I was promised a weird, suspenseful psychological thriller assessing crime and tackling dark themes, and I was not disappointed! I honestly co4 STARS!
I was promised a weird, suspenseful psychological thriller assessing crime and tackling dark themes, and I was not disappointed! I honestly could not put it down.
Sure, the mystery could've been handed better so that the reveal would be more satisfying, but it wasn't about the mystery, it was about chaos and faith and control and the grey logic of murderers. Though I do believe the author could have made the arguments even more convincing, and generally developed the ideas more, made the book more. Alas, it was not to be, but I still got it (probably to everyone's horror) and enjoyed it thoroughly.
You'd probably call this book sick, I'd just call it daring—in a creepy way. And creepy, my friends, is my middle name.
FRTC.
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher, Atria Books!
Merged review:
4 STARS!
I was promised a weird, suspenseful psychological thriller assessing crime and tackling dark themes, and I was not disappointed! I honestly could not put it down.
Sure, the mystery could've been handed better so that the reveal would be more satisfying, but it wasn't about the mystery, it was about chaos and faith and control and the grey logic of murderers. Though I do believe the author could have made the arguments even more convincing, and generally developed the ideas more, made the book more. Alas, it was not to be, but I still got it (probably to everyone's horror) and enjoyed it thoroughly.
You'd probably call this book sick, I'd just call it daring—in a creepy way. And creepy, my friends, is my middle name.
FRTC.
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher, Atria Books!...more
3.5 STARS! I'd have rounded it down if not for that unique ending and how the last 2 parts/episodes wrapped it up perfectly. Despite its flaws and are3.5 STARS! I'd have rounded it down if not for that unique ending and how the last 2 parts/episodes wrapped it up perfectly. Despite its flaws and areas that needed improvement, this book still goes to my faves shelf, because it was remarkable.
“The veneer of civilization is very, very thin. Like the delicate shell of a bird’s egg. The tiniest force will
4.25 STARS! A bloody good one, this.
“The veneer of civilization is very, very thin. Like the delicate shell of a bird’s egg. The tiniest force will crack it. And the cracks are not where light gets in. They’re where the evil oozes out. That’s where the Monsters live, in that ooze. My games, my scripts...They just help make the cracks. It’s the players who show us the rest. They show us what we all really are, deep down at the core. Beasts.”
In the Dark might be Loreth Anne White's third book with “dark” (my favourite word) in the title but, unfortunately, it's my first book by her. And I could not put it down!
White creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere. A claustrophobic story of trapped individuals, relying on their wildest and most basic instincts to survive. Yes, that is a common theme for psychological mystery-thrillers, as the author points out by basing her story on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, but what's important is whether the mood and downward development of characters is captured accurately and impactfully—and in this one, it certainly is.
What's more, even though ⅓ of the way through you'd perhaps know for sure who started this game (as I did), it doesn't matter—because the mastermind is no longer in control. In my opinion, In the Dark succeeded by focusing less on the mystery of who the killer is, and more on the survival story itself. If you want an addicting tale told expertly in scattered bits and pieces, this one is for you.
For a fully terrifying experience, don't forget to listen to my book playlist while reading in the dark (pun intended) ...more