Reviews

A Lista do Nunca by Koethi Zan

jajorgen's review against another edition

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3.0

This is really a 3 1/2 stars book for me. The first half was very strong and I was totally into it. But somewhere around the midway mark, it began to have a few issues. By the end I found that I had more questions then answers.

That said, I think this is a very strong debut, and I'll definitely read follow-ups from the author.

adrienneambo's review against another edition

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3.0

You can tell Koethi Zan was an entertainment lawyer for fifteen years, this debut reads like a screenplay for a movie thriller. Four women abducted in their early 20s are kept captive by an psychopathic psychology professor (it is always a psychology professor!!!) and used for torture and sexual perversion. Although the evil Jack Derber is incarcerated, he writes taunting letters to the women. Jack is coming up for parole and the women must decide what they will do to keep him from hurting more women. Contrived at times with plot twists that were out of this world even for a fictional title, the Never List should be read for what it is...a creepy story about an undergorund society that most readers will not experience, but will be titillated by never the less.

nikkieff's review against another edition

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Not as good as I thought it would be. It was okay but I didn't find it to be the page turner

froydis's review against another edition

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4.0

Thanks to Netgalley.com and Pamela Dorman Books for early access to this title.

Wow~ this was a book I thought I would really, really not like, but ended up getting completely sucked into the plot. This is not a tale for the faint hearted - there is torture and other very disturbing elements. However, it wasn't so graphic that I couldn't read it, and I'm kind of a softy. I really liked the main character, and loved the way the author was able to portray her growth during the course of the novel. This is not a book for everyone, but those who like a good mystery/thriller/suspense and yes, horror, will enjoy this book a lot!

lisaeirene's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this book, read it in 1 day. I don't want to give anything away but the twists and turns in the book were different and intriguing. The story, the characters, the writing, it was all breath-taking. Such a good book!

thebookishgem's review against another edition

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4.0

Koethi Zans first novel. Disturbingly brilliant, drew me in right from the off. Loved this thriller and can't wait for her to write more novels!! :)

lo_run's review against another edition

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1.0

Dumb

eetishmeh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

I'll start by saying that this book shouldn't have been in my school library (especially when its copyright page literally says it contains Bondage (sexual)). But did I read it anyway? Yes! (Probably not the most responsible idea . . . .)
Overall it was a good book, with an intriguing mystery and a cast of interesting characters. I had mo problem following Sarah through her highs and lows in the journey. 
There were some points in the book where the writing seemed amateurish—stilted dialogue, questionable formatting etc—but that didn't kick me out of the immersion too much. 
It also gave me more anxiety than thrills (y'know, because it's in the thriller genre), but I think that's the point, actually. 
It ended somewhat open-endedly, with a bit too much still hidden in the shadows for my liking. It felt like there wasn't enough explanation and closure. I'd've liked if there was another chapter or two to wrap it up, though the ending premise was good. 
I could smell a potential romance between Sarah and Jim (because of rhe set-up), but I'm glad it never happened and was just very basically established instead. I was worries it'd distract from the main plot and conflicts, phew. Sarah already has enough on her plate without having to deal with romance—especially considering her traumas.

In conclusion, I quite enjoyed reading this, and it opened my eyes to some aspects of psychology and criminal thinking. It also touches on trauma quite respectfully, which was nice. Would recommend to those looking for a dark psychological mystery. 

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klherring's review against another edition

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2.0

This was recommended by readers who enjoyed both Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Room by Emma Donoghue. Having enjoyed both works immensely, I was very excited about this novel. I was also very disappointed. The writing in this was juvenile, but not in an intentional way that lent a voice to a specific character and the characterization was flawed; many characters seemed to act according to plot needs rather than anything else. There were gaping holes and lots of forced actions that just never felt authentic in any way. It was like watching a fairly low rated suspense movie that comes on tv and you read a really good book while its on in the background... :/ Overall, meh.

michaelavictoria's review against another edition

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1.0

I was honestly underwhelmed by this book, unfortunately. Of course the inevitable comparison to Gillian Flynn has occurred, but to me this book was so far off the mark of a good thriller.

The plot jumped haphazardly, with the characters jetting off to different cities every few pages. Sarah was a severely underdeveloped character; yes there was a wonderful description of her various mental illnesses, but the miraculous turnaround of her psyche was fairly forced. Every plot point that was revealed seemed to be rushed, nothing I read made my heart pound or even widen my eyes.

Not to mention the unbearably predictable ending. I am kinda bummed that I purchased this book because of the great reviews, it really fell flat for me.