I thought it was pretty great!

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I will never look at butterflies the same way again.

Don’t let my rating trick you, this book isn’t all that. I just personally thought it was pretty fucking good.

My first 5 star rating in a while and it’s mainly for two things: the writing and the characters.

The writing gave this book an atmosphere that is surprisingly chill. Creepy and haunting but there’s an air of subtlety that I really appreciate. All of my previous attempts at getting into the thriller genre have failed because the writing was too much. The element of dread was always shoved down my throat as if to say: “This is really fucked up and creepy, isn’t that cool?!” No, it’s not. But this book managed to actually follow the age old advice: show don’t tell. For a debut, that’s kinda amazing.

Another thing the writing did great was the characters. This book did a very rare thing with them that I think should be done more: they feel like real people with real life problems. They are complex, flawed people but they aren’t exaggerated or made to be idiots for the sake of plot. Every chapter is told in a different POV, so I was able to get to know them on a personal level. The father, the son, an investigator assigned to a serial murder case, even a few POVs from someone very mysterious…

The plot is a premise we’ve all seen before (classic child murder stuff, you know how it is) but it’s very fast paced and keeps up that energy throughout, despite it’s 8 hour audiobook time. It’s what I would call a “page turner” if I had the physical book. The plot revelations aren’t ones that make you want to put the book down and reflect. They make you want to keep reading and see how the plot reflects them instead. Themes of family and death weren’t hammered into your head like most books and were handled very well. And I gotta say: that was one of the most satisfying endings to a book I have read in a very long time.

Audiobook notes: Read by Christopher Eccelston. (AKA THE NINTH FREAKING DOCTOR OF DOCTOR WHO) I fangirled MULTIPLE times during my listening. The scenes between the investigator and a previous serial killer were read perfectly in every way possible. Can’t recommend it enough.

Recommend for anyone looking for a chill thriller book to pass the time