When the Stars Go Dark

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review. This was one of those books that I had a really hard time placing between four and three stars. While there were many things that I liked, there were just as many things that either irritated me or just put me off to the story. I originally got the arc a while ago and even though it took me a long time to finally read it, I am definitely glad that I did because even if the story wasn't the most exciting, there are some really deep truths about assault victims and I found the novel to be extremely moving in that regard. I would still recommend this book but know that it's not your typical thriller mystery but if you want to be profoundly touched then it just might be for you.

First of, When the Stars Go Dark is about a missing persons' detective, Anna Hart, who flees from her current family life after a tragic accident back to her childhood home, which stirs up a lot things she left behind and then she is forced right back into her job when a girl goes missing and she can't resist her need to help find the girl. I thought the plot was okay and this is one of my first tropes like this but the story progressed rather slow and I don't think it had to be this long. Things were revealed too slowly for me, especially because I prefer things coming to light all throughout the novels that I am reading, not just at the end. That is what I mean when I say that it's not your typical suspenseful thriller, the unfolding of the story definitely didn't keep me holding onto the edge of my seat.

Secondly, the characterization was probably the thing I enjoyed the most about this book because we really get a good look into Anna's psyche and what makes her tick and we really understand what compels her to be so immersed and obsessed with her job. The writing style definitely helps with that because even though it's more drawn out than I'd prefer in my thrillers, it is also very deeply profound and gets Anna's soul across beautifully. Not something I would expect from a thriller but I enjoyed that aspect of it.

Thirdly, the writing style is beautiful and flowing but a little bit too much for me, especially in a thriller, which I am used to being fast-paced and exhilarating. For this reason, I found it to have progressed extremely slowly. I did enjoy all the deep truths in regards to assault victims, which I haven't pondered that deeply myself yet, I just wasn't prepared for it and thought I was going into something completely different.

In conclusion, even though this book wasn't my favorite, I think readers who enjoy long flowy sentences and an abundance of descriptions would really enjoy this one. However, if you are looking for a fast-paced, mind blowing, shocking thriller, I did not find this to be it.