4.5 stars
While reading, I kept imagining how this story would come to life through the lens of Nicolas Winding Refn. If you're a fan of movies such as The Neon Demon or American Psycho, where the delirious obsession with fame drives one to extreme actions—Slow Down will be right up your alley.Essentially a story about a filmmaker being pressured to write his next 'big' movie, Lee Matthew Goldberg blends many familiar 'Rags to Riches' themes within a razor sharp narratives about filmmaking: life imitating art (or vice versa), never meet one's hero, and power struggle within relationship. The story is purposefully filled with unpleasant characters; if you're familiar with the aforementioned films and Chuck Palahniuk.'s Fight Club (which was referenced multiple times), you'll have a good grasp of the archetype populating this story: self-righteous, headstrong, and turbulent. Slow Down satisfies our macabre curiosity of just how far one would do, with extreme malevolence and beyond morality, to quench assumed life-depending desire or reputation.It might be bizarre to call a book 'cinematic', but that is exactly how Slow Down reads; Lee Matthew Goldberg set up multiple recurring visual cues, which all come to satisfying revelation as the story wraps up. My only minor gripe with Slow Down is it's truncated ending, which abruptly brings everything to closure in a way that is too naive and dainty for the events prior. BUT, within its meta, cyclical storytelling structure, the choice is also completely intentional and justified; so the final verdict really depends on personal preference: would you prefer an all-out, emotionally gutted ending, or one that is less thrilling, but thematically appropriate?To close, if you have been a fan of hypnotic Neo-noir narrative where characters self-destruct and being their absolutely worst to others for questionable victory, then you'll definitely find Slow Down a worthwhile read.***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
2.5 stars
After receiving my 'Romance Lit 101' on the Regency romance subgenre through The Bromance Book Club, I decided to venture into my first full-length novel; which turned out to be The Formidable Earl by Sophie Barnes. So bear in mind this review is written from the perspective of a brand new romance reader.The Formidable Earl turned out to be simply average; 'inoffensive' would be the choice word to describe it. I wasn't particularly engaged, but also wasn't offended by the characters or plot development; everything just washed over like water — cured my thirst of boredom but left no trace behind. The two protagonists, Simon Nugent and Ida Strong, were likable characters, but the journey they went through felt very by-the-numbers and lacked any sort of passion or suspense, which is a pretty big flaw considering the primary story objective is a revenge. Sophie Barnes has mapped out a very intentional pacing for The Formidable Earl, one that switches back and forth between romance and revenge at a regulated interval; which I argue actually depletes any sense on momentum. At a constant 30 mph throughout, this might be the most lifeless delivery I've ever read so far this year.Also didn't realize going in this is part of a series (#6 of Diamonds in the Rough), which was made explicitly clear as the last chapter was setting up the couple-to-be for the next book. I would say if you are already reading the series, the familiarity with recurring characters will probably get you more out of The Formidable Earl, otherwise it is a pretty formulaic, vanilla story that will adequately fill up time if you have absolutely nothing to read.Probably not a bad start for my Regency romance journey though, things can only go up from here!***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
3.5 stars
An atypical MM romance novel that dives into darker themes of childhood trauma, sexual harassment, and rape; while there are rough patches in its characters and narrative, the author has overall woven an engaging story with two sympathetic and memorable leads.The novel's biggest accomplishment is the depiction of its two leads; both Oliver and Bodie are emotionally introverted with a less-than-happy family history. The gradual unveiling between the characters, both physically and emotionally, in small snippets of daily interaction, is both tender and believable; a rarity for this specific genre. Born for Leaving shines the most during its intimate moments.For the overarching narrative, the novel sticks close to the genre playbook, telling a summer-long tale on a fictional New England resort island, with the anticipated ups and downs of friend-to-lover and moments of obstacle and miscommunication. The story contains several antagonists, all of whom are quite comically villainous in comparison to the complexity of the two leads. In particular, the character of Oliver's mom and an ex-lover Jack, both went through a character arc that felt very sudden and over-dramatic. Lastly, while the last plot turn offered some emotionally raw moments between Oliver and Bodie, the initiated action taken by the character felt out of place, and the following events leaned a little too much into the melodramatic, rather than common sense.Overall, thanks to the author's perceptive writing and the introduction of darker subject matter to a genre commonly known for its sexy fun, Born for Leaving is a captivating read beyond what the lackluster book cover otherwise suggests.***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
4 stars
