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ofclumsywords 's review for:
With a Vengeance
by Riley Sager
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would consider this book good, but not great. I liked the idea that the book takes place on a train and from start to finish everything happens within 12 hours. I also really liked Anna, she was a good main character who kept her morals and refused to kill any of the passengers on that train even though they all played a hand in her brothers murder and her family’s downfall.
But there were just too many twists for me. Every 50 pages seemed like there was some new jaw dropping reveal when in reality it made the book seem less plausible. There were also too many murders. Maybe I’m too traditional, but I want just one devious killer instead of three people that did not plan on murdering anyone suddenly decide to off someone because the opportunity was too great. The final thing that irked me was the fact that one of the killers used the roof of the train to move around undetected. That is a little too far fetched considering that the train was supposed to be one of the fastest built and was traveling through a blizzard. At one point, the killer was even walking on the roof of the train with a head wound and a stab wound to the side.
By the end of the book, I did like it and I liked how it ended. I just really didn’t like the fact that once I got used to a new twist, another was added and I had to reorient my whole understanding of what was happening on the page.
But there were just too many twists for me. Every 50 pages seemed like there was some new jaw dropping reveal when in reality it made the book seem less plausible. There were also too many murders. Maybe I’m too traditional, but I want just one devious killer instead of three people that did not plan on murdering anyone suddenly decide to off someone because the opportunity was too great. The final thing that irked me was the fact that one of the killers used the roof of the train to move around undetected. That is a little too far fetched considering that the train was supposed to be one of the fastest built and was traveling through a blizzard. At one point, the killer was even walking on the roof of the train with a head wound and a stab wound to the side.
By the end of the book, I did like it and I liked how it ended. I just really didn’t like the fact that once I got used to a new twist, another was added and I had to reorient my whole understanding of what was happening on the page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail