Take a photo of a barcode or cover
pagesplotsandpints's reviews
2083 reviews
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
3.0
Read Completed 3/3/25 | 3 stars | Book #25 of 2025
Well, curiosity got me here. This was a disappointed 3 stars, but it wasn't a horrible book. It just felt like the kind of books I got forced to read in school that I never connected to and ended up being forced to analyze to pieces.
This was a character driven MYSTERY -- not a thriller. It's so hard when mystery & thriller are lumped together because I find mysteries to be much slower and sometimes the answer to the mystery doesn't really pay off for me. Seeing so many places call this a thriller really did it a disservice -- well, to my reading experience, anyway. I can be all for a character-driven mystery (see my previous enjoyment of DON'T TELL ME HOW TO DIE), but this one didn't do it for me. I have to care about said characters and while the intrigue was there, I always felt like there was this big wall between me and the book where the author wasn't quite letting me in. Some of the narration was a little dry. The third person narration didn't really work for me. It wasn't bad, but it did keep me from getting to feel for the characters as much as I wanted to.
The mystery was... fine. I thought there was going to be this huge reveal at the end based on the reviews and it really wasn't anything huge. It was just okay. Not really worth being encouraged to wait for the ending and see. I probably could have been more satisfied DNFing and just spoiling the ending for myself.
I'm giving it three stars though because I wasn't really ever BORED. I wanted to know what was going on, I was curious, and I cared enough to keep reading. It wasn't a bad book, but it was mostly 100% not my style. I kind of figured it wouldn't be going in, but I don't know until I try! I love when books surprise me and sometimes surprises make the reading experience that much more enjoyable. This was a little swing and a miss, but I can't love them all.
Well, curiosity got me here. This was a disappointed 3 stars, but it wasn't a horrible book. It just felt like the kind of books I got forced to read in school that I never connected to and ended up being forced to analyze to pieces.
This was a character driven MYSTERY -- not a thriller. It's so hard when mystery & thriller are lumped together because I find mysteries to be much slower and sometimes the answer to the mystery doesn't really pay off for me. Seeing so many places call this a thriller really did it a disservice -- well, to my reading experience, anyway. I can be all for a character-driven mystery (see my previous enjoyment of DON'T TELL ME HOW TO DIE), but this one didn't do it for me. I have to care about said characters and while the intrigue was there, I always felt like there was this big wall between me and the book where the author wasn't quite letting me in. Some of the narration was a little dry. The third person narration didn't really work for me. It wasn't bad, but it did keep me from getting to feel for the characters as much as I wanted to.
The mystery was... fine. I thought there was going to be this huge reveal at the end based on the reviews and it really wasn't anything huge. It was just okay. Not really worth being encouraged to wait for the ending and see. I probably could have been more satisfied DNFing and just spoiling the ending for myself.
I'm giving it three stars though because I wasn't really ever BORED. I wanted to know what was going on, I was curious, and I cared enough to keep reading. It wasn't a bad book, but it was mostly 100% not my style. I kind of figured it wouldn't be going in, but I don't know until I try! I love when books surprise me and sometimes surprises make the reading experience that much more enjoyable. This was a little swing and a miss, but I can't love them all.
Back After This by Linda Holmes
3.75
Read Completed 3/1/25 | 3.75 stars | Book #23 of 2025
I'm a little sad! I wanted to love this but something about it just never really panned out for me. Sadly, I don't think the audiobook narration helped. The author, Linda Holmes, narrated it herself, and she did a fine job, but if I didn't know it was the author, I would have been really disappointed in it. The narration was flat and not super varied. I do appreciate when the author narrates their own books sometimes because I know we're getting it exactly how they wanted it delivered, but it was a little lacking for me.
I liked the characters and the romance. Cecily had a great connected with her love interest and they had awesome chemistry. I really liked their connection, their banter, and their story.
I don't know! There's just something missing here for me where I always felt on the outside of the story, like it just never really pulled me in. I don't know if it was an audiobook barrier or something else. I enjoyed the book, but I'm left a little disappointed for some reason.
I'm a little sad! I wanted to love this but something about it just never really panned out for me. Sadly, I don't think the audiobook narration helped. The author, Linda Holmes, narrated it herself, and she did a fine job, but if I didn't know it was the author, I would have been really disappointed in it. The narration was flat and not super varied. I do appreciate when the author narrates their own books sometimes because I know we're getting it exactly how they wanted it delivered, but it was a little lacking for me.
I liked the characters and the romance. Cecily had a great connected with her love interest and they had awesome chemistry. I really liked their connection, their banter, and their story.
I don't know! There's just something missing here for me where I always felt on the outside of the story, like it just never really pulled me in. I don't know if it was an audiobook barrier or something else. I enjoyed the book, but I'm left a little disappointed for some reason.
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez
5.0
Read Completed 2/27/25 | 5 stars | Book #22 of 2025
Okay, but can I please have this as a full length novel now? I'd reread it all over again. How does Abby Jimenez pack so many feelings in such a small novella!? I loved the chemistry between these two, I laughed out loud multiple times, we even have a a secondary romance that I somehow also loved!? And as usual, we have a serious topic that packs a huge emotional punch as well. I absolutely loved this little read. I really wish there was more 😂
Also listened to via audiobook on 3/1/5
Okay, but can I please have this as a full length novel now? I'd reread it all over again. How does Abby Jimenez pack so many feelings in such a small novella!? I loved the chemistry between these two, I laughed out loud multiple times, we even have a a secondary romance that I somehow also loved!? And as usual, we have a serious topic that packs a huge emotional punch as well. I absolutely loved this little read. I really wish there was more 😂
Also listened to via audiobook on 3/1/5
Run by Blake Crouch
2.5
Read Completed 2/27/25 | 2.5 stars | Book #21 of 2025
This was not very good. The writing was intense, fast-paced, and VERY action-based. In fact, there's really not a plot at all. You can summarize the plot in one sentence, and that's all you get from the whole book. RUN is entirely that: running. The main characters flee their home when the entire country starts going homicidal after witnessing an aurora in the sky. Aaaaand. That's it! That's the whole book!
If you like action and don't mind a lack of plot and character development, then maybe this will be an exciting book for you! It really could have benefitted from SOME quiet moments where the characters calm down, share things about themselves, have touching moments, create some other interesting points of the story. It almost happened... once. We didn't get to see the other parts of the book that would have given it depth.
I kind of expected this because Blake Crouch's earlier works just don't seem to have the development that I like of anything from DARK MATTER on, but I still wanted to try it. At least it was fast and kept moving!
This was not very good. The writing was intense, fast-paced, and VERY action-based. In fact, there's really not a plot at all. You can summarize the plot in one sentence, and that's all you get from the whole book. RUN is entirely that: running. The main characters flee their home when the entire country starts going homicidal after witnessing an aurora in the sky. Aaaaand. That's it! That's the whole book!
If you like action and don't mind a lack of plot and character development, then maybe this will be an exciting book for you! It really could have benefitted from SOME quiet moments where the characters calm down, share things about themselves, have touching moments, create some other interesting points of the story. It almost happened... once. We didn't get to see the other parts of the book that would have given it depth.
I kind of expected this because Blake Crouch's earlier works just don't seem to have the development that I like of anything from DARK MATTER on, but I still wanted to try it. At least it was fast and kept moving!
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
4.0
Read Completed 2/25/25 | 4 stars | Book #20 of 2025
This was a fun read! I wasn't sure what to expect because the beginning was honestly not really my style. The writing was a little too... pretentious? But I also think that was the kind of point because Jacob was supposed to be this great literary writer who ends up writing a thriller and he kind of doesn't even know how to do it. I really wasn't sure if I was going to like the book if that was how it was going to be written the whole way, but as the thriller side of the book picked up, the tone changed just a bit as well.
The best part of the book was the lead up to what THE PLOT actually was. Jacob is a teacher of creative writing in a special program, and one of his students, a total self-centered jerk, tells him he has the most amazing plot for a book that no one has ever done before. When the book never gets published, Jacob looks up the student a few years later to find out that he's dead. With a struggling writing career never taking off after his one successful release (and multiple other failures), he makes the plot his own and writes his own story based off that very specific concept.
As the book goes on, we aren't outright told what the plot is, so I really enjoyed the way that the author chose not to give everything to the readers. Jacob's version of "the plot" is revealed little by little as we the readers get pages of his story, so there's really a suspense building there. As this suspense is building, Jacob is also starting to get threats from a person who is going to reveal that he stole this idea from his former student who died, and Jacob is slowly breaking down as the threats get bigger and start being posted publicly, so there's a WILD sense of dread there that I felt alongside Jacob. Reputation ruining stories always hit me in the gut, so it was such a tense book for me!
As for who the threat is... I DID figure out that twist. From the beginning, I had strong suspicions at who this person was and how they were involved, but I just didn't really know why yet. Once we started finding out what "the plot" was, I put those pieces together pretty easily, but still got a few things wrong until the other twist started coming into play. It was definitely still fun even though I knew the twist, so it wasn't shocking for me -- as a thriller reader -- because I'm used to picking up on these types of twists. If you're not a thriller, maybe you won't see it coming!
As for the plot itself... sure, it was a good twist, but it's been done before 😅 Again, as a thriller reader, it wasn't the most shocking thing I've ever read in a thriller book and there are even true stories like that out there. But I really did like how it was incorporated into this novel!
The ending was just a bit lackluster for me. I wasn't ever rating this 5 stars at any point, but I almost didn't give it a full 4 stars because of the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a little too villain speech-y and it basically just dropped all that suspense quickly. I wish there was a little more tension in the finale because even though it was a little wild, it all just fell off and could have ended with a little more bang instead of a quieter... ending.
There is a sequel now, and I highly recommend NOT even looking at it until you've read this book because the concept of the book itself is a huge spoiler. I brought this on vacation with me and had a fun time reading it, so that also added to my enjoyment!
This was a fun read! I wasn't sure what to expect because the beginning was honestly not really my style. The writing was a little too... pretentious? But I also think that was the kind of point because Jacob was supposed to be this great literary writer who ends up writing a thriller and he kind of doesn't even know how to do it. I really wasn't sure if I was going to like the book if that was how it was going to be written the whole way, but as the thriller side of the book picked up, the tone changed just a bit as well.
The best part of the book was the lead up to what THE PLOT actually was. Jacob is a teacher of creative writing in a special program, and one of his students, a total self-centered jerk, tells him he has the most amazing plot for a book that no one has ever done before. When the book never gets published, Jacob looks up the student a few years later to find out that he's dead. With a struggling writing career never taking off after his one successful release (and multiple other failures), he makes the plot his own and writes his own story based off that very specific concept.
As the book goes on, we aren't outright told what the plot is, so I really enjoyed the way that the author chose not to give everything to the readers. Jacob's version of "the plot" is revealed little by little as we the readers get pages of his story, so there's really a suspense building there. As this suspense is building, Jacob is also starting to get threats from a person who is going to reveal that he stole this idea from his former student who died, and Jacob is slowly breaking down as the threats get bigger and start being posted publicly, so there's a WILD sense of dread there that I felt alongside Jacob. Reputation ruining stories always hit me in the gut, so it was such a tense book for me!
As for who the threat is... I DID figure out that twist. From the beginning, I had strong suspicions at who this person was and how they were involved, but I just didn't really know why yet. Once we started finding out what "the plot" was, I put those pieces together pretty easily, but still got a few things wrong until the other twist started coming into play. It was definitely still fun even though I knew the twist, so it wasn't shocking for me -- as a thriller reader -- because I'm used to picking up on these types of twists. If you're not a thriller, maybe you won't see it coming!
As for the plot itself... sure, it was a good twist, but it's been done before 😅 Again, as a thriller reader, it wasn't the most shocking thing I've ever read in a thriller book and there are even true stories like that out there. But I really did like how it was incorporated into this novel!
The ending was just a bit lackluster for me. I wasn't ever rating this 5 stars at any point, but I almost didn't give it a full 4 stars because of the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a little too villain speech-y and it basically just dropped all that suspense quickly. I wish there was a little more tension in the finale because even though it was a little wild, it all just fell off and could have ended with a little more bang instead of a quieter... ending.
There is a sequel now, and I highly recommend NOT even looking at it until you've read this book because the concept of the book itself is a huge spoiler. I brought this on vacation with me and had a fun time reading it, so that also added to my enjoyment!
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
3.25
Read Completed 2/21/25 | 3.25 stars | Book #19 of 2025
I was nervous and excited to pick up BLACKTOP WASTELAND after so many glowing reviews! It was a good read, but I never really quite got into it the way that I had hoped. This reads a bit more literary fiction and less niche genre than I usually read, and while I expected it, I still just didn't click with it as much as I had hoped.
I really liked the characters, and Beauregard was a great main character, and yet, I still wanted to get to know him even deeper. As something that leaned more literary than thriller, I just wanted even more character development from everyone. I think the audiobook narrator's performance had a bit to do with why I didn't feel as much for this as I wanted to. I really loved his voice but the performance was a little flat, and I think maybe a bit more from the narration would have really amped up the action and suspense.
The plot was a little hit or miss for me too. This had a touch of The Fast and the Furious with Bug being the wheelman on these jobs and some drag racing (I was not into cars at all but that was one of my favorite movies as a teen lol), and I enjoyed all of the heart-pounding action scenes. I'm all for character-driven books and have been known to enjoy many of them, but there was just something I was missing here in some way. Sometimes that happens! I can really love a character-driven book and it's a new favorite because I love them so much, but when I don't quite click in, it just gets lost on me a little.
I'm really glad I read this and even though it wasn't a new smash hit for me, it was a good read! I just didn't quite end up loving it the way that I had hoped.
I was nervous and excited to pick up BLACKTOP WASTELAND after so many glowing reviews! It was a good read, but I never really quite got into it the way that I had hoped. This reads a bit more literary fiction and less niche genre than I usually read, and while I expected it, I still just didn't click with it as much as I had hoped.
I really liked the characters, and Beauregard was a great main character, and yet, I still wanted to get to know him even deeper. As something that leaned more literary than thriller, I just wanted even more character development from everyone. I think the audiobook narrator's performance had a bit to do with why I didn't feel as much for this as I wanted to. I really loved his voice but the performance was a little flat, and I think maybe a bit more from the narration would have really amped up the action and suspense.
The plot was a little hit or miss for me too. This had a touch of The Fast and the Furious with Bug being the wheelman on these jobs and some drag racing (I was not into cars at all but that was one of my favorite movies as a teen lol), and I enjoyed all of the heart-pounding action scenes. I'm all for character-driven books and have been known to enjoy many of them, but there was just something I was missing here in some way. Sometimes that happens! I can really love a character-driven book and it's a new favorite because I love them so much, but when I don't quite click in, it just gets lost on me a little.
I'm really glad I read this and even though it wasn't a new smash hit for me, it was a good read! I just didn't quite end up loving it the way that I had hoped.
The Wife Before by Shanora Williams
3.0
Read Completed 2/19/25 | 3 stars | Book #18 of 2025
This has been on my TBR for a long time and I'm glad I finally read it! It ended up just being an average read for me, which was kind of disappointing because the bones of the story were actually really good. The writing was just a little too lackluster for me to ever really get into it. The plot was solid and interesting, but the use of the journals was a little too heavy at times. Ultimately, I think the characters were just a little too flat and the writing felt the same. There was a lot of telling the reader what was going on and it was just one foot in front of the other, leading us to the ending. I really could have used a little more suspense and atmosphere to really hook me, but still a very readable book!
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was also fairy dry. Her style really wasn't my favorite but I really wanted to read this one so I kept going. It was a little too stiff of a performance for my personal tastes so that didn't help the book get a leg up in performance.
This has been on my TBR for a long time and I'm glad I finally read it! It ended up just being an average read for me, which was kind of disappointing because the bones of the story were actually really good. The writing was just a little too lackluster for me to ever really get into it. The plot was solid and interesting, but the use of the journals was a little too heavy at times. Ultimately, I think the characters were just a little too flat and the writing felt the same. There was a lot of telling the reader what was going on and it was just one foot in front of the other, leading us to the ending. I really could have used a little more suspense and atmosphere to really hook me, but still a very readable book!
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was also fairy dry. Her style really wasn't my favorite but I really wanted to read this one so I kept going. It was a little too stiff of a performance for my personal tastes so that didn't help the book get a leg up in performance.
Nothing Ever Happens Here: A Thriller by Seraphina Nova Glass
2.5
Read Completed 2/17/25 | 2.5 stars | Read #17 of 2025
Sadly, this was a pretty disappointing read for me. I've read all of Seraphina Nova Glass's books, but I haven't really enjoyed one for years and I fear they just keep going downhill for me. This book just didn't have the magic that some of her earlier ones have and the beginning was the only exciting part of it.