Utilizing tropes common in domestic thrillers, The Secret Talker is a lyrical study on buried secrets, deceptive harmony, and wandering desire in a seemingly steady marriage.Once you accept the rather archaic method of exchange Geling Yan chose as the primary narrative device (it has been a long time since I personally write / receive meaningful, lengthy emails; texting and other apps have since taken its place.), it's a rather effective storytelling device; organically revealing events in a stream of consciousness manner, providing suspense and twist without feeling overtly manipulative.Being an #ownvoices novel, the Chinese protagonist feels authentic, and her cultural background and upbringing is what validate the realism of The Secret Talker's narrative; the trope can only be sustained convincingly with a conflicting immigrated Chinese's state of mind: glorification of the Western culture (and maintaining it at all cost), internal turmoil beneath a placid facade (unwilling to be seen broken), and disdain, but the same time, nostalgic for one's humbled root.The ending twist is emotionally rewarding, if not The Sixth Sense level surprisingly, nor as flawlessly executed. The puzzle pieces come together abruptly with many conveniences, as if the author has hit the minimum page count for the assignment, rather than letting the narrative reach its resolution in an appropriate pacing. This shortcoming aside, the reveal does warrant The Secret Talker a second read-through, as it alters the reader's interpretation of a specific character.The Secret Talker is more literary fiction than thriller, it uses suspenseful scenarios as catalyst to deep dive into a character's psyche, rather than purely for their shock value. If you are a fan of beautiful prose and well-rounded, flawed protagonist, this book is worth a try.***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
4 stars
Before She Knew Him reminds me structurally of the film Knives Out, where the culprit is revealed very early on in the story; Matthew IS a killer—but that's not the point; the intrigue instead is centered around the cat and mouse chase between the two protagonists, and the unlikely friendship that formed between two people in conflict.The plot twist, while still remains a satisfying direction, is really not as big of a surprise as the novel made it out to be. For a seasoned thriller reader, the hints along the way are quite explicit at pointing the narrative towards a specific direction, which slightly dampened the impact of the 'reveal'.Still, Before She Knew Him remains a very cinematic, image-conjuring read; Peter Swanson has crafted two very interesting, dimensional protagonists in Hen and Matthew, and it was a worthwhile journey understanding their inner struggles, past demons, and how their relationship send ripples across the people around them.
2.5 stars
I have come to the conclusion Riley Sager's work is not for me.After seeing the endless hype about his novels online, and my less-than-stellar reading experiences thus far (Lock Every Door: 2 stars / Home Before Dark: 3 stars), I decided to try 1 more; because 1 inferior book might be an unfortunate career mishap, with 2 books a pattern starts to emerge, and 3 books should be enough to generate a final verdict. The Last Time I Lied is that third book, and it confirms reoccurring qualities in his work that I personally find distracting.**Light spoiler ahead**I should clarify I'm not reading these books just to mock them, because Riley Sager is a master at establishing compelling premise. This remains true with The Last Time I Lied, I'll even add this is my favorite setting out of the 3 I've read; Camp Nightingale is a perfectly rendered homage to Friday the 13th's Crystal Lake, and Sager makes it his own by layering in a storied submerged town underneath the camp's man-made body of water.Unfortunately the progression beyond the riveting buildup bums me out (beside the final twist, which has the bleak darkness I wish was present throughout the book's entirety), It's like Riley Sager selected and sourced all the premium ingredients, but somehow ended up with a bland dish.- Emma Davis is a ill-conceived protagonist: Emma is written very similarly across the dual timelines, which is absurd considering the 15 years gap. The lack of maturity in the adult (28yr-old) Emma makes her section grating to read through; she's self-righteous, self-isolating, and never once reevaluate her teenage incident through the lens of hindsight and adulthood. Her bizarre teen-angst behavior is not only accidentally comical (LOVES getting drunk and becomes irritated when others 'told on her' (to the police, nonetheless)... If I read the passage about the adult Emma hugging her camper's teddy bear one more time... And yes, the best way to deal with a shower room peephole, is to stuff it with clay from the craft room, instead of informing the staff.), but also padding out the book with unnecessary side tracks (How can the adult Emma remains so loyal to Vivian's words, when her teenage self was already aware of Vivian's tendency to manipulate?) The adult Emma's fragile mental state is crucial plot element to The Last Time I Lied, but I don't think it is well-calibrated, sacrificing the reader's sympathy (I honestly wished the worst of her character in the later half of the novel), and the story's integrity.- Plot built on wishy-washy logic: Emma ended up in Dogwood twice is thematically interesting, but considering the previous incident, why would anyone in their right mind approve it the second time?The lone security camera pointing at a cabin in the wood is a vivid concept, but its only real contribution is conceiving the most hilariously dumb sequence of the book (Ch. 33–36 if you want to experience it firsthand): lengthy passage of Emma sneaking out, meticulously avoiding the camera. Then she decides to storm into the lodge, encountering cops and confronting Franny and Lottie, only to then sneaks her way back into Dogwood "the same way she left". With multiple witnesses well-aware she's been out and about, what is the point of this charade? Either Riley Sager is implying Emma has gone completely delusional (which I doubt is the case), or his editor forgot to proofread this particular section.- Perhaps the biggest disappointment is how little the setting's history end up being relevant to the core story: the asylum, the odd wig business, the sunken town and its begrudged residents, and the mysterious drowning of Franny's husband... Like building an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine just to open a can of soup, Riley Sager paints an extensive world with seemingly endless possibilities, only as misdirection and red herring, in service of a very minuscule (and juvenile) story of revenge between 2 individuals. This is a trope Sager has also implemented for Lock Every Door and Home Before Dark; it's a sinking feeling when you realize in retrospect, majority of the novel is simply smoke and mirrors, instead of building narrative layers and nuances.**Light spoiler ends**In the end, I still find this journey with Riley Sager's work a fruitful one, as it helps me to further define my thriller preferences.
