#thrillerbookreview

[booksbookandmorebooks]

Emma in the night Book review.

Hello there my lovelies, I know its been a little while since I last posted and I have honestly missed doing this so much, so thank you to anyone still here and still supporting me, it means the absolute world. 

As everyone is fully aware 2020 was an awful one but hopefully this year we can aim for a little more positivity and happiness, which is why im back today with a review of my first read of this year and bloody hell did I pick a goodun! So this is my first review for my first book of 2021, enjoy! 

The writing style

One of my favourite things about this book was the different points of view you get to experience and how well they mesh together. For example, we are told very early on that the events Cass is recalling aren’t exactly what you would call accurate and that she has spent months planning and creating this false narrative in an order to manipulate the people she's describing them to (which in itself is something I always get drawn into, the mystery and the need to figure out the characters motives and intentions along side the biggest question of all WHY?! Which is a question will find yourself screaming at the pages) This is made very apparent from the use of the choppy and restrictive way that these scenes are written. Wendy also somehow manages to create a feeling of desperation and messiness whilst having the characters maintaining such a mellow and collected exterior, you know the calm before the storm! Which is such a jarring feeling but one that realty captured and immersed me. A feeling I don’t think is easy to convey through a book format. That in itself is a testament to Wendy’s talent as a writer.

When you compare Cass’ chapters and inner dialogue to detective Abby’s they are so different but when they are looked at side by side they create a very interesting contrast that as I said before works so well, while there is a calm chaos to Cass’ words there is in turn a very structured and balanced feel to Abby's, almost a little detached like you were reading sections cut directly from a police case file. Through this constant difference in characters POVS the story flowed flawlessly and at the perfect pace for a thriller book. 

The climax of the book was not just shocking but also depicted so well in how the writing matched the pace of the reveal, the whole book alternates between cass and Abby with each chapter assigned to one of the characters but towards the end you see that the different POVs are whittled down to single sentences or just a few paragraphs that get shorter and shorter as the tension builds, creating this intense feeling of panic, alert and fear. A method that I swear had my heart physically racing at the end! It was like watching a classic cat and mouse scene play out in my hands/

I also have to mention that very last chapter. I'm sorry for waffling on but please bare with me. For a book based around secrets and deception the ending was that of a perfect one because of its ability to make you feel like after reading it you now share a secret with Cass and you are now part of this extremely messed up story and family, you have this understanding of her whole character and her motives which really brings everything full circle.

The character development:

The character development in this book is one of the best ive seen in awhile with each character being incredibly layered and yet undeniably flawed. Its done in such a human way that it doesn’t feel too far fetched like some thrillers ive read in recent years. Ensuring that all of the emotions tied in with said characters hit 10 times harder than that of those very basic 2 dimensional characters, even the worst people in this story have a difficult background or some type of abusive past, just a catalyst for their behaviours and characteristics and by gradually being informed of them you and being given the bigger picture you almost create an individual relationship and opinion on them ranging from hatred to pity. We get amazing development in every single one even the seemingly unimportant ones because even they are given enough backstory to still secure a connection of some kind with them, something I know we can all appreciate as readers.

The relationships.

The main relationship ill focus on is that of the sisters Cass and Emma. I know there are a lot of relationships in this book that over lap and intertwine in really interesting and sometimes awful ways but as these two characters are the basis of our main storyline it makes a little more sense to focus the attention on them

As a huge plot point throughout the story we see that due to the actions of their mother and her lack of genuine maternal instinct and well, love we see the girls in this constant battle of who can earn their mothers love trust and affections first. Which was so heart breaking to read, through their mothers constant manipulation and abuse we see them fighting the resentment and distance that they know is growing between them and sadly a lot of the time losing because of Mrs. Martins influence and involvement. Its very obvious when reading about their mother that her abuse is based around the fear she feels at the idea of any kind of alliance that the girls could potentially form with each other, god forbid they turn against her and out her as a bad mother! So she decides its easier to create a wedge between the two of them by openly favouring one over the other which unfortunately results in a lot of cruel actions from Emma direct at Cass, creating another toxic relationship and situation for the girls to live in. Although we do get the occasional glimpse at these really beautiful and raw moments of sisterhood and love they share deep down. After seeing so much pain in their story it made these moments just that little bit more special and down right beautiful which was a part that i especially adored.

The themes:

In its relatively short amount of pages this book manages to explore a huge variety of themes from love and obsession to betrayal abuse and manipulation, which lets be honest is everything you want in a good thriller book but usually when a writer takes on this many themes I always find some of them are either touched upon very quickly then dismissed and never revisited or thought of again or done so badly with such a lack of care that its obvious they were just included for the author to be able to say they've hit all the key themes a reader would expect a good thriller to hit. Yet Wendy manages to not only explore all of these and more, but manages to do it well and so subtly you don't notice until you sit back and think about them all which to me just shows a writers real talent.