The writing was pretty lackluster. Sadly, her writing has just become standard thriller that doesn't have a lot of tension, suspense, or interesting prose. I feel like we were straight up told too many things and I didn't feel any atmosphere here. The two main characters (that were the younger ones, not the older lady) kind of felt pretty similar. I knew who was who but it didn't really make a difference. I really didn't like the older generation. They were all boiled down to caricatures of older people, either clueless or just plain silly. I really didn't think Flor's POV really added to the story. We could have easily dropped it and finished the book a little differently and we could have focused more on the other two main characters.
The ending was just.... dumb. For me, it was obvious but I was hoping it wasn't because that was just too easy and obvious. I wasn't satisfied with it in the least bit and it didn't help an already underwhelming read. The book wasn't BAD but it certainly didn't work for me.
Sadly, this was a pretty disappointing read for me. I've read all of Seraphina Nova Glass's books, but I haven't really enjoyed one for years and I fear they just keep going downhill for me. This book just didn't have the magic that some of her earlier ones have and the beginning was the only exciting part of it.
The writing was pretty lackluster. Sadly, her writing has just become standard thriller that doesn't have a lot of tension, suspense, or interesting prose. I feel like we were straight up told too many things and I didn't feel any atmosphere here. The two main characters (that were the younger ones, not the older lady) kind of felt pretty similar. I knew who was who but it didn't really make a difference. I really didn't like the older generation. They were all boiled down to caricatures of older people, either clueless or just plain silly. I really didn't think Flor's POV really added to the story. We could have easily dropped it and finished the book a little differently and we could have focused more on the other two main characters.
The ending was just.... dumb. For me, it was obvious but I was hoping it wasn't because that was just too easy and obvious. I wasn't satisfied with it in the least bit and it didn't help an already underwhelming read. The book wasn't BAD but it certainly didn't work for me.
Don't Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp
4.25
Read Completed 2/15/25 | 4.25 stars | Book #16 of 2025
This was a really fun read! Truthfully, I actually did not think I would like it, and in another state of mind, I would have DNFed it for not getting to the "thriller part" sooner, but I was in the proper mood to enjoy the characters as the book was unfolding and wait for the payoff. I only picked this up because of some glowing BookTok reviews, and it's always so hit-or-miss. I'm really happy that I enjoyed this one, and the audiobook narration by January LaVoy also helped for sure.
While it ends like a thriller, I'd struggle to recommend it as such on a broad scale. That would probably be the best place to put it, but all of the twists, reveals, and thrilling moments are all at the end. The story is one long tale to the unraveled, but you have to want it to get it. It's also a very, very character-driven thriller which requires you to be heavily invested in these characters because the plot is much slower, working up to a deliberate and shocking reveal. It's hard when I see people hype it up to be absolutely nuts because then I have *expectations* of it being the best and usually I'm let down, so while this still wasn't a 5 star book for me, I absolutely enjoyed the whole ride! There were also parts in the end that really required me to suspend a little disbelief that I couldn't quite let go of. There was one big jump that I just didn't *quite* accept. If I did, it maybe would have been 4.5 stars, but I just didn't quite accept the BIG twist of it all.
I really appreciate the author's ability to write interesting characters. If I hadn't liked them, I would have easily been bored and anxious waiting for "things to get good", but I actually wanted to know what happened to them, and there were very small bits woven in plot-wise to keep my attention. I really liked the relationships here, especially seeing relationships change, evolve, and grow over time as the characters grow. I thought it was an excellent insight to show how some relationships change and grow, and some just always stay the same no matter how old you get or how much you change. Truly, without me having a personal investment in the characters, this would have been a boring book, by my usual preferences, so that made a big difference for me!
When everything finally started to come out in the end, there were punches left and right that I just didn't see coming. I kept wondering what exactly would be the surprise because I just couldn't figure it out. I really appreciated how everything happened in the end! This will definitely be a book that sticks with me. I can't say it'll be a favorite -- and maybe it will as time passes and I keep thinking about it -- but I'm definitely glad I read it. It was a nice change of pace from some of the popcorn thrillers (which I have zero issues with. Those are fun and twisty in their own ways!) and I'm having fun this year reading things that are just a little bit different.
This was a really fun read! Truthfully, I actually did not think I would like it, and in another state of mind, I would have DNFed it for not getting to the "thriller part" sooner, but I was in the proper mood to enjoy the characters as the book was unfolding and wait for the payoff. I only picked this up because of some glowing BookTok reviews, and it's always so hit-or-miss. I'm really happy that I enjoyed this one, and the audiobook narration by January LaVoy also helped for sure.
