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library_of_dreams_and_stories 's review for:
The Fields
by Erin Young
Trigger Warnings: rape and sexual assault, alcohol, drug use, abuse, violence and gore (graphic), murder.
I am very disturbed and I can’t tell if it’s in a good way.
First of all, this book is graphic. I probably should have seen that coming, considering that it’s a thriller and murder mystery, but the thrillers that I read are nothing like this. I was honestly unsettled by a lot of the book, especially once I got past the 40% mark.
The plot of this book followed Riley Fisher, head of investigations in a small police department in small-town Iowa, assigned to a murder case. However, the circumstances of the death were strange, not lining up with any normal causes, and the body discovered was her childhood best friend. Things unraveled with a string of a missing girl and more murders.
This was intense and very harsh. The realities it faced were aggressively realistic, to the point of very graphic, disgusting details and painful flashbacks through Riley’s perspective.
The plot just stuck with me so much - it was so aggressively painted, with so much detail and truth embedded throughout that I just couldn’t shake it. It was dark, cruel and realistic in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in another book.
Her own past - dredged up with Chloe’s body - had become excruciatingly present. If she wasn’t able to solve this case, Riley feared she might never be able to push it all back down inside.
Riley was a very strong protagonist. Her perspective, actions and narration were so real and harsh and written so well that you could tell she was a well-developed person. I loved her mindset and strength and how her emotions were so clear and tangled in a very human way.
Logan was cool, I didn’t care about him that much but he was a good, strong character. He was written really well and I liked his mindset. I was drawn into how he worked so well with Riley.
Jackson Cole was an asshole and I despised him, but there was more to him than just being a straight-up dick, so I appreciate the characterization. I felt some sympathy for him and I won’t deny that he’s not evil, but I also really wanted him to get shot and killed.
Maddie was very realistic and I really appreciated a look into a teenage girl’s mind that wasn’t stereotypically what we call “high-school age narrative.” Maddie’s consciousness was treated differently, if that makes any sense. She felt so much more raw and unfiltered than most authors write high school girls.
The narration of the story flashed from character to character, from people in the background to our recurring mains, mostly Riley and Logan. There were a lot of different perspectives, but each one was incredibly unique.
One of my favorite parts about these characters was how they all felt so rough and authentic in such unsettling ways. They were crude, almost extreme to the point of exaggeration but in a way that perfectly fit with an everyday narrative. I’ve met my own share of Rileys and Jackson Coles and Maddies, and it scares me how they just blended into reality.
These women - Chloe, Nicole, Gracie - they were under her skin, occupying her waking thoughts and her dreams. They’d become part of her: their violent deaths and lost lives.
This book addressed the violence of this world in such an unflinching way. Almost immediately, with the gruesome deaths of several women, you could tell Erin Young wasn’t going to shy away from what really happens to 99% of missing girls.
I’m honestly kind of amazed at the issues this book addressed. It went into feminism and the opposite, the realities of all girls past the age of twelve. It went into environmental issues - a lot of environmental issues, actually. There was a lot of emphasis placed on farming and industry, but in a way that perfectly went with the setting of small-town Iowa.
It went into drugs and assault and trauma, and it didn’t back down. It was honestly terrifying. Riley’s flashbacks and the string of murders and the perspectives scattered through the story were horrifying - especially when you read a chapter that is so, so clearly written from the point of view of the killer, but in a way that makes you really see their side. This book truly, genuinely scared me, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy that experience, I will say that it was worth so much.
Where was the fork in her road? The divergence that had led her to this place of slaughter?
Honestly, this book was so much more than a detective murder thriller. There was way too much packed into this for it to just be a true crime read. The narrative was as compelling and fascinating as it was disgusting.
Overall, would I recommend this book? Absolutely, but only if you’ve got a strong stomach for some very gory details. This book was aggressive and unflinching, in a way that you can’t really enjoy.
I did love it, but not in the way I usually love books. More like I admire everything about it in the same way that I’m terrified of spiders and poisonous snakes - I appreciate their tenacity and the fear they inspire in me.
Aside from my very obvious terror, this book was really good in a literary sense too. The characters, setting and plot were all written well, and I actually really loved the writing. It was gritty and intense, but there were some lyrical flourishes along the way that stood out to me unexpectedly.
Basically, my advice is: if you want to be scared and tense for a full day or two, read this book. If you want something shocking and gruesome, read this book. If you want something true crime without the editing and airbrushing of a documentary, read this book.
If you like thrillers, maybe don’t. It depends.
That was the thing about monsters. Like the wolf in grandma’s clothing. Like the witch with her house of gingerbread. If you weren’t careful, you wouldn’t see them coming.