2 stars
Great premise hindered by a below-than-average execution.With such premise I was looking forward to a psychological thriller in the vein of Rosemary's Baby, which the novel definitely takes inspiration from; but what we ended up is a skeletal frame of a plot without any of the delicious meat...Lock Every Door is full of inconsequential padding; the telltale sign first appeared when it took 13 chapters to set off a plot point mentioned in its synopsis (the character Ingrid's disappearance), and the duo-timelines device sprinkled throughout the narrative ultimately provided very little payoff—those chapters can be completely skipped without missing any significant development.Riley Sager's basic, unadorned writing style is another downgrading factor for me, which seems to work against the genre that is desperate for intricate mood-setting and atmosphere. It's like watching a movie filmed with office fluorescent light and IKEA furniture—yes, lines are delivered and plot understood, but in the least engrossing way possible.The combination of a sluggish pacing and passionless writing drives my full attention to scrutinize Lock Every Door's plot, which is filled with obvious holes and logic gaps, beyond my typical thriller genre tolerance. It's as if the publisher rushed to push the book out, without giving it the final polish, because a lot of its clumsiness could've been cleaned up through a couple more rounds of editing.Spoiler:(view spoiler)Ultimately, Lock Every Door was not a fulfilling read; it has a promising setup, but everything else feels extremely sloppy and unfinished. Which got me concerned, as I already have the same author's Home Before Dark sitting next to me...
3 stars
This is a tricky one to rate; part of me thoroughly appreciate Find Me for its beautiful prose and discussion on affection, but as a sequel to Call Me by Your Name, it feels insincere and reeks of cash grab.First, the positives: André Aciman proves once again his uncanny ability at expressing heartfelt sentiments without tipping into clichés — this book is a literary goldmine for pull-quotes. I also appreciate the melancholic theme Find Me is exploring, that the time lost, and abandonment, no matter how regretful they seem at first glance, might be crucial (or even necessary) to a lasting relationship.As a sequel, I honestly think this 'novel' (which is really a short story collection) came to fruition only to ride the success of Call Me by Your Name's film adaptation. It's evident André Aciman doesn't have anything significant to add to these characters, so we end up with 4 meandering vignettes that are very constrained in plot and scope. Even if we consider Find Me as pure fan service, it also makes the questionable decision to dedicate the longest segment to Sami (Elio's father), instead of Elio and Oliver.Find Me should have been trimmed down and released as bonus materials accompanying Call Me by Your Name (like a special edition print), instead of its own stand-alone volume. While still worth checking out for Aciman's concise, elegant writing, Find Me is ultimately an unnecessary sequel that adds nothing to the characters we fell in love with from the original.
