Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal Fantasy
Source: Kensington via NetGalley
Goodreads
On his ownReview by Nara
Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect.
Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years.
The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers.
Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden…
First, can I just say JESUS WHAT AN UGLY COVER. Sorry, but ew. Seriously not the cover I would have chosen for this book.
Anyway, that's not that relevant, so I'll get on with the review.
Something that was quite surprising was that there was a paranormal aspect to the plot. I didn’t really expect this at all, and to be honest, would have preferred if there was a more normal explanation for things. I was actually quite intrigued by the mystery until the paranormal angle arose. It kind of took away the fun of the mystery, in a way.
I also feel like the characters were a bit typical and not very well developed on the whole. Which is surprising considering that Kemmerer’s strong point in her Elementals series is her character development. I suppose that’s just the difference between a standalone, and a series, where she has more time to flesh out the characters and give the reader a bit more to root for. I didn't really feel that invested in our main two characters as individuals or as a couple (ie the romance).
The conclusion was very rushed, and I feel like I would have liked it if there were an extra couple of chapters properly explaining the paranormal side of things, and having a bit more build up of the tension for the finale. As it was, it felt very chaotic and carelessly thrown together.
All that being said, the plot was still somewhat compelling, and I was actually really enjoying it for most of the book. In this sort of who-dunnit, it's entertaining to try and pick up on all the clues and try and guess who the culprit is. I have to say, I didn't end up predicting who the murderer was, which was a bit of a bonus considering how infrequently I seem to be surprised by mystery/thrillers these days.
So, in conclusion: I don't know if I'd recommend this book to everyone, but I personally did end up enjoying it. Perhaps I would have liked it more if I had known about the paranormal side of things.
Overall: 7/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 2/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 1/5
I also feel like the characters were a bit typical and not very well developed on the whole. Which is surprising considering that Kemmerer’s strong point in her Elementals series is her character development. I suppose that’s just the difference between a standalone, and a series, where she has more time to flesh out the characters and give the reader a bit more to root for. I didn't really feel that invested in our main two characters as individuals or as a couple (ie the romance).
The conclusion was very rushed, and I feel like I would have liked it if there were an extra couple of chapters properly explaining the paranormal side of things, and having a bit more build up of the tension for the finale. As it was, it felt very chaotic and carelessly thrown together.
All that being said, the plot was still somewhat compelling, and I was actually really enjoying it for most of the book. In this sort of who-dunnit, it's entertaining to try and pick up on all the clues and try and guess who the culprit is. I have to say, I didn't end up predicting who the murderer was, which was a bit of a bonus considering how infrequently I seem to be surprised by mystery/thrillers these days.
So, in conclusion: I don't know if I'd recommend this book to everyone, but I personally did end up enjoying it. Perhaps I would have liked it more if I had known about the paranormal side of things.
Liked it
RatingsOverall: 7/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 2/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 1/5