While it ends like a thriller, I'd struggle to recommend it as such on a broad scale. That would probably be the best place to put it, but all of the twists, reveals, and thrilling moments are all at the end. The story is one long tale to the unraveled, but you have to want it to get it. It's also a very, very character-driven thriller which requires you to be heavily invested in these characters because the plot is much slower, working up to a deliberate and shocking reveal. It's hard when I see people hype it up to be absolutely nuts because then I have *expectations* of it being the best and usually I'm let down, so while this still wasn't a 5 star book for me, I absolutely enjoyed the whole ride! There were also parts in the end that really required me to suspend a little disbelief that I couldn't quite let go of. There was one big jump that I just didn't *quite* accept. If I did, it maybe would have been 4.5 stars, but I just didn't quite accept the BIG twist of it all.
I really appreciate the author's ability to write interesting characters. If I hadn't liked them, I would have easily been bored and anxious waiting for "things to get good", but I actually wanted to know what happened to them, and there were very small bits woven in plot-wise to keep my attention. I really liked the relationships here, especially seeing relationships change, evolve, and grow over time as the characters grow. I thought it was an excellent insight to show how some relationships change and grow, and some just always stay the same no matter how old you get or how much you change. Truly, without me having a personal investment in the characters, this would have been a boring book, by my usual preferences, so that made a big difference for me!
When everything finally started to come out in the end, there were punches left and right that I just didn't see coming. I kept wondering what exactly would be the surprise because I just couldn't figure it out. I really appreciated how everything happened in the end! This will definitely be a book that sticks with me. I can't say it'll be a favorite -- and maybe it will as time passes and I keep thinking about it -- but I'm definitely glad I read it. It was a nice change of pace from some of the popcorn thrillers (which I have zero issues with. Those are fun and twisty in their own ways!) and I'm having fun this year reading things that are just a little bit different.
The Family Inside by Katie Garner
3.0
Read Completed 2/13/25 | 3 stars | Book #15 of 2025
I wasn’t super into this for most of the book, but I trusted that the twists were going to take me where I needed to be, and that was true! I did see one of them coming and it was actually exciting to see that particular piece slot into place. I didn’t have the whole thing right, so there was also still an element of surprise there. The ending also had another little gem for me, so I was happy to see another fun twist and reveal something I wasn’t expecting.
Really, the writing of this one let me down. I wouldn’t say it felt like Freida McFadden, but I did have some similar feelings from when I’ve read her books. For a lot of people, that’s a good thing. For me, it was overly dramatic, I didn’t like the insinuation that things were almost horror like the constantly talking about how the house had feelings of its own — it’s not haunted, the house doesn’t have feelings. It’s a thriller, not a horror novel. There was a LOT going on. The pieces did all come together so I was happy that the author really did use every piece. I didn’t find it hard to follow because of how much was going on but it became less enjoyable. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time on some parts of the story and I could have felt a much bigger emotional impact.
This was a little over-the-top and I don’t mind that in some thrillers because they’re supposed to shock us, but this was just a tad much for me. If the writing was a little tighter, I might not have cared.
I wasn’t super into this for most of the book, but I trusted that the twists were going to take me where I needed to be, and that was true! I did see one of them coming and it was actually exciting to see that particular piece slot into place. I didn’t have the whole thing right, so there was also still an element of surprise there. The ending also had another little gem for me, so I was happy to see another fun twist and reveal something I wasn’t expecting.
Really, the writing of this one let me down. I wouldn’t say it felt like Freida McFadden, but I did have some similar feelings from when I’ve read her books. For a lot of people, that’s a good thing. For me, it was overly dramatic, I didn’t like the insinuation that things were almost horror like the constantly talking about how the house had feelings of its own — it’s not haunted, the house doesn’t have feelings. It’s a thriller, not a horror novel. There was a LOT going on. The pieces did all come together so I was happy that the author really did use every piece. I didn’t find it hard to follow because of how much was going on but it became less enjoyable. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time on some parts of the story and I could have felt a much bigger emotional impact.
This was a little over-the-top and I don’t mind that in some thrillers because they’re supposed to shock us, but this was just a tad much for me. If the writing was a little tighter, I might not have cared.