.
Not all was bad though, the whole switching pov gimmick is back which makes things a little more interesting to see the other side, although this wasn’t giving insight but just giving exposition and telling the story that wasn’t alluded to at any point in the story. But it was the most interesting part and there were some good character moments between the two children, it was pretty wholesome and I wish the story could’ve centered around them and their relationship more. I also liked some of the ideas brought up and the fake enigmas that weren’t ever utilized, it made the moments more enjoyable even if they didn’t actually lead to anything. Some interactions and dialogue were fun but it was very hit or miss and inconsistent. But there was enough of those moments for not to rate this any lower than 4/10 so that’s something at least.
There’s probably a lot more to say but like this book, I’m lacking the capability to piece it all together right now. It’s not a terrible book though, there’s certainly elements and moments to enjoy but it’s nowhere near as fun or structured as the first book and there’s not enough substance for me to feel any way other than “meh” about my experience as a whole with it.
My experience with this series has been very complicated. I loved the first book but found the second to be a more generic replica and now this one has done something new and different but has failed at everything it set up to be.
The biggest problem I had with this book was that the mysteries were not set up nor foreshadowed at all. They were all set up in the flashbacks *after* the murder happened 300 pages into the book. The book was just a series of events that served little purpose and just didn’t feel meaningful in any way. Everything was so underwhelming and predictable, the other books were predictable too but things were happening and building up to the inevitable twist whereas this one was just a mess that didn’t contribute to the story. The sub plot that was the only thing that was set up, yet had such an underwhelming resolve and was mostly happening in the background. It just didn’t feel important and Enzo’s characterization was so different compared to the other books just because of this plot that lasted most of the story that it was so frustrating.
All the characters introduced aside from Millie’s children were all just a waste of ideas and potentials. They serve no purpose outside of 2 of them (just barely) and after finishing the book, I can’t tell why they were even included. To put it in perspective, the person killed who was the big bad villain in this book was rarely even in the book. They had like 5 lines, if that total and was always in the background when he was mentioned. Why should I feel shocked or surprised or any emotion when they die? And every single plot line set up had such an underwhelming conclusion or didn’t make sense with the way the characters reacted and it was all so uninteresting aside from a couple moments.
Not all was bad though, the whole switching pov gimmick is back which makes things a little more interesting to see the other side, although this wasn’t giving insight but just giving exposition and telling the story that wasn’t alluded to at any point in the story. But it was the most interesting part and there were some good character moments between the two children, it was pretty wholesome and I wish the story could’ve centered around them and their relationship more. I also liked some of the ideas brought up and the fake enigmas that weren’t ever utilized, it made the moments more enjoyable even if they didn’t actually lead to anything. Some interactions and dialogue were fun but it was very hit or miss and inconsistent. But there was enough of those moments for not to rate this any lower than 4/10 so that’s something at least.
There’s probably a lot more to say but like this book, I’m lacking the capability to piece it all together right now. It’s not a terrible book though, there’s certainly elements and moments to enjoy but it’s nowhere near as fun or structured as the first book and there’s not enough substance for me to feel any way other than “meh” about my experience as a whole with it.