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kadota's reviews
69 reviews
Joe Victim by Paul Cleave
4.0
" Life moves on for everybody on the outside but inside these walls life feels like it's come to a standstill." ~Joe Middleton.
I have read about three books by Paul Cleave, and this is the fourth one yet, I would say I have become a great fan of Paul Cleave, I love how he just portrays his characters as dark and secretive as well as having a thinking that Christchurch is a shadow of death and misery no one can escape. All of his writings just keeps a person glued to the book, with a dash of humour and a whole lot of investigations, nothing seems to lag.
I would say I really didn't want to finish the book, firstly because I had no other Paul Cleave book left on my shelf, secondly it was really intriguing, and thirdly I was loving it without even reading the prequel, I was amazed by it... With every turn of the page, came a new twist, and this book for real won't let you complete any of your tasks...
In this book, he puts his main focus on Joe Middleton or best known as The Christchurch Carver. He is in prison waiting for his trial as he had murdered many innocent people. He believes that he didn't commit those horrendous crimes and is trying to convince others that he himself was a victim and not a guilty person. Alongwith his desire to kill further he is being the Optimistic Joe, who is focusing on the good for the mean time... Alongwith all of this going on in the prison cell, outside in the public there is an uproar to reintroduce the death penalty, and for this people think Joe would be the best choice to begin with. Will Joe make it to the death row or would he tackle it, that's a real question...
Also it reintroduces some previous killers like Melissa X, Caleb Cobe (from the laughterhouse).... It also revolves around the love story between Joe and Melissa...
Alongwith former detective Carl Schroder, who is now forced to do a job that he never wanted to do in the first place, is still involved in this case.
Plus with the story's frenzy and twists all of these characters conspire to give the best story full of twists and turns. And with Paul Cleave's profoundly impressive story-telling comes this novel of a serial killer awaiting his final verdict.
I have read about three books by Paul Cleave, and this is the fourth one yet, I would say I have become a great fan of Paul Cleave, I love how he just portrays his characters as dark and secretive as well as having a thinking that Christchurch is a shadow of death and misery no one can escape. All of his writings just keeps a person glued to the book, with a dash of humour and a whole lot of investigations, nothing seems to lag.
I would say I really didn't want to finish the book, firstly because I had no other Paul Cleave book left on my shelf, secondly it was really intriguing, and thirdly I was loving it without even reading the prequel, I was amazed by it... With every turn of the page, came a new twist, and this book for real won't let you complete any of your tasks...
In this book, he puts his main focus on Joe Middleton or best known as The Christchurch Carver. He is in prison waiting for his trial as he had murdered many innocent people. He believes that he didn't commit those horrendous crimes and is trying to convince others that he himself was a victim and not a guilty person. Alongwith his desire to kill further he is being the Optimistic Joe, who is focusing on the good for the mean time... Alongwith all of this going on in the prison cell, outside in the public there is an uproar to reintroduce the death penalty, and for this people think Joe would be the best choice to begin with. Will Joe make it to the death row or would he tackle it, that's a real question...
Also it reintroduces some previous killers like Melissa X, Caleb Cobe (from the laughterhouse).... It also revolves around the love story between Joe and Melissa...
Alongwith former detective Carl Schroder, who is now forced to do a job that he never wanted to do in the first place, is still involved in this case.
Plus with the story's frenzy and twists all of these characters conspire to give the best story full of twists and turns. And with Paul Cleave's profoundly impressive story-telling comes this novel of a serial killer awaiting his final verdict.
The Laughterhouse by Paul Cleave
5.0
IT WAS MIND BLOWING!!
So fast, so quick, so unexpected, so unforeseen, so full of surprises and such intelligently written. I am in love with this book. It seriously keeps the adrenaline rushing, like WOW!
I enjoyed every bit of the book. Each and every part was splendid. I seriously didn't want to end it. There were moments where I really had to just close the book and not read again because it was not bearable, but Paul Cleave has his way of keeping the readers glued.
