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A review by lybrarie
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a lot of feelings about this book, and it made it quite difficult for me to decide on what rating to give it. I still think the first book in the trilogy was the best of the three, but I'd say this is about on par with the second one - which is still very good.
The book itself - it took me a couple of chapters to get into it. When a book is marketed as a mystery novel but there isn't any kind of mystery for the first 50 or so pages, it does feel a bit lackluster. However, once the mystery started I really, really enjoyed the first half of the book. It felt very reminiscent of the first two books with some really well-planned tie-ins to previous plot points, whilst still feeling very fresh and with much higher stakes.
The second half of the book is what I don't feel as positive about. This book - and the second half especially - was a lot, lot darker than the first two books, and more thriller than mystery. That in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn't what I was expecting or had hoped for for this book. I also found myself constantly annoyed with Pip and her actions throughout the second half of the book, and the whole thing just made me incredibly anxious with how tense it was, which I really didn't enjoy.
That being said, I think it's a testament to Jackson's writing, the fact that I felt that way. The writing throughout all three books has been excellent, but this book was written especially well. I might not have enjoyed feeling so stressed about what was happening, but the fact that I was feeling that way shows just how incredible Jackson's writing was. It was able to capture me completely and suck me right into the book, so I was there with the characters experiencing everything they were.
Overall it was a good book and a good trilogy. Jackson is incredibly clever, the way she has pieced everything together to create such an intricate mystery that was beyond fun to unravel along with the characters. I enjoyed all of it.
The book itself - it took me a couple of chapters to get into it. When a book is marketed as a mystery novel but there isn't any kind of mystery for the first 50 or so pages, it does feel a bit lackluster. However, once the mystery started I really, really enjoyed the first half of the book. It felt very reminiscent of the first two books with some really well-planned tie-ins to previous plot points, whilst still feeling very fresh and with much higher stakes.
The second half of the book is what I don't feel as positive about. This book - and the second half especially - was a lot, lot darker than the first two books, and more thriller than mystery. That in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it wasn't what I was expecting or had hoped for for this book. I also found myself constantly annoyed with Pip and her actions throughout the second half of the book, and the whole thing just made me incredibly anxious with how tense it was, which I really didn't enjoy.
That being said, I think it's a testament to Jackson's writing, the fact that I felt that way. The writing throughout all three books has been excellent, but this book was written especially well. I might not have enjoyed feeling so stressed about what was happening, but the fact that I was feeling that way shows just how incredible Jackson's writing was. It was able to capture me completely and suck me right into the book, so I was there with the characters experiencing everything they were.
Overall it was a good book and a good trilogy. Jackson is incredibly clever, the way she has pieced everything together to create such an intricate mystery that was beyond fun to unravel along with the characters. I enjoyed all of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Stalking
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence