Dark One: Forgotten

Great story but an unsatisfying ending.

I listened to the audiobook and I recommend you do the same. This book is the true crime rip-off podcast of a college student trying to catch a serial killer. Since it is a podcast it is enjoyed the best if listened to like a podcast.

The story got me hooked from the beginning, the mysterious case presented and all those unanswered questions made me power through in order to get more clues. I basically listened to the whole book in two sessions.
I really like the participation of Dan Wells in this project, he really knows how to tell a great story about serial killers and how to juggle comedy and horror. I'm looking forward to more collaborations in the cosmere.

I have no problem with the story, I think it is excellent. My problem comes with the conclusion. I had the feeling it was a little bit rushed and left many unanswered questions... Who is the emerald wizard? What are his goals? Why does he want the music bow if the Hollywood killer has several artifacts with the same effect? Why can't he be seen or described? What is the Hollywood killer? Where is he from? Why does he insist on the end to be killed? I believe this is the case because it is a prequel or a setup for future novels, so no big deal.

What annoys me the most is the scene in the car right before the final face-off. Our two main characters are affected by the curse which means that nobody can remember them, but they can remember each other (assuming the emerald wizard wasn't lying about that too, but it could have been checked very easily... they've been resetting the whole day) and they decide to smash the music box making the curse permanent. Later we figure out that the smashing of the music box broke the curse (kinda lame ngl).
Now let's assume the smashing of the box wouldn't break the curse or that instead of smashing it the friend queeps it. Then the plan would have to turn out the same because when the main character is dragged inside the house since the friend is also cursed she would have remembered and the swats would have broken in, or the police would have remembered because the main character would not have the box (that's at the end of the day the one debility of the Hollywood killer). And the epilogue would be how the two main characters are happy because they are fucked, but at least together.
I don't know if this hypothetical ending would have been any better, but the smashing of the box reversing the curse feels like a cheap conclusion. It is true that our only source of information on the magic system is an influenced informer with his own motivations. But I still don't understand why the Emerald Wizard wanted the curse to remain but he also wanted to stop the Hollywood killer.

In conclusion, I still have a lot of questions that I want to answer, I will check the dark one novel once it comes out, until then I will continue conspiring for possible explanations.