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A review by novelty_reads
Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer
4.0
I think I really need to recollect my thoughts with this book because I genuinely have NO idea what I just read.
My mind is still reeling from all those plot twists and all those surprises too and I don't know what I think about them. Were they too rushed? Did I like the ending? I have no idea, all that I know is that I want answers and I want more of them. This book left me with so many questions and so little answers. I was constantly asking "What the–" or "Why did that happen!?" or "This makes no sense! What is going on!" and once one question was answered, a million more popped up. I believe that this book would've made a better duology or even a series because with an ending like that, I don't think a standalone would suffice.
You can see what I mean when I say the book encompasses a lot: the book follows murder suspect, Thomas Bellweather who is shunned by his town having been believed to be his mother's strangler. The only person who sees through the town's prejudices is Charlotte, who sees Thomas for who he really is apart from the leading murder suspect. The book twists and turns and we eventually get closer to uncovering the murderer but with many unsuspecting twists along the way. Although being in the murder-mystery vein, we do get (some) elements of the paranormal genre however, I must admit I expected stuff like ghosts or werewolves (which are typically at the forefront of paranormal) and was searching for their presence throughout the novel. In that regard, yes the book kind of disappointed me but it made up for it with all those major twists that kept me glued to my seat the whole way through.
I have no idea what to think because there were so many plot twists but I wished they were developed more. I think that if the book was longer– maybe 400-500 pages, I would've loved this book a whole lot more. For starters, let's talk about the biggest plot twist to do with Thomas (without going into spoilers of course), it seemed to come completely out of the blue and I wished it was expanded on. It completely changed the tune of the story along with its genre and it just made me so annoyed that so much could've been touched on but wasn't. The whole book had a great idea and I wished more was explored with that concept but it wasn't and now we are left with nothing but questions and so few answers. Not to mention, the book left with such an open ending it basically demands a sequel.
Plot and story aside, I do have a few things to say about the characters. I liked Thomas in general especially with his dark and intimidating allure. Not to mention, he was written in such a haunting way you just wanted to read more in his perspective. Charlotte on the other hand was a character I didn't mind but I didn't love either. She was very... well... lets just say she had a lot of dirty thoughts about Thomas... but her characterisation did get better in other parts of the novel. There was one part, and this goes back to the whole "I wish this book explored more with its concepts" thing, but Charlotte did experience strange occurrences that were connected to another murder committed a couple of years ago. The connection was briefly mentioned in an ending that felt rushed to me especially if we consider the grandiose storyline and the scarce page numbers.
All in all though, I enjoyed this book but I wished it had more detail when it came to answering the questions of "Why" in relation to its plot twists.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 STARS
My mind is still reeling from all those plot twists and all those surprises too and I don't know what I think about them. Were they too rushed? Did I like the ending? I have no idea, all that I know is that I want answers and I want more of them. This book left me with so many questions and so little answers. I was constantly asking "What the–" or "Why did that happen!?" or "This makes no sense! What is going on!" and once one question was answered, a million more popped up. I believe that this book would've made a better duology or even a series because with an ending like that, I don't think a standalone would suffice.
You can see what I mean when I say the book encompasses a lot: the book follows murder suspect, Thomas Bellweather who is shunned by his town having been believed to be his mother's strangler. The only person who sees through the town's prejudices is Charlotte, who sees Thomas for who he really is apart from the leading murder suspect. The book twists and turns and we eventually get closer to uncovering the murderer but with many unsuspecting twists along the way. Although being in the murder-mystery vein, we do get (some) elements of the paranormal genre however, I must admit I expected stuff like ghosts or werewolves (which are typically at the forefront of paranormal) and was searching for their presence throughout the novel. In that regard, yes the book kind of disappointed me but it made up for it with all those major twists that kept me glued to my seat the whole way through.
I have no idea what to think because there were so many plot twists but I wished they were developed more. I think that if the book was longer– maybe 400-500 pages, I would've loved this book a whole lot more. For starters, let's talk about the biggest plot twist to do with Thomas (without going into spoilers of course), it seemed to come completely out of the blue and I wished it was expanded on. It completely changed the tune of the story along with its genre and it just made me so annoyed that so much could've been touched on but wasn't. The whole book had a great idea and I wished more was explored with that concept but it wasn't and now we are left with nothing but questions and so few answers. Not to mention, the book left with such an open ending it basically demands a sequel.
Plot and story aside, I do have a few things to say about the characters. I liked Thomas in general especially with his dark and intimidating allure. Not to mention, he was written in such a haunting way you just wanted to read more in his perspective. Charlotte on the other hand was a character I didn't mind but I didn't love either. She was very... well... lets just say she had a lot of dirty thoughts about Thomas... but her characterisation did get better in other parts of the novel. There was one part, and this goes back to the whole "I wish this book explored more with its concepts" thing, but Charlotte did experience strange occurrences that were connected to another murder committed a couple of years ago. The connection was briefly mentioned in an ending that felt rushed to me especially if we consider the grandiose storyline and the scarce page numbers.
All in all though, I enjoyed this book but I wished it had more detail when it came to answering the questions of "Why" in relation to its plot twists.
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 STARS