A review by thenovelmaura
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

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

2.0

After disliking The Woman in Cabin 10 and enjoying The Death of Mrs. Westaway, I gave Ruth Ware one last chance to impress me with her debut novel (although I'm sure I'll end up reading one of her other books in my lifetime). While I liked the premise of a murder at a bachelorette party, the first half of the book was dull and uneventful. It wasn't that interesting to read a bunch of sniping between the attendees in a glass house for 150 pages, and the flashforwards were slow and vague. It was also hard to get past the fact that Nora was hung up on her high school boyfriend of six months for an entire decade, and that she would be willing to attend the bachelorette party of someone she hadn't spoken to in just as long.

Things picked up in a way that was more enthralling (albeit predictable) towards the end but I couldn't forgive and forget the slow beginning. And all the descriptions of Nina made me uncomfortable; stop calling her an "Amazon" because she's tall and brown!
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