In this novel of Paul Cleave, a story of vengeance has been told. A story to bring balance to the world. A balance of death and life. This time the slayer is a person named Caleb Cole. His daughter Jessica had been raped and murdered by a sick man named James Whitby, Caleb murders him but his thirst for vengeance doesn't end there... Fifteen years forward, Caleb is out of jail and is gonna make the bad people pay for his present condition and he is gonna strike like a bolt of lightning upon those who hadn't heard him, and who hadn't stood by him.
It is third installation in the Theodore Tate series, where he is going to be reminded of his very first crime scene, which was at the slaughterhouse...
Filled with great suspense, thrill, and secrets, this book, for me has stood out. It is just amazing! And to read Theodore Tate series again, it hasn't ever disappointed me, there is something in his character that makes him the best and the most wrecked as well as the most intelligent and quick witted but also at the same time an impulsive person, who is ready to shoot the person right away. Loved this book, loved his character and loved the story.
So fast, so quick, so unexpected, so unforeseen, so full of surprises and such intelligently written. I am in love with this book. It seriously keeps the adrenaline rushing, like WOW!
I enjoyed every bit of the book. Each and every part was splendid. I seriously didn't want to end it. There were moments where I really had to just close the book and not read again because it was not bearable, but Paul Cleave has his way of keeping the readers glued.
In this novel of Paul Cleave, a story of vengeance has been told. A story to bring balance to the world. A balance of death and life. This time the slayer is a person named Caleb Cole. His daughter Jessica had been raped and murdered by a sick man named James Whitby, Caleb murders him but his thirst for vengeance doesn't end there... Fifteen years forward, Caleb is out of jail and is gonna make the bad people pay for his present condition and he is gonna strike like a bolt of lightning upon those who hadn't heard him, and who hadn't stood by him.
It is third installation in the Theodore Tate series, where he is going to be reminded of his very first crime scene, which was at the slaughterhouse...
Filled with great suspense, thrill, and secrets, this book, for me has stood out. It is just amazing! And to read Theodore Tate series again, it hasn't ever disappointed me, there is something in his character that makes him the best and the most wrecked as well as the most intelligent and quick witted but also at the same time an impulsive person, who is ready to shoot the person right away. Loved this book, loved his character and loved the story.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5.0
From where should I begin to pour my thoughts about this book??
Basically, it is a story of life of Evelyn Hugo the glamorous Hollywood icon who has been living a secluded life, and who after years decides to put the veils off of her private as well as from the life filled with glitz and glam. So, it comes as a surprise yet a mystery as why Evelyn Hugo has decided to tell her story to a junior journalist named Monique Grant...
A story of struggle, betrayal, finding different parts of one's own self, as well as the tale of unexpected friendship and love that one thought never existed.
It is a book rich with scandals, plot twists, emotions and drama.
I so wish to be able to read this book for the first time, does this make sense?
Plus, what a rollercoaster this was!
Worth the hype!
Pure chef's kiss!
Basically, it is a story of life of Evelyn Hugo the glamorous Hollywood icon who has been living a secluded life, and who after years decides to put the veils off of her private as well as from the life filled with glitz and glam. So, it comes as a surprise yet a mystery as why Evelyn Hugo has decided to tell her story to a junior journalist named Monique Grant...
A story of struggle, betrayal, finding different parts of one's own self, as well as the tale of unexpected friendship and love that one thought never existed.
It is a book rich with scandals, plot twists, emotions and drama.
I so wish to be able to read this book for the first time, does this make sense?
Plus, what a rollercoaster this was!
Worth the hype!
Pure chef's kiss!
Catacomb by Madeleine Roux
4.0
"These were the rules as they were first put down;
First, that The Artist should choose an Object dear to the deceased.
Second, that The Artist feel neither guilt nor remorse in the taking.
Third, and most important, that the Object would not hold power until bloodied. And that the more innocent the blood for the blooding, the more powerful the result."
Those are really mind boggling rules
First, that The Artist should choose an Object dear to the deceased.
Second, that The Artist feel neither guilt nor remorse in the taking.
Third, and most important, that the Object would not hold power until bloodied. And that the more innocent the blood for the blooding, the more powerful the result."
Those are really mind boggling rules
Escape from Asylum by Madeleine Roux
5.0
Did I just finish the series? HELL YEAH!!!
