Syndrie
Usually I'm rather good at picking up on foreshadowing and being able to correctly guess the answers behind mysteries in thriller novels but "An Immaculate Deception" was one of the few that has managed to blindside me, and I'm glad that it did!
This is a rather fast paced novel that definitely leans more to the sides of psychological or domestic thriller, and I'd have to say it's a pretty strong debut! Although some parts of the prose did feel a bit lackluster to me, I think Livino did a great job at portraying the character's emotions and that helped make up for the more lackluster areas. You could definitely feel Madalena's fear growing day by day alongside Leandro's increasing inner turmoil. The rather quick plot development made this into a real page-turner for me and I just wanted to keep reading so I could figure out exactly what was going on between Madalena, Leandro, and the mysterious Doctor Lobo.
The novel is split into two different parts with the first being in Madalena's POV and the second in Leandro's and I think this was the perfect layout for this particular story. Having both of their perspectives really added an additional layer of depth to the story and made the reveals much more satisfying in the end. This is definitely one of those novels where you'll be able to appreciate the first half way more after finishing the whole thing.
I'd definitely recommend this to fans of gothic thrillers who are looking for a quick, entertaining read! There are some horror elements but it's not overly grotesque or frightening, so it might be a good pick for readers who aren't too good with horror but want to take a chance on a darker story.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Dutton, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)
Usually I'm rather good at picking up on foreshadowing and being able to correctly guess the answers behind mysteries in thriller novels but "An Immaculate Deception" was one of the few that has managed to blindside me, and I'm glad that it did!
This is a rather fast paced novel that definitely leans more to the sides of psychological or domestic thriller, and I'd have to say it's a pretty strong debut! Although some parts of the prose did feel a bit lackluster to me, I think Livino did a great job at portraying the character's emotions and that helped make up for the more lackluster areas. You could definitely feel Madalena's fear growing day by day alongside Leandro's increasing inner turmoil. The rather quick plot development made this into a real page-turner for me and I just wanted to keep reading so I could figure out exactly what was going on between Madalena, Leandro, and the mysterious Doctor Lobo.
The novel is split into two different parts with the first being in Madalena's POV and the second in Leandro's and I think this was the perfect layout for this particular story. Having both of their perspectives really added an additional layer of depth to the story and made the reveals much more satisfying in the end. This is definitely one of those novels where you'll be able to appreciate the first half way more after finishing the whole thing.
I'd definitely recommend this to fans of gothic thrillers who are looking for a quick, entertaining read! There are some horror elements but it's not overly grotesque or frightening, so it might be a good pick for readers who aren't too good with horror but want to take a chance on a darker story.
(I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, Dutton, via NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.)