3.5 stars
I'll start my review with a caveat that I'm not a seasoned romance reader, which very much correlate with the unique setup of The Bromance Book Club. The 're-education of love' by way of referencing the regency romance sub-genre is perhaps the strongest aspect of this otherwise run of the mill output.Aside from the book-within-book interludes, the primary narrative is a serviceable second chance romance, relying heavily on well-worn tropes (moments of miscommunication, one final dramatic quarrel before reaching the happy ending, etc.). Though thoroughly amused by the drama and comedy throughout, I had to turn off my critical brain at the oftentimes cheesy and overly-manipulated scenarios (going to an art supply store as a date, no matter how thoughtful, does not warrant that much awe and giddy).All in all, The Bromance Book Club is pleasant enough; I appreciate it the most when it goes 'meta' and referencing its own genre tropes. Do I wish it had push that train of thought further? Yes. But as it stands it's more than enjoyable with its charming, relatable set of main characters (particularly appreciate the inclusion of speech disorder as a character trait; as someone who have a similar condition, it's nice to see it represented), and plenty fun antics to distract.p.s. definitely try the audiobook, which in my opinion is the ultimate way to consume this.
2.5 stars
An impulsive read with cheap thrills. While it certainly entertains, My Lovely Wife doesn't really deliver upon its 'Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith' promise. It's simply not as clever as it thinks.I might have to reevaluate my perspective on modern thriller literature in general; as a lot of them seem to disregard basic logic and human behavior in favor of sensational drama, and the readership as a whole seem to be contempt with it (I don't see the issue being mentioned in reviews). There's always a time and place for taking creative license in order to generate an impactful narrative, but in My Lovely Wife, Downing disregarded some fundamental common sense in its setup, which resulted in absurdly convenient scenarios, and poor character development (the protagonist appeared more irrational than the author has intended).**Light spoiler ahead**- 'Tobias' pretends to be a mute to come in contact with potential candidates, within his own neighborhood and without any sort of physical disguise; unless we are pretending these bartenders/women are forever locked to a location, how can he guarantee he won't bump into people who previously recognize him as a mute? Sounds high risk, and the worst way to remain anonymous.- 'Tobias' didn't even attempt to research the current whereabouts of the serial killer, before trying to frame the couple's act on him. (Even with the knowledge of him not being the 'best planner', and Millicent holding back the info for her own benefit), I can't foresee someone attempting an act of this scale not doing his due diligence on research.- I can look pass a door/window lock not been updated in 10+ years, but you can't convince me a mansion won't be alarmed when the owner is away for an extended vacation.- Hated how the character Holly is portrayed / utilized in the story; are we simply assuming she was completely at peace with being misdiagnosed/misunderstood all these years? And why would she proactively return to the proximity of Millicent, knowing exactly what her true character is? (I would've run far, far away).- The book provided some explanation regarding how Millicent find the time to dispose Naomi, but how did she manage the 3 additional murders?**Light spoiler ends**The absurdity above definitely impacts my overall rating, as well as the lackluster resolution; which feels very 'thriller-cliché', betraying the intricacy the novel tries to construct up till then (So the mastermind Millicent simply became batshit crazy?! Would've wished she had kept her cool a little longer.) I do enjoy the family dynamic described in My Lovely Wife, particularly the inclusion of medias' influence on the kids' mental state. I thought the behavior they took on is a nice parallel to the parent.All in all, with the amount of praise My Lovely Wife has received, I had high (perhaps misguided) expectation—the book met some, as in I was entertained, but missed the mark for me on some key factors.
4 stars
Comparing to movies, if you enjoy one-location thrillers with a dash of dark humor, such as Panic Room or Red Eye, than No Exit by Taylor Adams should be right up your alley. Even with its shaky beginning, the novel briskly transitions into an efficient tale for survival, with just enough twists and turns to excite.**Minor spoiler ahead**In contrary to most thrillers, which tend to trip over their narrative in their last act, No Exit begins with its weakest section. Taylor Adams sets up plenty conditions in order to isolate the characters as well as their location (a highway rest stop), unfortunately many of them seem naively convenient (such as the absolute absence of traffic and device to charge a phone). Suspension of disbelief aside, the protagonist, college student Darby Thorne, initially comes across as very standoffish and judgmental, profiling people based solely on their appearance (she immediately labels Lars as THE suspect without any substantial proof), which leads to some questionable character decisions in order to get the plot rolling.Fortunately once the cat-and-mouse game starts, there are enough fast actions and clever fake-outs to distract readers from over-analyzing their validity. Even with some extraneous threads never being fully utilized (the child's Addison's disease is basically a throwaway detail) or fleshed out (the initial kidnapping is possibly the worst planned crime ever), Taylor Adams is able to sustain a level of entertaining chaos, ramping up each character's inadequacy at being either a kidnapper, or a heroine. The constant course correction by both parties is what keeps No Exit addictively engrossing, and the novel also doesn't hold back when it come to violence, adding a layer of irreversible severity to the mix.**Minor spoiler ends**Overall, No Exit is a lot smarter than most thrillers, with just enough levity keeping it from descending into merciless torture porn. If you can get pass the unrealistic setup and an unlikable protagonist in the first couple chapters, you'll be rewarded with a wild ride.