The psychology:

Another huge part of this book and something I adored were the analysis parts of the book, the in-depth look into narcissism and its effects on the children it surrounds.  We are constantly listening to Detective Abby explaining and exploring the characteristics of the people Cass is talking about in her chapters, exploring the connections and the risk factors associated with such a serious disorder as narcissistic personality disorder. I found this to give the story and writing some real merit, it felt like i was reading a psychology book and getting down to the real science of why characters work the way they do and giving the reader a chance to explore it themselves instead of just being told this person has this which is something I cant stand in books. Instead of investing time and effort into helping guide you to a conclusion or even showing you they just tell you this is how it is and expect that to be enough. So frustrating! None the less, this is something I haven't experienced in another book and a technique I hope to see more of!

Similar books:

When reading this I got very strong sharp objects vibes, the fractured relationship between families, focusing on mother and daughter, a highly manipulative mother, an obsession with public facades and the desperate need to keep up appearances and so much more! If you liked sharp objects you will love this, as Emma in the night has all of the important story beats and intrigue that sharp objects has but more intensity and a faster paced story something I felt was missing when I read SO’S.

Over all I adored this book, as you can probably tell and considering it is my first Wendy walker book I can safely say i have fallen in love! I can promise you now this will not be my last read from her collection. I was captivated by her story and her writing which is why i couldn’t recommend this more!

A very very easy 5/5. 

so that's it, thanks for reading my review, i really hope you enjoyed it! sorry if I waffled at all its been awhile since ive written any reviews and am still getting my bearings with it again so please be patient with me. Hope you have a fab week my lovelies, Bye!

[stumblingabroadwithabagofbooks]

⛓Book Review-THE CHAIN⛓ Happy Monday bookworms! I hope you had a nice weekend and a good week ahead of you ❤️ I finished my first #thrilleroctoberv2 book over the weekend, The Chain by Adrian McKinty, for the prompt “Book with red on the cover”🖍 The book had an interesting plot and was a quick read overall. I liked the first 50 pages but at some point the writing changed and became more descriptive about people’s backstories which didn’t seem to tie into the plot or add to the character’s actions. And then in the second half of the book, the story moved slower and the writing style felt even more different. The plot takes a turn in the latter half and I was not sure what the point was, especially given the choppy, prose like sentences. I guessed the plot twists towards the end as it became predictable. Also, The writing got super weird and philosophical. Overall I gave this one 3.5⭐️s because it was a great concept and it kept me reading pretty quickly but the last half of the book lost my interest. • Triggers: Cancer, child kidnapping/abduction, drug use, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, trauma, child abuse, murder, alcoholism • #QOTD what’s been your first read of the month? • • • #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #thrillerbook #thrillerbookreview #bookish #bibliophile #bookaholic #bookaddict #booknerd #bookworm #bookphotography #bookaesthetic #bookreviewsneedlovetoo #october2020reads https://www.instagram.com/p/CF9lQ89Auos/?igshid=qw2b6mtu92zm

[sitaylorwrites]

Guilty Photographs got a positive review on @onlinebookclub its off to a good start. 😃 #guiltyphotographs #sitaylorwrites #thrillerwriting #thrillerbookslover #thrillerbookreview #indieauthorsrock https://www.instagram.com/p/B8fVpnFhu8X/?igshid=131ew4yefaptm

[readingwithsophiex]

**REVIEW**

Truly Devious -Maureen johnson

I give this book 5 of 5 ⭐️.

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Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early twentieth century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. “A place,” he said, “where learning is a game.”

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym “Truly, Devious.” It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history.

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester.

But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder. 

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I have been in a huge reading slump again and all I can say is this book is perfect. The settings are perfect and I just really enjoyed all the characters. How I said this book is perfect. I also really like how it's wasn't all over the place as I have autism and dyslexia so help when a book has an easy flow

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#thriller #crimescene #investigation #thrillerbooks #truecrimebooks #serialkillers #facts #bookworm #truecrime #readersofInstagram #bookblogger #bookaholic #booknerd #bookreview #bookcommunity #bookstagram #booklove #bookreviewer #thrillerbookreview #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendation #readingbooks #bookish #bookobsessed #bookaddict #igreads #booksofInstagram #bookstagrammer #booklife #bookreview #girlswhoread

[authorrachelm]

Book Review: The girl she wanted by K. L. Slater

@netgalley #BookReview: #Thegirlshewantedby @KLSlater #NetgalleyReview #readingreccomendations #Thrillerbookreview #psychologicalThriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: New adult thriller

Plot:

I trust my sister Carrie with my daughter’s life.

But then she’s accused of a terrible crime.

Carrie lives under our roof, she pushes my daughter on the swings, she takes her out for ice cream.

You might ask, why do I let her? Why would I risk my darling baby? How could I let my sister stay?

Because I have a dangerous secret too. One that only…

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