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A review by shonaningyo
The Never List by Koethi Zan
4.0
I don't read thrillers or suspense books. They're just not my thing. The fact that they're usually coupled with "mystery"--possibly one of my LEAST favorite genres ever--makes me hesitant to read them. I just don't give a damn about murders. Stories like those are literally a dime a dozen, like the vampire series nowadays or teen love stories.
This book was surprisingly competent and giving me a dark, psychological ride of kidnapped young ladies, their eventual escape, and the echoes of the emotional and physical scars that were inflicted upon them in those terrible, terrible days in the cellar.
This story was a runaround in a sense, but entertaining so that it didn't feel like a wild goose chase. Our 1st Person Point of View character, Sarah, was consistent in her PTSD and overall cowardliness. Tracy was a brassy broad who still hurt from the horrors of Jack Derber and his campaign of nonconsensual sexual sadism + torture for the sheer fun of it.
Which I think is Level 22 on Michael H. Stone's "Levels of Evil". See [b:The Anatomy of Evil|6387180|The Anatomy of Evil|Michael H. Stone|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365462799s/6387180.jpg|6575423] to get what I mean. Very good book. Anyway!
I found the ending not rushed, but...the pieces falling into place were just systematic. Bam. Bam! BAM!!!!
Say whaaaat?
The ending was very abrupt to me. Like a mishmash of a chapter that was leading to another chapter and the last page of the very last chapter.
Other than that, this book was actually a fun read for me, despite it being one of the genres I regularly avoid. Hm... Not gonna read anymore books in this genre unless they're set up with this kind of vein of "darkness", though.
This book was surprisingly competent and giving me a dark, psychological ride of kidnapped young ladies, their eventual escape, and the echoes of the emotional and physical scars that were inflicted upon them in those terrible, terrible days in the cellar.
This story was a runaround in a sense, but entertaining so that it didn't feel like a wild goose chase. Our 1st Person Point of View character, Sarah, was consistent in her PTSD and overall cowardliness. Tracy was a brassy broad who still hurt from the horrors of Jack Derber and his campaign of nonconsensual sexual sadism + torture for the sheer fun of it.
Which I think is Level 22 on Michael H. Stone's "Levels of Evil". See [b:The Anatomy of Evil|6387180|The Anatomy of Evil|Michael H. Stone|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1365462799s/6387180.jpg|6575423] to get what I mean. Very good book. Anyway!
I found the ending not rushed, but...the pieces falling into place were just systematic. Bam.
Spoiler
It WAS Sylvia who did this!Spoiler
Sarah had actually HELPED Jack Derber with his crazy torture!Spoiler
Jennifer was alive all this fucking time!!!Say whaaaat?
The ending was very abrupt to me. Like a mishmash of a chapter that was leading to another chapter and the last page of the very last chapter.
Other than that, this book was actually a fun read for me, despite it being one of the genres I regularly avoid. Hm... Not gonna read anymore books in this genre unless they're set up with this kind of vein of "darkness", though.