Adam SP
The world building is just phenomenal. The characters, both completely relatable and infuriatingly annoying at times, are just excellent. The two major time periods - both now and how we get here from the past - are intertwined so expertly.
This is an utterly sensational novel. Constantly gripping, always engaging, always hooking you in.
No notes, 5 stars.
Like the two before it, Vanish is a sensational addition to the Lane Holland universe.
This one didn't grab me as much as the previous two did for a good chunk of the story, but it was still excellent. The ending, though. The ending. The last 15% are just WILD!
I think I have whiplash.
Can't wait for what Shelley writes next. Whether another chapter in the Lane Holland universe, or a new one, I'll be there.
Shelley is a sensational novelist, which such a fascinating and enthralling way of writing. I am able to very vividly "see" the world that Shelley has laid out, and I was just as deeply enraptured in Ripper as I was in WAKE.
Lane's involvement in this installment is very muted, but given his situation in life at this time, it would have been obtuse any other way.
The plot, the history, the threads, and the characters, all phenomenal!
Wow. Just wow.
The characters are complex, and very well written. The plot is intense, and progresses at an excellent pace.
The twists will give you whiplash, and make you dizzy at the same time.
Would love to be able to read it in its mother tongue, but Jamie does a phenomenal job with the translation.
Wow. Kate Ellis has a rather simple, but incredibly vivid writing style; it's incredibly easy to visualise what Kate has described.
The story is engaging, and the characters have good substance. At times it feels a little repetitive and/or the characters are going in circles, and the Nuala sub-plot is enraging.
The "twist" is wild, and the detail is phenomenal.
Overall, fantastic read.
3.25/5; I am so intrigued but this one.
The way it is written, as a collection of letters, gives fantastic Bram Stoker-vibes, but done so completely originally.
The way Scarlett is so vivid in her writing style makes it incredibly easy to visualise what she has written; that aspect is excellent.
But, there are some really frustrating parts of the narrative, and the final letter feels like it drags on for too long. The very end also leaves you feeling wholly incomplete.
We'll written, great premise, and glad to have completed it.
The writing style is crisp, the characters well developed and easy to get into the heads of, and the story is interesting.
But, I struggled with the pace, and the characters feel very far apart for a long time.
At about 40%, things start to come together, and the paths start to converge, and the rest of the book picks up with excellent tact and thrill.
I really struggled with this book.
The concept and underlying story is so important, and so appropriate to the times we are encountering with the rot of neo-nazi's and other scum, but the writing style was just not for me.
The last 80 or so pages took this from a 1-star to a 2, but I'm afraid that John's style is just not my cup of tea.
Contains spoilers
This is a hard one.
Caroline Kepnes is a damned talented author. The writing style, the descriptions, the story telling, it's all top notch.
But this protagonist is the absolute worst! I hate him with every fibre of my being. And I think that's the point? But I hate him so much, that it ruined the book for me.
It's why it's been in my "currently reading" for so long; I couldn't read too much at once, as I was getting too angry.
My 2 star rating is based on my individual enjoyment; it's not reflective of Caroline's artistry. Caroline knows how to write, and I'm so impressed that she was able to write Joe in such a way that *he* - not the idea of him, but he himself - got so under my skin.
I can see why so many people *do* enjoy this book, but it's not for me.
What. An. Ending?!
This third and final instalment is everything the previous omitted. It's brave, confronting, and utterly intense. It's powerfully beautiful, and equally sad. It's so packed with action, but with no sacrifice to the thought provokingly important themes that make everything about this series what it is.
The introspection of human nature is even more pronounced, and so beautifully confrontational.
This was an interesting one. Overall, it's the same world, with most of the same characters, and that charm that is just wonderful to read.
There were aspects here that felt either rushed, or not completely thought out. The level of world building that has been present throughout the last two books, and The Hammer and the Goat, just wasn't quite the same.
But the story was excellent, as always.
Do yourself a favour and read this one. It's worth it.
Contains spoilers
The Hammer is an absolute favourite of mine, and this small glimpse into her growth and recovery from the Usurper's influence is written so well.
I think my only displeasure is that it wasn't longer! Would love to have had it go further into when she passes in the cave. I now envisage that in the final moment, as she dreams of the usual dreams that torment from the Usurper, she is given a moment where the Usurper is finally eradicated from her mind and essence, with her last thoughts/dreams being of utter peacefulness.
Alas, it wouldn't be right for there to be more, but I yearn! Onto The Vagrant and the Shining City!
Dark, gritty, suspenseful, adventurous.
There are so many hints of what's to come, and then boom, change of direction and you're left wondering where you are and what happened. And it's glorious.
The story is deep, twisted, and gripping. Descriptions and the world building approachable and engrossing.
All in all, absolutely loved it.
2.75, rounded up.
Lynda is a great author, and tells a vivid and suspenseful story.
For me personally, this one was a bit too drama-driven, and not quite the usual crime-thriller I'm after.
And the rampant mysoginy was so overtly abhorrent. Which is the point. It's literally what Lynda is going for, and she has crafted that part so perfectly that I want to ensure a personal hand in the downfall of so many in the story. But it's left me feeling so angry (again, as intended).
Glad to have read it.
Action packed, intelligent, exciting, with a fair amount of suspense and thrill.
If you've ever watched the movie(s), the differences are stark, and it's sometimes hard to grapple the mental memories and what's taking place in the narrative.
The novel is far darker. In both characters and motives, and in violence.
It's also timeless in many ways. So little has changed with regards to human nature, especially the mega-wealthy.
Overall, sensational!
A very, very solid 4.25, rounded up!
The story is gripping, raw, and emotional. The themes are hard, deep, and disturbing.
The characters have such fascinating characteristics, and wonderful development. They're so utterly imperfect, but in a way that is so understandable.
I'll be sitting with this one swirling in my mind for a while...
Absolutely tantalising, gripping, and mind blowing.
The plot and the characters are smooth, and very, very well thought out. There is so much mystery, delicious sub-plots, and beautiful character flaws that make everything so human, and so surreal.
For so much of the story, any inkling you have for what's coming is dashed and you are left with whiplash. Towards the end, I had no idea who or what to suspect, and I loved it.
My only gripe is the super short chapters, which aren't needed. They add a slight disjointedness to an otherwise brilliant narrative.
2.75, rounded up.
The plot is good. The story is driving, intense, with excellent suspense.
Although I was correct in the end as to who the villain was (but had no inkling as to how heinous the depth the villainy went), I only had a niggle early on, and then the story was crafted well to direct you in many other directions.
What let it down, for me, was some of the personal traits of the main protagonist, and how superficially some aspects were written. Specifically in the vain of "a man writing a woman".
Glad to have read it, but not the best I've read.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
This is hands down a brilliant story. The plot is great, and the characters are relatable, deep, and intriguing. They make dumb choices, but relatable dumb choices.
The action is good, the suspense balanced, and the "what's coming next" is always just out of sight, so you are beautifully driven to read and read.
The themes of this story are deep, unsettling, and confronting. TW: suicidal ideation, abuse, trauma.
None of the major players are likable, but that is the point and drives the story. The audacity of the main character is rather grating, with him seeming to want to be a detective more than a therapist, but that is also a key point and when everything comes to a head, it's incredibly important.
You will feel that timelines don't always add up, but they do, and it will all make sense.
Well worth the read.
An absolutely fascinating compendium of short stories.
Belladonna Nights was so initially perplexing, but so, so deep and left you very existentially ponderous.
Metal Like Blood in the Dark was such a captivating story of introspection, growth, and innocence (and/or the loss there of).
Immersion is powerful in the reflection of current society and the need to portray an unrealistic, polished perfection of life online. It's one downfall was my thirst for so much more! It needs a novel, or a series!
The Last Voyage of Skidbladnir was a touching analogy of consumerism over the appreciation of life, and the growth we must take to overcome such things.
The rest were just good and fun little episodes of space opera, and I enjoyed it all!