FIRST OF ALL I LOVED THIS SERIES, PLUS I LOVED THIS INSTALLMENT, it is the prequel of The Asylum series. And I have so many words for it, but at the same time they are not sufficient, get me? I know you do.
So basically, the plot is set to the time when the Brookline Asylum was still functional and was successfully catering aka butchering the people. The storyline follows a character named Ricky Desmond along with our infamous Warden Daniel Crawford.
Ricky Desmond for any of us is a normal teenager with a hope of leading a normal happy life, but his parents aren't of a big fan of that idea because to them Ricky is a deviant and is far from what they call "normal", so to have some kind of normality in their lives (as they aren't able to cope up with the thing that their son was caught with a boy) they admit him to the Brookline Asylum. But this isn't just the beginning of nightmare but also a new project for Warden Crawford. As the days go by, things start to appear more and more crazier and Ricky is now well aware of the fact that the Warden is nothing but a butcher; a monster. With the help of a nurse who has managed to hold somewhat sanity of her mind, Ricky is determined to escape the Asylum before the screams from the basement as well as memory gaps plus the games of The Warden make him go insane. With more and more secrets unveiling and walking the thin line between consciousness and insanity, Ricky must endure all of this to succeed in his goal.
Personally speaking, enjoyed the prequel very much. The character of Warden had always left me wondering on how he used to be and how he used to "treat" people. I was intrigued by him. This book shows the readers what an evil genius he was obsessed with the idea of perfection... It was sickening.
"No man is truly sane in his time. Was Galileo? Michelangelo? Darwin? No. Geniuses all, but their contemporaries would never admit as much. And if I must be called insane for what I accomplish in our time, dear boy, so be it."
To be honest he has some points but the way he was accomplishing what he branded as achievements was totally crazy. He was butchering people... Killing them alive. His obsession with perfection went out of hand. He was obsessed with the IDEA of perfection wanted to see it in people but he overlooked the part where humans were made with flaws no matter what. He was driven but in the most horrifyingly twisted way.
Moreover, this book also highlighted the fact that how people were treated in asylums... It might be true for now too, because the inhumane behavior of our species knows no bounds. It was devastating as well as heart wrenching to even picture that. In order to make people "normal", they lose themselves...
All in all this book was ahmazing, kept me hooked and also drove me a bit crazy because I jumped at every little noise at night while I was reading it, plus yet again Madeleine Roux had done a remarkable job, making it again more real and terrifying!!
It had all the spooky vibes that just makes you want to hide under your comforter, or sheets or blanket, or maybe your own shirt.
Loved it!!
FIRST OF ALL I LOVED THIS SERIES, PLUS I LOVED THIS INSTALLMENT, it is the prequel of The Asylum series. And I have so many words for it, but at the same time they are not sufficient, get me? I know you do.
So basically, the plot is set to the time when the Brookline Asylum was still functional and was successfully catering aka butchering the people. The storyline follows a character named Ricky Desmond along with our infamous Warden Daniel Crawford.
Ricky Desmond for any of us is a normal teenager with a hope of leading a normal happy life, but his parents aren't of a big fan of that idea because to them Ricky is a deviant and is far from what they call "normal", so to have some kind of normality in their lives (as they aren't able to cope up with the thing that their son was caught with a boy) they admit him to the Brookline Asylum. But this isn't just the beginning of nightmare but also a new project for Warden Crawford. As the days go by, things start to appear more and more crazier and Ricky is now well aware of the fact that the Warden is nothing but a butcher; a monster. With the help of a nurse who has managed to hold somewhat sanity of her mind, Ricky is determined to escape the Asylum before the screams from the basement as well as memory gaps plus the games of The Warden make him go insane. With more and more secrets unveiling and walking the thin line between consciousness and insanity, Ricky must endure all of this to succeed in his goal.
Personally speaking, enjoyed the prequel very much. The character of Warden had always left me wondering on how he used to be and how he used to "treat" people. I was intrigued by him. This book shows the readers what an evil genius he was obsessed with the idea of perfection... It was sickening.
"No man is truly sane in his time. Was Galileo? Michelangelo? Darwin? No. Geniuses all, but their contemporaries would never admit as much. And if I must be called insane for what I accomplish in our time, dear boy, so be it."
