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A review by shan_lawinger
Hurt Mountain by Angela Crook
2.0
TW: Child loss, SA, violence
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This read like a Lifetime movie (derogatory).
The pacing was all over the place and almost incoherent. The police investigation went at a breakneck and unrealistic speed. Because the criminal case was solved so quickly (at least from the reader’s perspective), it sapped any tension from the plot. I wish we had gotten some more background on and context for the Family. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to read what Father and his Family were doing to the victims, but since we saw so little of them, I wasn’t invested in them as characters. They were just boogeymen…and maybe paranormal? Jury’s out.
I also think this novel suffered with nearly all its characters. No one was likeable, and the ensemble cast should’ve been pared down considerably. Secondary antagonists like David and Sheldon added absolutely nothing to the story. On the opposite side of the coin, characters who could’ve been compelling, like Lisa, exited in the first third of the novel.
Main characters Olivia and Brandon were so difficult to read and enjoy. With Olivia, I had a problem with her similar to what I had when reading The Wishing Game last year: just because you’re drawn to a child and really feel you can love them DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN ADEQUATE FOSTER PARENT. Olivia was enabled to keep making irrational decisions about a child’s care that were completely unrealistic to real life. It drove me nuts. Brandon wins the award for worst fiancé ever. Having an emotional affair with your ex wife and then being hurt that your current fiancée leaves is not the emotional development readers are looking for. Add that to him continually breaking investigative procedure for Olivia, and I was ready to tear my hair out. These two should’ve stayed divorced and got therapy.
Not for the first time, I fell victim to an Amazon First Reads. This could’ve been an okay first draft, but it needed a lot of reworking. Two stars because I could see the premise being interesting and because I was able to finish it. One-star books are DNFs! On to the next.
•
•
•
This read like a Lifetime movie (derogatory).
The pacing was all over the place and almost incoherent. The police investigation went at a breakneck and unrealistic speed. Because the criminal case was solved so quickly (at least from the reader’s perspective), it sapped any tension from the plot. I wish we had gotten some more background on and context for the Family. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t want to read what Father and his Family were doing to the victims, but since we saw so little of them, I wasn’t invested in them as characters. They were just boogeymen…and maybe paranormal? Jury’s out.
I also think this novel suffered with nearly all its characters. No one was likeable, and the ensemble cast should’ve been pared down considerably. Secondary antagonists like David and Sheldon added absolutely nothing to the story. On the opposite side of the coin, characters who could’ve been compelling, like Lisa, exited in the first third of the novel.
Main characters Olivia and Brandon were so difficult to read and enjoy. With Olivia, I had a problem with her similar to what I had when reading The Wishing Game last year: just because you’re drawn to a child and really feel you can love them DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN ADEQUATE FOSTER PARENT. Olivia was enabled to keep making irrational decisions about a child’s care that were completely unrealistic to real life. It drove me nuts. Brandon wins the award for worst fiancé ever. Having an emotional affair with your ex wife and then being hurt that your current fiancée leaves is not the emotional development readers are looking for. Add that to him continually breaking investigative procedure for Olivia, and I was ready to tear my hair out. These two should’ve stayed divorced and got therapy.
Not for the first time, I fell victim to an Amazon First Reads. This could’ve been an okay first draft, but it needed a lot of reworking. Two stars because I could see the premise being interesting and because I was able to finish it. One-star books are DNFs! On to the next.