4 stars
Do You Want to Start a Scandal proves you can still trigger the joy of reading, even with an overly familiar formula — through a ferocious pacing, fleshed out characters, and abundance of spirited retorts.Tessa Dare's snappy, light-hearted writing style is the MVP here, filling in the blank with vivid banters. It's not a plot-focused book (I'm sure no one is surprised by where the story is ultimately heading), but the commotion between the start and the end offer ample opportunity to bring the two protagonists to life. While I applaud the attempt at multiple narrative threads, they ultimately resolve with a wrap-up that's a little too juvenile even for the whimsy the book is going for. I also appreciate this book works as a stand-alone (even being a part of 2 series), unlike another romance series book I picked up recently (which baits you to pick up the next one).Do You Want to Start a Scandal may have dragged a little near the end, and doesn't break new ground, but it's a very polished, adorable regency romance output — as someone who is still relatively new to the genre, I will definitely look up more Tessa Dare's work.A note of caution: for me, the romance genre is like candy, delectable but teeth-rottingly sweet—I will need to pace myself between books to prevent from burning out by its tropes and formulaic structure.
3 stars
One by One is sharply written, and completely addictive; Ruth Ware took a risky gamble by re-framing the classic locked-room mystery of Agatha Christie, to tell a modern day thriller taking place during a company retreat among snowy mountain. It's risky because her intervention to the classic murder mystery formula might ultimately also be the book's downfall (see what I did there—for a novel involving an avalanche...), ending up not pleasing fans of either murder mystery or thriller genre.The saving grace is the overall setup, and the cast. While not necessarily to everyone's taste, I personally find the corporate dispute and app development angle fascinating, as well as refreshing to read within this context. Ruth Ware does an excellent job weaving them throughout, without feeling like she is simply regurgitating her research on tech startups. The characters are well fleshed-out, believable as someone from that particular social circle (I've encountered a few in my life to confirm!). You end up feeling sympathetic towards (some of) them, which makes the lingering epilogue still enjoyable to read through.My recommendation: go into this book without assuming where the story should go (based on an assumed genre standard), then you might extract more enjoyment out of it.**Minor spoiler ahead**Ultimately One by One is still a thriller at its core, just decked out in murder mystery ornaments. Even with the clues and setups, there's ultimately no real mystery to solve; the novel reveals the culprit quite informally at about 60% (I was dumbfounded, and thought this was simply a misdirect—so I guess in a way it did succeed as a 'plot twist'), which might dispirit readers who are eager to deduce and guess the murderer alongside. In hindsight, the fact One by One's narrative is written from such limited perspectives, should be a telltale sign that deception is never the game it's attempting to play.On the other hand, the first half of the book might bore thriller seekers to death; like most locked-room mysteries, it primarily consists of: the group being dispersed → someone is killed with strange circumstance → the group assembles and goes over plausible motive and alibi → the cycle repeats, and Ruth Ware remains quite faithful to this rhythm. For readers who are expecting something more event-driven, similar to her previous works, might find the large cast and keeping track of everyone's whereabouts an exhausting chore.One by One does have some narrative inconsistencies, which dampen the its overall plausibility. One being the blatant dismissal of character Kate, the chalet's booking manager. Being offsite from the avalanche, she has the knowledge and capability to send help immediately. But the novel simply ignores this in order to create an extended period of isolation at the chalet. The characterization of the culprit is another weak spot, who is extremely sharp and resourceful one moment, and completely dumb in others. his/her demise is led by a series of stupid choices, which is in stark contrast to the first half of the book, where he/she is able to murder multiple people without suspicion.**Minor spoiler ends**Ultimately, I had a good enough time with One by One, even though the trope-bending experiment is less than successful, and the overall pacing feels lopsided (I've rarely encountered an epilogue this excessive), the setting and the character still makes it an engrossing read.