To be honest he has some points but the way he was accomplishing what he branded as achievements was totally crazy. He was butchering people... Killing them alive. His obsession with perfection went out of hand. He was obsessed with the IDEA of perfection wanted to see it in people but he overlooked the part where humans were made with flaws no matter what. He was driven but in the most horrifyingly twisted way.
Moreover, this book also highlighted the fact that how people were treated in asylums... It might be true for now too, because the inhumane behavior of our species knows no bounds. It was devastating as well as heart wrenching to even picture that. In order to make people "normal", they lose themselves...
All in all this book was ahmazing, kept me hooked and also drove me a bit crazy because I jumped at every little noise at night while I was reading it, plus yet again Madeleine Roux had done a remarkable job, making it again more real and terrifying!!
It had all the spooky vibes that just makes you want to hide under your comforter, or sheets or blanket, or maybe your own shirt.
Loved it!!
You by Caroline Kepnes
4.0
My mind is tuned to interference aka the static aka the noise.
I AM SPEECHLESS.
Let's start with what the book is about shall we?
The book is about a handsome, charasmatic, ready to fall head over heels, Joe Goldberg, who is a bookseller, a kinda bookstore owner. And then there walks in an aspiring writer Guinevere Beck, who manages to make it into Joe's bookstore. Instantly swept of his feet, Joe pledges that he'll meet her again, and to meet her again he has to know her. So, he does what any person would do, look her up on the internet, a little bit of looking won't hurt anyone right? Like just a little bit? And the next thing we know is that Joe has set up a meeting with the love of his life. What can go wrong when they are so attracted to one another, their chemistry being insanely amazing, what can go wrong?
Oh yeah, an explosion can happen because they both are quite nuclear... Because neither Beck knows much about Joe below the surface, nor Joe is aware of the fact that there is more to surface. And so, when the events get out of hands, they both end up where they had not even thought about...
To be honest, after seeing and reading some reviews I was a bit hesitant on whether to give this book a try or not. But as you know life has its way, and it can prove you wrong. And also your heart wants what it wants. So here I am, proven wrong. The book was mind boggling and I loved it. It was engaging, compelling, riveting as well a book that can put your life on hold if you are not cautious of it. But I know you know me how I would never do such a thing. I so wanted to put my life on hold, to have hot chocolate and blankets covering me all day long, but I didn't do that because I am not you. But I would love to be you, because you want me to be you. And you love attention, so you'll agree that I should do it, be you, and put my life on hold, but I am no kid and I won't do it. But again, I would do it because I like you.
I will be you.
(Okay that was creepy as hell of me, the book has effected me, ignore).
I would say that this book was very different, the narration, the narrator, the storyline, the plot, everything was moving, compelling me to go from one chapter to another, I was more like sprinting to know what's gonna happen next.
Also, the characters kept me engaged. They were all so flawed, so complex, they had their nice moments and goodness too, but they all were troubled and in one word I say; broken. Joe being the main character was making me feel like I better kill him or smack my head on something. He was obsessive, possessive, controlling, and totally cunning. He was clever, sometimes witty, a manipulator, a pathological liar, compulsive, and also thought about sex very often. He is disgusting too in twisted ways. His views are enraging, and also he is condescending. Plus, he is a bad guy who thinks he is a good guy. Helping his loved aka the ones he is obsessed with, by killing people off. Oh and also he is a stalker. So yea. But also he is very twisted.
AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAD ROLLED MY EYES BECAUSE OF HIM AND HIS THOUGHTS. I REALLY HAD TO STARE AT MY CEILING AND WALLS TO HOLD MYSELF FROM SMACKING HIS FACE AND HITTING HIM WITH A CAR. AND I FORGOT TO MENTION HE IS SO DELUSIONAL! So infuriating it was.
But all in all, it was a very good read, the thing that troubled me was that he got away with many things, and it was like people were blind or something and they didn't feel it, or they were so engrossed with themselves that they didn't know they were being stalked. That was unnerving. But some things were totally ludicrous. Yet again guys, it didn't disappoint me, so I'll give it the credit.
