"On a snowy Christmas morning, Holly Judge awakens, the fragments of a nightmare-something she must write down-floating on the edge of her consciousness.
Something followed them from Russia."
My Thoughts:
Wow! This book is one that sure took me by surprise! The book started off slowly for me but turned into quite the page turner by the end. The book had a sinister feel to it where you knew from the very beginning that something wasn't right but you weren't sure what was off. And that bad feeling continued to grow as the book moved on which caused more suspense than if something would have jumped out at me. I found myself trying to read faster but this book isn't meant to be read fast. It is meant to slowly build up to a thrilling ending and that is exactly what it did. I knew that something was wrong but I still found myself completely blown away by the ending. What a great ending!
I went into this book not really knowing anything about it. That really worked for me as I had no expectations other than thinking that it would be a creepy read. It was exactly that but it was also more. It was a book filled with secrets, with sadness, and I think regrets. The author took the snow storm and built the book around it in such a way that there was an isolated feel to it. It was almost as if there was a layer of unreality where everything was happening but then it wasn't. Does that make sense? Probably not but I think that you will understand if you read the book. That questioning feel really made the book more tense and suspenseful then it would have been otherwise. I couldn't trust everything that was going on and I didn't know why. Just thinking about it makes me excited to hear what other readers think about this book!
Although I really enjoyed this book it wasn't perfect. It started slowly and took a bit of time for me to sink my teeth into it. It was definitely worth the wait though! I also found Holly a bit off putting at times. It took me awhile to connect to her character and I never fully understood her actions. It helped add to the mystery of the book because once again I could never completely trust what was going on. This book would be one to reread just to see all of the clues and hints that the author probably gave us and I missed.
Overall, I ended up finding myself quite impressed with this book. It wasn't your typical thriller but instead slowly built up to a stunning climax. I'm really eager to read more of this author's books after finishing this one. If they are half as good as this one turned out to be then I shall be in for a real treat! My reading recommendations for this one are take your time with it. Let the spooky atmosphere and suspense slowly pull you in...and trust that it will all be worth it in the end. Recommended to readers of suspense, thrillers, or just fiction lovers in general!
Bottom Line: A book filled with questions and suspense...what a ride!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour. Thoughts are my own!
I love the slow building intensity, that sounds great, it is on my Wishlist, thanks Samantha.
ReplyDeleteSam, I enjoyed your review of this! Mind of Winter sounds spooky and suspenseful and fun.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a creepy one! I think I'd enjoy it. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI really like that this had a slowly building creep factor! I love books that can make me feel unsettled and just slowly build it while I'm trying to figure out what is going on!
ReplyDeleteI have heard lots of good things about this book. I definitely want to read it at some point!
ReplyDeleteI just borrowed this one from the library - yay! I hope I get a chance to read it before it's due back. Glad to hear it's a good one!
ReplyDeleteYour review sums it up so much better than mine. I had a hard time reviewing this one because I was always afraid of giving something away. I felt pretty much the same way you did about it--but you know that since we talked about it as we read it and right after. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like this book just kept getting better and creepier with each turning page! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for being on the tour.
ReplyDeleteMarce- I hope you get the chance to read and enjoy this book as much as I did! It was definitely one of the better thrillers that I have read this year.
ReplyDeleteSuko- It was definitely ALL of those things :)
Naida- I definitely think that you would enjoy it as we have similar reading tastes. You'll have to let me know if you get the chance to read it so I can hear what you think!
FakeSteph- I LOVE when books make me feel unsettled and cause me to question what is going on. I find them hard to put down. This one didn't do that for me at first but then all of a sudden I was hooked and there was no going back.
Kailana- You should read it! I bet that it is one that you would enjoy :)
Iliana- Oh my goodness, I sure do hope you get to read it before it is due back. I just want to hear what you think about it when you finish so be sure to let me know!
Wendy- Ha! I thought your reviewed summed it up better than mine :) I love when we end reading the same book at the same time so we can discuss. I honestly didn't think that I was going to like this one and then all of a sudden I did! What an ending!
Heather- Thanks for having me on the tour. This isn't a book that I would have picked up on my own but I am SO glad that I had the chance to read it! I can't wait to read more by this author!