emmalouisepip's Reviews (1.81k)

I loved this. It was slowed paced for at least the first half but that didn't effect my enjoyment. 

Sylah may have her flaws and issues but I loved her. Seeing her journey and struggle with drug addiction. The strength she has to power through and try help others.
Hassa may actually be my favourite character. I just wanted to hug and protect her at times. I need a novella dedicated to her. 

The training for the trials were interesting to read. Learning about the skills and powers needed to get through each one. 
We spent enough time with each trial to learn more about the world and how they do things. But didn't feel filler at all. 

This story was rich in detail without ever feeling too info dumpy. I never found myself confused or overwhelmed with information. 

Short Story collections can be hit and miss for me. Thankfully this was mainly a hit with only one being one I disliked. 6 out of the 10 are ones where I would like more from the world/characters. 
The formatting of the arc messed with me a little. There were no break between each introduction and the story starting. So sometimes I wondered when the introduction ended and the story began. 
Obviously this should be different in a finished copy. 

End Of The Liner: 4 Stars maybe 5. 
This was set in an unusual but creepy world. Where everything is controlled by the creator. They all live on a ship.
Its dark but also really sad that all the people on the ship don't have any freedom. They don't know they are being lied to about everything. 
The world was so interesting that I would have liked more information about this world. How did it first start? Who are the creator? 


The Block: 3 stars 

This had a slower start. But once it got going there was a dark creepy atmosphere that got my attention. I just wanted to know what/who the monster/person in The Block was. I feel this might have worked better for me if it was longer. I needed more information to really get into it. 

Runaway Blues: 2 stars
In the introduction C.J Tudor mentioned this is Stephen King-esque which intrigued me. I've had a hit and miss relationship with his books. But I've loved every Tudor book I've read so far. 

This didn't really work for me. I just didn't seem to focus at all while reading it. 

The Completion: 4 stars
I didn't really know what to expect with this one. But I definitely didn't expect that twist. It was dark and creepy. But I'm also intrigued about how the world got the way it did. How did Bragshaw start.

The Lion At The Gate 3 stars
At the start I didn't think this would be much. But while this didn't grip me it was still interesting. How the Lion was alive. It was scary in a way to think how things happened. I almost thought maybe the Lion didn't do anything that Jay did. But I'm left unsure. 

Gloria 5
I hadn't read The Taking Of Annie Thorne so this was my introduction to Gloria. 
I really hope we get a full Gloria story one day. I'm really interested in her character. Just from this short story. 

I'm not Ted  3
This felt shorter than it was. It wasn't intense or dark. But the ending did leave me intrigued to what happens when he runs out of chances. 

Final Course 4
I dont know what Millie or the creature is but I really want more information. This got a little creepy with their reaction to Millie being blind and then how this ended. 

The Copy Shop: 3
I don't really have anything to say about. It was interesting but that's about it. Really. 

Dust: 4 
This is another one where I would like a longer novella or novel. I'm interested what she does when she remembers/acknowledges her sins. What happens to her next. 

Butterfly Island 4 
This was creepy. Someone holding that much power. Wanting to be like God like. Holding a lifesaving vaccine. But also the Butterflies just casually eating people was creepy. I wouldn't want anything to do when that island. 

*I received a copy from Net Galley for an honest review*

Claire Douglas has never disappointed me. I was gripped from the very beginning. 

The random chapters set in Thailand threw me off at first. It felt a little disconnected from the previous chapters. But I was intrigued to how they connect to the missing girls. It took 3/4 of the book before we got the solid link. Which I didn't guess. I feel like I probably should have but Douglas was sneaky with the nicknames so I totally missed the clues. 

The twists and reveals were interesting. I do feel it may have been a bit much with everything that was revealed but Douglas's writing captivated me the whole time that it didn't take my enjoyment of the story away. 

I will say Jenna bringing up her son every 5 seconds throughout the book got a little irritating. I also felt that it might not have been totally realistic for Dale to be on the case considering his connection to the missing girls.

This was a one sitting type of book for me. 

Ana was only in town for 5 seconds before she caught feelings. I would have liked to see a more gradual build for their feelings. 
Not just heavily based on them both having the same breed of dog and good looking. 

I loved seeing the friendship group. How comfortable Ana felt around them from the beginning. 

It was sad seeing Ana watch over her shoulder so much. She couldn't just relax and enjoy being somewhere new. I understood why she felt this way. But I just wanted her to feel safe and comfortable. 

I'm glad there wasn't a 3rd act break up. But instead we saw how Liam truly cares about Ana. Wanting to keep her happy and safe. 

The intensity was there for the last portion of the book. I was just hoping everything would turn out OK.