I read an ARC of this book. The first half was suspenseful and interesting. I was really enjoying the story and had no idea who was smart enough to hide all these kidnappings.The second half fell apart for me when the chain leader is revealed by accident. In the ARC copy, a character is referred to by another's name, this makes it obvious who the bad guy is. Mind you the "bad guy" is totally revealed a few chapters later...but still. I have read a lot of ARC copies and never seen this happen. I am wondering if anyone else caught it (chapter 63...5th paragraph). I was absolutely sure I knew who it was but this was a dead giveaway and ruined the end of the story. I hope they fixed it before final copies came out.*Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an advanced print copy of this book.
Wow! There were lots of surprises in this one. It was an interesting, quick read. I am very impressed by this debut author's writing. I definitely want to read more by Ms. Downing. If you like your serial killer mixed with a dose of regular life and kids, this twisting tale might be for you!! I would love to see this made into a movie or a mini-series!
A perfect read for October. I had heard about Herb Baumeister but I learned so much more by reading this book. I liked the writers approach of focusing on the location. I was impressed that we got to hear from the owner of the home and the victim who got away. There was a little repetition in a few places, other then that would have been a five star read.*Thank you to Netgalley, the authors, and Llewellyn publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
I wanted to love this story! It took me quite a while to get into. I had a hard time caring about the characters. Everyone was so one-note. Lale and Gita had a lovely story. I really think it was a problem with the writing. I feel like a lot of things were left out. I felt so sad after finishing because I don't feel that Lale and his friends got the story that they deserved.
I have always loved trains. I live very close to a track and a few people in my small town have been killed by trains. I enjoyed these stories. I thought there was a good variety of places included. This was a fun read.*Thank you to Llewellyn Publishers, Matthew L. Swayne, and Netgalley, for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
This was so out there, and not in a good way.the jumping around and back and forth was annoying. I didn't like Molly, really, let your doppelganger have free reign with your kids? The Pit itself could have been interesting, but I am still not sure if Molly just sniffed too much sand and lost it. The only saving grace was that it was a short, quick, read.
This was well done. I enjoyed the surprises toward the end, especially about the imaginary friend. There were lots of twists and turns. I did almost feel that too much was going on. I had a hard time keeping characters straight and there were a few parts that moved too slow. All in all an above average read. I wish it would have been more creepy.
I am still not even sure what was real and what wasn't. Is Emma crazy, because I feel that way sometimes. Is Earl even real? I just didn't get it and was so confused. I am sure some readers will love its weirdness, but me, not so much.*Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
Loved it!! Yes ,the characters in the game are despicable, that's what makes it fun! I enjoyed solving the puzzles and the ending was perfect! Karma all around!!
I feel I am in the minority on my views of this book. First of all, I really enjoyed the authors Beautiful descriptive details, until I got to the gruesome parts of the book. I am a huge horror fan but I don't like gore. I feel it is overused and many times unnecessary. This book started to fall apart for me about half way through. I didn't like the ending and wouldn't read a sequel.
Imagine that you had a diary and everything you wrote in it came true. The story starts out with two friends entering a new shop in town and finding this diary. The diary ends up taking control of Ana's life. She begins to change and becomes almost evil. She becomes obsessed with the diary while her friend becomes obsessed with getting the diary away from her.
This was a fun read. A little witchcraft, a little paranormal, and a good friendship. I am looking forward to book 2.
This was a quick read.
*Thank you to S.L. Weiss, Netgalley, and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.
Wow! This book was out there! So many twists, so many turns, so much confusion! I don't want to spoil any of this story, so I will keep this review brief. Extend your disbelief, and jump right in!*Thank you to Netgalley, Carter Wilson, and the publisher for allowing me to read a free uncorrected proof of this book.
