A review by bobinsbooknook
The Chain by Adrian McKinty

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Finally glad I got round to reading this book and surprised I meant I should read it in just one day! The story is incredibly fast pace which made it both gripping and very enjoyable.

Something I really enjoyed about the fast pace writing style is how key bits of information are woven throughout the story in a way that was subtle enough to maintain a balance and mystery without giving away too much on.

Whilst I didn’t think there was anything overly special about the characters themselves, the emotional reactions and interactions they had were very very realistic particularly the PTSD signs in part two of the book. 

My only criticisms with this book is that I didn’t care for the romance subplot
between Rachel and Pete as it felt a bit incestuous - even though they aren’t related… the fact that the possible pregnancy at the end would lead to a baby being both a half-sibling and cousin of Kylie left me feeling grossed out by it.


In the second half of this book, I also found it a bit difficult to navigate the plot as the story divers from backstory of the chain to present day. Had this been written in a clear way I think I would’ve enjoyed the backstory element a lot more.

Truthfully the final chain reveal was a bit predictable given the foreshadowing and multiple POVs before however i didn't mind this so much as it created a sense of tension knowing the 'villains' before one of the main POVs.

Overall Part one on its own could have easily been a 5 star read (excluding the romance) but the ending writing style felt a bit more clunk. That being said the plot itself was really interesting and can see myself recommending this read and rereading in future.
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