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A review by ellasayn
Jackal by Erin E. Adams
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book started off really strong and impactful. The first chapter left me crying which is a first. The issues this book addresses feels very impactful. Yet somehow the end left me stranded. The end would have been fine for a different book just not this one.
The author is clearly skilled in writing but I'm afraid they were doing too much with mixing all these genres. Yes the ending was set up and the hints were left. But I felt like this book would have had so much more impact if it had gone another direction.
To get into the meat of it really. There was a sudden shift around the 60% mark where I started noticing the hints that were left. I always thought the many killings were rituals so I was hoping it was set up for a lunatic that believes in something and does these ritualistic killings. However it went way past that. I thought this book was going to be a psychological thriller really.
The paranormal/ fantasy elements or creature at the end ruined the whole vibe for me. The book was so tense and very well planned out. If this book had stayed within realism the impact this book would have had to me would have been so much greater. Hell even a bad ending would have been okay which we see more often within horror.
The ending didn't fit with the whole picture. It felt like a bad blend at the end. If the ending had been rooted in realism some ritualistic racist lunatic it would have still been fine to me. This book would have been a solig 4,5 stars instead maybe even 5. But that end just didn't fit in my opinion.
Forgetting the ending for a second I do feel like the stories of the victim at the start were wonderful and added a lot. Yet after the half way point in the book I felt like they added little and only ended up taking me out of the flow of the book. Especially tense moments where I just wanted to know what happened next.
It was still a really good read and I would recommend it. I am definitely reading more of this author in the future if one of the books interests me. Just know what you should prepare for with the shift this book took.
The author is clearly skilled in writing but I'm afraid they were doing too much with mixing all these genres. Yes the ending was set up and the hints were left. But I felt like this book would have had so much more impact if it had gone another direction.
The paranormal/ fantasy elements or creature at the end ruined the whole vibe for me. The book was so tense and very well planned out. If this book had stayed within realism the impact this book would have had to me would have been so much greater. Hell even a bad ending would have been okay which we see more often within horror.
The ending didn't fit with the whole picture. It felt like a bad blend at the end. If the ending had been rooted in realism some ritualistic racist lunatic it would have still been fine to me. This book would have been a solig 4,5 stars instead maybe even 5. But that end just didn't fit in my opinion.
Forgetting the ending for a second I do feel like the stories of the victim at the start were wonderful and added a lot. Yet after the half way point in the book I felt like they added little and only ended up taking me out of the flow of the book. Especially tense moments where I just wanted to know what happened next.
It was still a really good read and I would recommend it. I am definitely reading more of this author in the future if one of the books interests me. Just know what you should prepare for with the shift this book took.