Review by hello_lovely13 - All In

hello_lovely13 's review for:

All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

3.25

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

For a while, I thought that I might actually purchase my own copy to reread this (which I do not plan to do for either of the first two books of the series), but once we hit the second half, I knew that wouldn't come to pass. That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the book. In fact, I liked this a lot more than the previous book. The dynamics between all the characters are at its best in this book. We finally get to see Sloane as more of a central character, even having her background feature an important role in the mystery. With

the love triangle resolving at the end of the previous book

, that is less of a focus, which I'm happy about because that wasn't the most interesting thing about the series. I was initially disappointed and surprised that it was resolved so quickly, but this book has proved that it was for the best and Jennifer Lynn Barnes is able to balance the relationship dynamics and consequences of the choices made well enough to keep the core of what the audience liked in the other books, while implementing a change that isn't annoying to read. For instance, I was worried that

Michael would completely ice Cassie out, creating an annoying, unnecessary obstacle in solving the mystery centered in the book. Instead, she used what was already established in his character to have a self-destructive downward spiral, which makes sense, acknowledges the consequences and changes in dynamics with Cassie choosing Dean, and doesn't get in the way of the narrative. I really love this decision

. I also like that Lia's animosity towards Cassie is all but gone (Lia is still not what you can call "nice" towards Cassie, but her fondness and care is clear even through her emotional constipation and insensitivities) because if I had to suffer through more of it, I would have been very annoyed. I also liked that the romance was barely there in this book. As I've said, it's not what keeps me reading. Therefore, I think there were many changes made within this book that I LOVE and think is for the better. The found family aspect is the strongest in this book so far.

However, the mystery aspect of this book started off good, but by the second half got too messy to be able to properly follow with intense investment (i.e.: solving along with the characters) because it tried to grow into a larger scale for shock factor and set up for an explosive last book to the series, so it was harder to make sense of and stay grounded. This is the primary reason why I don't think I will be rereading this (though I still am more likely to reread this book than the second in the series).

We get to know more about the backgrounds of multiple characters in this book. Mainly, we focus on Sloane, with her

father being the owner of the main casino in the book (including all of the toxic treatment and impacts Sloane received from her father when she was a child, having to remain a secret) and her half-brother, Aaron, who eventually (unfortunately) ends up being murdered by the main killer of the book

. However, we do get more insight into Lia's background (

grew up in a cult and murdered a man when she was 9 as a result

), which I liked because the reveal was very Lia, but still developed her character.

The main twist is absolutely crazy:

the involvement of the cult of serial murderers connected to the Fibonacci sequence/spiral (also, one of the seven "masters" is Nightshade, the serial killer that murdered Judd's daughter, Scarlett, and they catch him (fairly easily) by the end of the book, which points them to Laurel); and the fake-out of Cassie's mother (she was believed and set up to be dead for the majority of the book, having found what was believed to be her body in the first chapter, but is actually alive and kidnapped by a cult and now has another kid (Laurel), who is "Nine" (important for the cult) and Cassie's half-sister, and is now the "Pythia")

. The initial mystery reveal was fine, but I wasn't completely satisfied with it (

the killer being Beau, and the end target being Tory, the upcoming magician and Beau's foster sister and Aaron's secret girlfriend

Beau's connection to the cult was kind of interesting, though.

Overall, this was fun, but the first half was much better (about a 4 star rating) than the second half (a 2.5-3 star rating) because the first half expanded the established dynamics so well, while the second half expanded what wasn't there to make things feel more complex and convoluted in order to have a twist ending and an epic set up for the next (and final) book.

Content Warnings