Mariana Ponte
TLDR: Solid thriller with some good twists that kept me guessing, but the characters lacked depth and it lost steam in the second half. Worth the read, just didn't blow me away.
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The Art of Fear goes into some pretty dark territory (child sex trafficking being one of its main themes) and wraps it all in a thriller that kept me guessing. The story jumps between multiple perspectives, each one dragging you down a different rabbit hole, making you think you've cracked it... until the next chapter proves you wrong. That part I really enjoyed.
Ari's an interesting character. Growing up carrying the weight of her sister's death has left her damaged, and that backstory gives the whole thing an extra layer. There's this constant sense of threat throughout, and I was curious enough to keep going, as I wanted to know who did it.
But it didn't blow me away, if I'm honest. I couldn't really connect with most of the characters (they needed more depth) and that made it hard to care whether they'd make it or not.
And the ending... when I thought it was done and realised it was actually a setup for a sequel. Not sure I'll pick up the next one.
Overall, a decent thriller with some solid twists and a dark premise that's worth the read. It kept me hooked enough to finish, just didn't keep me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.
TLDR: Solid thriller with some good twists that kept me guessing, but the characters lacked depth and it lost steam in the second half. Worth the read, just didn't blow me away.
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The Art of Fear goes into some pretty dark territory (child sex trafficking being one of its main themes) and wraps it all in a thriller that kept me guessing. The story jumps between multiple perspectives, each one dragging you down a different rabbit hole, making you think you've cracked it... until the next chapter proves you wrong. That part I really enjoyed.
Ari's an interesting character. Growing up carrying the weight of her sister's death has left her damaged, and that backstory gives the whole thing an extra layer. There's this constant sense of threat throughout, and I was curious enough to keep going, as I wanted to know who did it.
But it didn't blow me away, if I'm honest. I couldn't really connect with most of the characters (they needed more depth) and that made it hard to care whether they'd make it or not.
And the ending... when I thought it was done and realised it was actually a setup for a sequel. Not sure I'll pick up the next one.
Overall, a decent thriller with some solid twists and a dark premise that's worth the read. It kept me hooked enough to finish, just didn't keep me on the edge of my seat the whole way through.