Adam SP

Confusing, intimidating, confronting, and exciting.

It's a solid 3.8/5, and I'm damned glad to have read it.

It's a pretty gripping read, with good twists and turns.

There's some missing finesse, and a few issues around continuity, but overall, was a good story.

Intimately clever, deep, emotive, and heartachingly beautiful.

Jacqueline has done a phenomenal job with this debut, and I am immensely grateful for this artwork to be available.

If crime/thriller/suspense is your thing, but you also like the philosophical, this is absolutely a book for you.

This was a fascinating read.

I actually struggled for the first ~170 pages, being unable to get into the story and the writing style, but then it ramps up something fierce. The last ~80 pages had me very much on edge, and completely enthralled.

Not my typical genre, but very glad to have read it.

This is a fun read, told in a very theatrical way. As one of the quotes states, it's cinematic.

If you like Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, or David Baldacci's Last Man Standing, you're going to thoroughly enjoy this.

Cons:

- The characters are quite wooden, with their development either rushed, or done “off screen”.

- Some parts of the story are too shallow/glossed over, and others way too detailed; as such, the reading can be stilted, and jarring.

Pros:

- Absolutely wicked fun.

- Overall a good story, with some great action.

- The writing is somewhat simplistic, it's easy to get into the groove and visualise, and so it can be a real page turner.

I enjoyed it, and will likely read it again someday. I'm keen for the sequels.

Honestly, 2.9, rounded up.

It's like Black Widow and Captain America origin stories combined, without lots of the Marvel fluff.

It's fun. It's intriguing in places. It's cliched as hell.

I can appreciate how some people would love it.

Confronting, awe inspiring, and utterly essential reading.

Honestly, wow. The way Polly expertly juggled the Now and Then of this story is incredible.

Fantastic story (in a depressing kind of way) told very well.

There are some areas that could have used improvement, as is expected for a second novel, but Polly should be exceedingly proud of what she's achieved.

This was a sensational read! So many characters, so many hidden sins, so much to unpack. I'll be spending a few days pondering over this story before I can pick up another...

There's a lot of characters here, and many perspectives. At first it's a task to stay across them, but the story develops well, and in the end I was gobsmacked. 4/5, good read!

OK, so the first 2/3 of the book I was struggling with the main character a bit, until more details were revealed and it was clear we were dealing with cPTSD and lots of other things; after that it all clicked and I heart-breakingly loved her.

I was leaning to 3.5 stars up until this point, but the last 1/3 took it to 4.5, and so I've evened it at 4. I'm so glad to have read it, and think the author should be incredibly proud of their work!!

4.25 out of 5.

Great character development, well paced story, and utterly impressive ending.

I'll be pondering this one a while...

The three intertwined timelines in the same physical space was well done, and the interlinked stories easy to follow. For the most part the characters were well written, and the authors intent for your trust, distrust, like, and dislike felt very balanced.

Unfortunately I found the ending unsatisfying, and the relationship between the two “now” characters a bit too 2 dimensional, and their relationship troubles a bit disheartening.

Overall, I'm glad to have read it, and would recommend it.

4.75 out of 5. Absolutely sensational!!

0.25 is only because occasionally the author would jump around perspective between paragraphs, which was confusing, but it was only a small bit, and you'd easily readjust.

For a debut novel, amazing. Well done Emma!

Also, the twist? Holy Mother, I was not ready, and could not predict it. Just wow!

The characters are compelling, the story swift and full of suspense, and I hadn't figured it all out until the author wanted me to.

Absolutely brilliant book. Great characters, believable premise, and wonderful suspense.

Iris is a talented writer, and this is an excellent sequel to the first of Leo.

Thanks for the laughs, the horror, and the borderline heart attacks

3.75, rounded up.

4.25 stars; excellent book.

Watch some of his YouTube sketches first, and you'll absolutely love this.

3.8, rounded up.

The first 50 pages or so were a 2.5, the next 100 were a 3, and then the rest ramped between a 3.5 and a 4.

3.8/5

There are some amazing twists and turns in this book, but a few holes/inconsistencies that stick like a thistle in your clothes.

At times the author comes across pretentious and insulting, which can let down the twist that's just occurred.

Still, overall, an enjoyable read.

Cons:

- The characters are quite wooden, with their development either rushed, or done “off screen”.

- Some parts of the story are too shallow/glossed over, and others way too detailed; as such, the reading can be stilted, and jarring.

Pros:

- Absolutely wicked fun.

- Overall a good story, with some great action.

- The writing is somewhat simplistic, it's easy to get into the groove and visualise, and so it can be a real page turner.

I enjoyed it, and will likely read it again someday. I'm keen for the sequels.