3.5 stars
Can a novel still be categorized as romance when your romantic leads are levelheaded to a fault? Earl's Well That Ends Well, with its homonymous word play of a title, might has misrepresented itself as a potentially quirky, lively affair. While the book is skillfully crafted and never dull, the minuscule presence of courtship might disappoint readers seeking escapist romance fun.The romantic pairing will instantly hook you: a well-reputed widowed earl in his 50s (still handsome and in good shape, as the book constantly reminds us), and a Spanish noblewoman (in her early 40s) with a traumatic past, perfectly content with solitude for life. Even though the mutual attraction is established early on, author Jane Ashford keeps them at arm's length: the earl too polite to encroach, the noblewoman too stubborn to disrupt her hard-earned peace. This standstill is maintained well into 70% of the story, when their relationship finally comes to the forefront and advances. When it rains, it pours, even though the sample-sized romance still manages to close out the narrative on a gratifying note, it remains an off-balanced storytelling, even for the most patient reader.**Minor spoiler ahead**To fill that romance-less 70%, Earl's Well That Ends Well paints an engrossing world packed with a surprisingly large cast of secondary characters, and a very plot-driven narrative. I was pleasantly surprised to realize the main narrative through line involves solving a serial kidnapping scheme. Being the fifth book in a series, I'm sure readers with previous knowledge will be happy to see characters returning for another round.**Minor spoiler ends**While I didn't get the brash banter filled, passion-exploding novel I was hoping for (I mean, the earl is clearly going through a midlife crisis, how can you not have fun starting with that?), I do appreciate Jane Ashford's more sensible, slowburn approach. Just beware in Earl's Well That Ends Well, it focuses more on things happening around the two leads, rather than things between them.***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
3 stars
A dreamlike read with prose that paints vivid imagery, Ruby Falls has moments of brilliant storytelling, but ultimately underwhelming; trapping itself with conventional thriller tropes, instead of heading down a bolder, more original direction.Comparing Ruby Falls to The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides and Rebecca in its marketing copy is a little pompous, and ultimately not doing itself any favor. In my opinion, the 'final twist' is the novel's weakest link, and even though Rebecca is often referred to throughout (The protagonist is playing the lead in a new film adaptation), its presence is superficial at best, offering little substantial juxtaposition or correlation to Royce's story. (Same goes with naming each chapter after a movie, when there's no clear association to the happening in the plot.)If we have to compare Ruby Falls to existing materials, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper comes to mind (Alice in Wonderland is another contender).Ruby Falls is at its best when it embraces its hallucinatory quality, painting an alternate, rose-tinted Los Angeles, where the protagonist transverses between a house with kooky cat lady, an antique store in the middle of Hollywood, and the blurring boundary between her shuttered memory, Hollywood make-believe, and an unreliable present.The plot ultimately leads to a reveal that should be no surprise to domestic thriller enthusiasts, however, such a defining resolution with concrete evidence put all the surrealist build-ups in jeopardy; instead of being satisfied with this book as a metaphoric fever dream of a troubling mind (where things are symbolic and not grounded to common sense), we are forced to re-analyze the preceding events through a new, logic-focused lens, and unfortunately many elements starting to fall apart under such scrutiny.Ruby Falls should've been a literary fiction with a touch of magic realism through and through, instead of the sleight of hand act pivoting to a thriller in its final moment, because the only player that got played, is itself.***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
4.5 stars
Honestly, skip the over-hyped One by One by Ruth Ware; if you want to read a taut murder mystery / thriller set in an isolated lodge on a wintry mountain range, In the Dark is hands down the better version of that premise.
I picked up In the Dark pretty soon after finishing One by One, because while it was enjoyable enough, Ruth Ware's latest output barely scratched my itch for intrigue with its simplistic structure and an obvious culprit. Cutting from the same And Then There Were None cloth, In the Dark succeeds by its commitment to actually have a complex puzzle at its core.
**Minor spoiler ahead**
Unlike One by One's levity between tension, In the Dark obsessively soaks itself in melancholy and bleakness — which can be slightly overbearing at times (where is the comic relief when you need one?!); but it ultimately serves the narrative's core message: darkness dwells within all of us, we can all be pushed to violence, but can revenge really alleviate one's pain and trauma?
It is an interesting experience reading In the Dark back to back with One by One, as one can clearly identify what each author has referenced from the source material: Ruth Ware painted a pretty picture, drawing from the mood of Agatha Christie's classic, but laid it on a pretty mediocre thriller, while Loreth Anne White captured the theatrical soul of knocking down characters one by one, with some truly interesting spins on the formula (all Hell breaks loose when the death stops following the nursery rhyme!).
**Minor spoiler ends**
I highly recommend checking out In the Dark, though I can already foresee it won't be for everyone; if you're looking for a breezy thriller, In the Dark's dual timelines and 14+ characters will test your patience. But if you can get pass the first 5 chapters, you'll be greeted with an accelerating ride of survival. trauma, and reckoning.
