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alexblackreads 's review for:
The Book of Cold Cases
by Simone St. James
So my thoughts on this may be kind of meh, but this is a book I would highly recommend to other people because I think it was well done. I just wasn't the reader for it. I knew going in I would struggle because I don't tend to enjoy paranormal/supernatural/horror type books. I much prefer a straight thriller. There's something about paranormal elements that just turn me off in a book, and I can't really explain why. If it's done in a way that feels straight fantasy (like the Supernatural tv show) then I'm okay, but when it's very real world with a little extra, I struggle. I wanted to read a bit outside my comfort zone and everyone loves St. James, so I gave this one a try.
I loved the first half. Shea was a great character with a great backstory and I loved the way her life pieced together. I was so invested in all her various struggles with life and the phobias she had, like not ever being in cars. I adored her traumatic backstory with a kidnapping when she was young and I wanted to learn more about her and follow her story. Her interest in cold cases was also intriguing.
But I just wound up wholly uninterested in Beth and her story. Every time we were reading about Beth's past, I just wanted to go back to Shea. I don't know if that had to do with Beth herself or if it was because the supernatural elements were tied to Beth's story specifically, but I could not get invested. I wanted to care, I just didn't.
So I wound up feeling pretty bored and reading it just to get back to Shea's bits, which continued being great for me. It's just so disappointing when you connect with one character so much more than the other in a dual POV book. And then I kind of wanted more detail in the ending of the book rather than the summing up that we got.
This was so well written, though, and the story was so intricately crafted. I can totally see why there is so much love for her. I don't think I'll be reading more because I'm not the right audience, but I'd highly recommend this if you want a thriller with some tied in supernatural elements. It was really well done.
I loved the first half. Shea was a great character with a great backstory and I loved the way her life pieced together. I was so invested in all her various struggles with life and the phobias she had, like not ever being in cars. I adored her traumatic backstory with a kidnapping when she was young and I wanted to learn more about her and follow her story. Her interest in cold cases was also intriguing.
But I just wound up wholly uninterested in Beth and her story. Every time we were reading about Beth's past, I just wanted to go back to Shea. I don't know if that had to do with Beth herself or if it was because the supernatural elements were tied to Beth's story specifically, but I could not get invested. I wanted to care, I just didn't.
So I wound up feeling pretty bored and reading it just to get back to Shea's bits, which continued being great for me. It's just so disappointing when you connect with one character so much more than the other in a dual POV book. And then I kind of wanted more detail in the ending of the book rather than the summing up that we got.
This was so well written, though, and the story was so intricately crafted. I can totally see why there is so much love for her. I don't think I'll be reading more because I'm not the right audience, but I'd highly recommend this if you want a thriller with some tied in supernatural elements. It was really well done.