Objectively, it was good, but mentally, it scarred me. But also in a somewhat good way.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC!
I am very disturbed and I can’t tell if it’s in a good way.
First of all, this book is graphic. I probably should have seen that coming, considering that it’s a thriller and murder mystery, but the thrillers that I read are nothing like this. I was honestly unsettled by a lot of the book, especially once I got past the 40% mark.
The plot of this book followed Riley Fisher, head of investigations in a small police department in small-town Iowa, assigned to a murder case. However, the circumstances of the death were strange, not lining up with any normal causes, and the body discovered was her childhood best friend. Things unraveled with a string of a missing girl and more murders.
This was intense and very harsh. The realities it faced were aggressively realistic, to the point of very graphic, disgusting details and painful flashbacks through Riley’s perspective.
The plot just stuck with me so much - it was so aggressively painted, with so much detail and truth embedded throughout that I just couldn’t shake it. It was dark, cruel and realistic in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in another book.
Her own past - dredged up with Chloe’s body - had become excruciatingly present. If she wasn’t able to solve this case, Riley feared she might never be able to push it all back down inside.
Riley was a very strong protagonist. Her perspective, actions and narration were so real and harsh and written so well that you could tell she was a well-developed person. I loved her mindset and strength and how her emotions were so clear and tangled in a very human way.
Logan was cool, I didn’t care about him that much but he was a good, strong character. He was written really well and I liked his mindset. I was drawn into how he worked so well with Riley.
Jackson Cole was an asshole and I despised him, but there was more to him than just being a straight-up dick, so I appreciate the characterization. I felt some sympathy for him and I won’t deny that he’s not evil, but I also really wanted him to get shot and killed.
Maddie was very realistic and I really appreciated a look into a teenage girl’s mind that wasn’t stereotypically what we call “high-school age narrative.” Maddie’s consciousness was treated differently, if that makes any sense. She felt so much more raw and unfiltered than most authors write high school girls.
The narration of the story flashed from character to character, from people in the background to our recurring mains, mostly Riley and Logan. There were a lot of different perspectives, but each one was incredibly unique.
One of my favorite parts about these characters was how they all felt so rough and authentic in such unsettling ways. They were crude, almost extreme to the point of exaggeration but in a way that perfectly fit with an everyday narrative. I’ve met my own share of Rileys and Jackson Coles and Maddies, and it scares me how they just blended into reality.
These women - Chloe, Nicole, Gracie - they were under her skin, occupying her waking thoughts and her dreams. They’d become part of her: their violent deaths and lost lives.
This book addressed the violence of this world in such an unflinching way. Almost immediately, with the gruesome deaths of several women, you could tell Erin Young wasn’t going to shy away from what really happens to 99% of missing girls.
I’m honestly kind of amazed at the issues this book addressed. It went into feminism and the opposite, the realities of all girls past the age of twelve. It went into environmental issues - a lot of environmental issues, actually. There was a lot of emphasis placed on farming and industry, but in a way that perfectly went with the setting of small-town Iowa.
It went into drugs and assault and trauma, and it didn’t back down. It was honestly terrifying. Riley’s flashbacks and the string of murders and the perspectives scattered through the story were horrifying - especially when you read a chapter that is so, so clearly written from the point of view of the killer, but in a way that makes you really see their side. This book truly, genuinely scared me, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy that experience, I will say that it was worth so much.
Where was the fork in her road? The divergence that had led her to this place of slaughter?
Honestly, this book was so much more than a detective murder thriller. There was way too much packed into this for it to just be a true crime read. The narrative was as compelling and fascinating as it was disgusting.
Overall, would I recommend this book? Absolutely, but only if you’ve got a strong stomach for some very gory details. This book was aggressive and unflinching, in a way that you can’t really enjoy.
I did love it, but not in the way I usually love books. More like I admire everything about it in the same way that I’m terrified of spiders and poisonous snakes - I appreciate their tenacity and the fear they inspire in me.
Aside from my very obvious terror, this book was really good in a literary sense too. The characters, setting and plot were all written well, and I actually really loved the writing. It was gritty and intense, but there were some lyrical flourishes along the way that stood out to me unexpectedly.
Basically, my advice is: if you want to be scared and tense for a full day or two, read this book. If you want something shocking and gruesome, read this book. If you want something true crime without the editing and airbrushing of a documentary, read this book.
If you like thrillers, maybe don’t. It depends.
That was the thing about monsters. Like the wolf in grandma’s clothing. Like the witch with her house of gingerbread. If you weren’t careful, you wouldn’t see them coming.
Objectively, it was good, but mentally, it scarred me. But also in a somewhat good way.