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kaitlynisliterate's reviews
332 reviews
Knife River by Justine Champine
2.75
This was a slow-moving literary mystery that just didn’t work for me. The prose was so beautiful and gorgeous but in service of such a lackluster story.
Some of my favorite mystery novels are slow-burns so I was not unprepared but Knife River really took it to the next level and unfortunately, I do not mean that in a good way. I honestly struggled to stay focused throughout the entire story because it felt like absolutely nothing was happening. I understand that probably was supposed to be the “point,” to show a “realistic” cold case investigation in a small town. But I felt totally unmotivated to continue reading after about the halfway mark when there had been absolutely 0 progress made in the central mystery.
I really loved the dynamic between the sisters and the close look at how their mother’s disappearance changed them in such different ways. I liked the depiction of their initial discomfort and even distrust of each other after being out of touch for so many years.
However, I really struggled with Liz and Jess’ insistence on a certain suspect being their mother’s killer. It made absolutely no sense but they were so dead-set and certain. I could understand Liz being fixated on this suspect but it did not make sense for Jess’ character and really took me out of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Some of my favorite mystery novels are slow-burns so I was not unprepared but Knife River really took it to the next level and unfortunately, I do not mean that in a good way. I honestly struggled to stay focused throughout the entire story because it felt like absolutely nothing was happening. I understand that probably was supposed to be the “point,” to show a “realistic” cold case investigation in a small town. But I felt totally unmotivated to continue reading after about the halfway mark when there had been absolutely 0 progress made in the central mystery.
I really loved the dynamic between the sisters and the close look at how their mother’s disappearance changed them in such different ways. I liked the depiction of their initial discomfort and even distrust of each other after being out of touch for so many years.
However, I really struggled with Liz and Jess’ insistence on a certain suspect being their mother’s killer. It made absolutely no sense but they were so dead-set and certain. I could understand Liz being fixated on this suspect but it did not make sense for Jess’ character and really took me out of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert Dugoni
3.5
The second installment of the Keera Duggan series didn’t quite reach the same levels of mystery and suspense as the first book, Her Deadly Game, but was a great read regardless.
Going into this book, I was worried that it was going to be too similar to the first novel. And certainly, some aspects carry over but it still felt fresh and exciting.
The first chapter of this book is intense and really gets to the crux of being a defense lawyer. It sets the stage for Keera’s moral dilemma about whether to defend clients that she suspects are guilty. The conversations that she has with her father are so important, especially in a genre that is filled with cops, detectives, prosecutors, etc. It’s great to see the other side of it.
I loved the courtroom scenes which felt like the perfect balance of realism (with a bit of suspension of disbelief) and drama.
The actual murder mystery itself was a bit of a letdown, especially because the identity of the killer was pretty obvious. The big plot twists towards the end were mostly around answering why someone committed murder instead of who.
Just like the first book, I really enjoyed the family dynamics, especially between Keera and her sisters. The frustration and pettiness between Keera and her older sister Maggie was so realistic and human.
The only part that absolutely grinds my gears is the section on giving “grace” to one's parents (or loved ones more generally). The idea that we need to cover for chronic drunk drivers who have already been given an unbelievable amount of leniency is just wild to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Going into this book, I was worried that it was going to be too similar to the first novel. And certainly, some aspects carry over but it still felt fresh and exciting.
The first chapter of this book is intense and really gets to the crux of being a defense lawyer. It sets the stage for Keera’s moral dilemma about whether to defend clients that she suspects are guilty. The conversations that she has with her father are so important, especially in a genre that is filled with cops, detectives, prosecutors, etc. It’s great to see the other side of it.
I loved the courtroom scenes which felt like the perfect balance of realism (with a bit of suspension of disbelief) and drama.
The actual murder mystery itself was a bit of a letdown, especially because the identity of the killer was pretty obvious. The big plot twists towards the end were mostly around answering why someone committed murder instead of who.
Just like the first book, I really enjoyed the family dynamics, especially between Keera and her sisters. The frustration and pettiness between Keera and her older sister Maggie was so realistic and human.