Caroline Kepnes did an absolutely great job at writing this, while keeping it intriguing and creepy at the same time. It is really creative of her to write a book like this. And also how she made the main character to make the readers believe that it was about "you" (the deuteragonist) not about him. Whereas it was basically about him and his obsessiveness and his plans on how to possess the person he was obsessed with.
Like hats off to Caroline Kepnes.
Plus, each and every character was struggling with something, and it was devastating to see how they were dealing with it. Plus, stalkers and stalking is very real, so beware.
Again despite Joe's weird thinking, awful thoughts, and him acting as a douche, book was awesome.
And I am totally gonna read the sequel.
So, ☮ï¸âœŒï¸
I AM SPEECHLESS.
Let's start with what the book is about shall we?
The book is about a handsome, charasmatic, ready to fall head over heels, Joe Goldberg, who is a bookseller, a kinda bookstore owner. And then there walks in an aspiring writer Guinevere Beck, who manages to make it into Joe's bookstore. Instantly swept of his feet, Joe pledges that he'll meet her again, and to meet her again he has to know her. So, he does what any person would do, look her up on the internet, a little bit of looking won't hurt anyone right? Like just a little bit? And the next thing we know is that Joe has set up a meeting with the love of his life. What can go wrong when they are so attracted to one another, their chemistry being insanely amazing, what can go wrong?
Oh yeah, an explosion can happen because they both are quite nuclear... Because neither Beck knows much about Joe below the surface, nor Joe is aware of the fact that there is more to surface. And so, when the events get out of hands, they both end up where they had not even thought about...
To be honest, after seeing and reading some reviews I was a bit hesitant on whether to give this book a try or not. But as you know life has its way, and it can prove you wrong. And also your heart wants what it wants. So here I am, proven wrong. The book was mind boggling and I loved it. It was engaging, compelling, riveting as well a book that can put your life on hold if you are not cautious of it. But I know you know me how I would never do such a thing. I so wanted to put my life on hold, to have hot chocolate and blankets covering me all day long, but I didn't do that because I am not you. But I would love to be you, because you want me to be you. And you love attention, so you'll agree that I should do it, be you, and put my life on hold, but I am no kid and I won't do it. But again, I would do it because I like you.
I will be you.
(Okay that was creepy as hell of me, the book has effected me, ignore).
I would say that this book was very different, the narration, the narrator, the storyline, the plot, everything was moving, compelling me to go from one chapter to another, I was more like sprinting to know what's gonna happen next.
Also, the characters kept me engaged. They were all so flawed, so complex, they had their nice moments and goodness too, but they all were troubled and in one word I say; broken. Joe being the main character was making me feel like I better kill him or smack my head on something. He was obsessive, possessive, controlling, and totally cunning. He was clever, sometimes witty, a manipulator, a pathological liar, compulsive, and also thought about sex very often. He is disgusting too in twisted ways. His views are enraging, and also he is condescending. Plus, he is a bad guy who thinks he is a good guy. Helping his loved aka the ones he is obsessed with, by killing people off. Oh and also he is a stalker. So yea. But also he is very twisted.
AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I HAD ROLLED MY EYES BECAUSE OF HIM AND HIS THOUGHTS. I REALLY HAD TO STARE AT MY CEILING AND WALLS TO HOLD MYSELF FROM SMACKING HIS FACE AND HITTING HIM WITH A CAR. AND I FORGOT TO MENTION HE IS SO DELUSIONAL! So infuriating it was.
But all in all, it was a very good read, the thing that troubled me was that he got away with many things, and it was like people were blind or something and they didn't feel it, or they were so engrossed with themselves that they didn't know they were being stalked. That was unnerving. But some things were totally ludicrous. Yet again guys, it didn't disappoint me, so I'll give it the credit.
Caroline Kepnes did an absolutely great job at writing this, while keeping it intriguing and creepy at the same time. It is really creative of her to write a book like this. And also how she made the main character to make the readers believe that it was about "you" (the deuteragonist) not about him. Whereas it was basically about him and his obsessiveness and his plans on how to possess the person he was obsessed with.
Like hats off to Caroline Kepnes.