The only part that absolutely grinds my gears is the section on giving “grace” to one's parents (or loved ones more generally). The idea that we need to cover for chronic drunk drivers who have already been given an unbelievable amount of leniency is just wild to me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Men Have Called Her Crazy by Anna Marie Tendler
4.0
This was an accessibly written and beautiful memoir about Anna Marie Tendler’s mental health journey centering around her stay at an in-patient recovery center.
For the first portion of this book, chapters alternate between her stay at the recovery center and discussions of her past (mostly her teenage and young adult years). The second portion of the book follows the next 2+ years of Tendler’s life after she leaves the recovery center. Notably, any discussion of her divorce is completely skipped over and we go straight into discussing the misery and perils of modern-day dating.
The prose is very straightforward with almost clinical descriptions of the day-to-day in the recovery center. I think some readers won’t enjoy the distance that this style of writing creates, especially for something so personal and raw as a mental health memoir.
The part of the book that stood out to me the most was the saga with Tendler’s therapist, Dr. Karr. I won’t give too much away but the chapters concerning Dr. Karr were the most intense and interesting to me, especially since there are no definite answers or closure.
Throughout this memoir, Tendler discusses her lack of religious faith and some of her spiritual (though she does not like this label) beliefs. She describes how awkward and embarrassed she feels around the mentions of God as if he’s real. These feelings, she acknowledges, are judgmental and not nice but can’t be helped.
In a similar vein, I felt awkward reading through the portions of this book where Tendler describes going to a tarot card reader, burning a Death candle to break psychic bonds from a past life, creating altars with collected animal bones, and more. Though I understand that these practices give her a modicum of peace and have helped in her healing process, I am unable to suppress the skeptic in my brain and truly ‘believe’ in what they are promising.
Though I greatly enjoyed reading this memoir, I thought that the last chapter was very weak and ended the book on an off-note. As Tendler writes, it was only at the very end of the writing process that she looked at her patient files from her stay at the recovery center. Anyone who has looked at their patient files will understand that they are never accurate and each person who contributes to it has their own way of recording information. So I think the disappointing and even enraging experience that Tendler describes will resonate with a lot of people. However, I see no reason why, during the editing process, this was kept in the final chapter. It feels like the second portion of this book was building towards something but then we are right back to discussing the recovery center.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
For the first portion of this book, chapters alternate between her stay at the recovery center and discussions of her past (mostly her teenage and young adult years). The second portion of the book follows the next 2+ years of Tendler’s life after she leaves the recovery center. Notably, any discussion of her divorce is completely skipped over and we go straight into discussing the misery and perils of modern-day dating.
The prose is very straightforward with almost clinical descriptions of the day-to-day in the recovery center. I think some readers won’t enjoy the distance that this style of writing creates, especially for something so personal and raw as a mental health memoir.
The part of the book that stood out to me the most was the saga with Tendler’s therapist, Dr. Karr. I won’t give too much away but the chapters concerning Dr. Karr were the most intense and interesting to me, especially since there are no definite answers or closure.
Throughout this memoir, Tendler discusses her lack of religious faith and some of her spiritual (though she does not like this label) beliefs. She describes how awkward and embarrassed she feels around the mentions of God as if he’s real. These feelings, she acknowledges, are judgmental and not nice but can’t be helped.
In a similar vein, I felt awkward reading through the portions of this book where Tendler describes going to a tarot card reader, burning a Death candle to break psychic bonds from a past life, creating altars with collected animal bones, and more. Though I understand that these practices give her a modicum of peace and have helped in her healing process, I am unable to suppress the skeptic in my brain and truly ‘believe’ in what they are promising.
Though I greatly enjoyed reading this memoir, I thought that the last chapter was very weak and ended the book on an off-note. As Tendler writes, it was only at the very end of the writing process that she looked at her patient files from her stay at the recovery center. Anyone who has looked at their patient files will understand that they are never accurate and each person who contributes to it has their own way of recording information. So I think the disappointing and even enraging experience that Tendler describes will resonate with a lot of people. However, I see no reason why, during the editing process, this was kept in the final chapter. It feels like the second portion of this book was building towards something but then we are right back to discussing the recovery center.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
2.0
This translation is so rough. It feels like a word for word translation, with little thought to style or form.