Plus, each and every character was struggling with something, and it was devastating to see how they were dealing with it. Plus, stalkers and stalking is very real, so beware.
Again despite Joe's weird thinking, awful thoughts, and him acting as a douche, book was awesome.
And I am totally gonna read the sequel.
So, ☮ï¸âœŒï¸
Five Minutes Alone by Paul Cleave
4.0
Lies moulded with truth aren't lies, right?
Yep, that's the book for me at the end.
This book is the last installment of the Theodore Tate series, and seriously I had forgotten how great this guy was. It has been long since I had read a crime novel (well oh my, who am I kidding; a novel). Plus, I had been missing in action in my life too (ha ha). And when I ended this book, I just sat on my bed thinking, this is it? Like really? What?! I NEED MORE!!! I NEED A CLOSURE!
LIKE COME ON!!
But, but, but I loved the location where it ended basically, from where it all started. (Nice touch there author)
Basically, in this book, Theodore is back in action, eluding coma, coming back to his wife and in police, trying his best to settle back in his life. Whereas, for his friend, ex-partner, Schroder, things aren't looking too good, he has a bullet in his head somewhere, stuck, saving him a few days of life. This bullet snaps something in him, causing him to become emotionless, and now this leads to a dead rapist, then two, then... Well, dead innocent people. Theodore tries to connect the dots, Schroder tries to find some balance in his life leading them both to stand, face to face against each other.
But the real question is who is this so called five minute man, who is giving five minutes alone to the loved one's of the victimized?
I must say, I was really excited for this book, it was different than the rest of his books, less mysterious, a bit slow at times but all the more it felt like I was watching a crime season, a really good one. It had precise amount of darkness, humour, and detective work. Plus, the book in the beginning was like keeping me on the edge, the middle was moderate, but for the ending I expected totally different outcome, and well come on there was the great plot twist. If that twist hadn't had happened I would've been crying right now. Otherwise, it was a book filled with coffee, detectives, forensics, investigation, plus lots of sleep deprivation.
Besides, I really enjoyed the humour of the main character (MC), seemed like he had gotten it after his wake from coma. Plus, the inner monologue of the both characters was a treat to read. Theodore, being the MC really was done with his job, the city, and the people, he just wanted to go to home to his wife so bad. (That was sad
Yep, that's the book for me at the end.
This book is the last installment of the Theodore Tate series, and seriously I had forgotten how great this guy was. It has been long since I had read a crime novel (well oh my, who am I kidding; a novel). Plus, I had been missing in action in my life too (ha ha). And when I ended this book, I just sat on my bed thinking, this is it? Like really? What?! I NEED MORE!!! I NEED A CLOSURE!
LIKE COME ON!!
But, but, but I loved the location where it ended basically, from where it all started. (Nice touch there author)
Basically, in this book, Theodore is back in action, eluding coma, coming back to his wife and in police, trying his best to settle back in his life. Whereas, for his friend, ex-partner, Schroder, things aren't looking too good, he has a bullet in his head somewhere, stuck, saving him a few days of life. This bullet snaps something in him, causing him to become emotionless, and now this leads to a dead rapist, then two, then... Well, dead innocent people. Theodore tries to connect the dots, Schroder tries to find some balance in his life leading them both to stand, face to face against each other.
But the real question is who is this so called five minute man, who is giving five minutes alone to the loved one's of the victimized?
I must say, I was really excited for this book, it was different than the rest of his books, less mysterious, a bit slow at times but all the more it felt like I was watching a crime season, a really good one. It had precise amount of darkness, humour, and detective work. Plus, the book in the beginning was like keeping me on the edge, the middle was moderate, but for the ending I expected totally different outcome, and well come on there was the great plot twist. If that twist hadn't had happened I would've been crying right now. Otherwise, it was a book filled with coffee, detectives, forensics, investigation, plus lots of sleep deprivation.
Besides, I really enjoyed the humour of the main character (MC), seemed like he had gotten it after his wake from coma. Plus, the inner monologue of the both characters was a treat to read. Theodore, being the MC really was done with his job, the city, and the people, he just wanted to go to home to his wife so bad. (That was sad