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Reviews tagging 'Death'

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

42 reviews

theautumngurl's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.75

Meh.
The thriller was thrilling for the first 12 chapters.
Couldn't put it down, it made my skin itch with anticipation and it was so creepy that I could only read a few pages at night and the rest had to be during the day or with lights on.
I like the third person narrative. No names in this book, just descriptions.
The last 8 or so chapters were good too - infuriatingly so, reading a women be gaslit, it stank of the silent patient. All of the "are you sure"'s just piss me off but its etched in real life, isn't it, ladies?
Chapters 13 through to 26 were a bit mind numbing.
All in all, if it had stayed with the momentum it had in those first few chapters, the ones that made me pick it up in the store and then put it back, then go back to get it, it could have been something else!
For Gillian McAllister to call it "the most gripping thriller I've ever read." makes me believe that she would find Goldilocks' anxiety when choosing what was just right for her scary. Really?
Just my opinions here. I'd read more by Tracy Sierra that is for sure!
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jackbifrost's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

4.0

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keberwick's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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sinsandscares's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧 Narrated by Emily Ellet

Nightwatching is a gripping and deeply unsettling read. The opening chapter is pure terror. A mother, home alone with her children during a blizzard, faces an intruder. But the true horror unfolds after as she fights to be believed, to regain her children, and to even trust herself.

This book captures the hypervigilance women are forced to have, the way their concerns are dismissed as paranoia or attention-seeking. Sierra does a phenomenal job making the reader feel that firsthand. Even I found myself questioning the protagonist, wavering between doubt and belief right until the end.

Readers expecting nonstop action should know that while the first chapter is intense, the rest leans more into psychological suspense. The entire story is told through the mother’s inner monologue, which heightens the isolation but leaves other characters less fleshed out.

I listened to this on Libby, and Emily Ellet’s narration was fantastic. Her voice work, especially for “the Corner,” added so much depth.

This is not just a thriller but a sharp, unsettling reflection on fear, doubt, and the fight to be heard. 
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emp93's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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kyndallkay's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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kvcatnip's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is a really difficult read, and therefore a really important one. A mother locked in her home with her two young children while an intruder tries to hurt them and the following events are horrific to read. And yet, they expertly express the way women are not believed. We are categorically told that we are overly sensitive, anxious, paranoid, and obsessive instead of believed. Small things matter to us, because we learn to look for things everywhere. 

I cannot recommend this enough to every person who thinks they can emotionally or mentally handle it. This book deserves way more spotlight.
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rachbooks82's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

This book was a 3 star until the last 20%. I gasped out loud and then could not wait to finish. 
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april_reads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra is an impressive debut thriller that packs a punch.

The story begins with a mother waking in the middle of the night to find a stranger in her home. She hides her children in a secret room to protect them and escapes, but the details of that night become hazy. As doubt creeps in, questions arise: Did this really happen? Is she losing her mind? Or is something even more sinister at play?

I’ll admit, I almost DNF’d this book. The beginning felt a bit too familiar, like many other thrillers I’ve read. But around the halfway mark, things took start to look less clear, and I’m so glad I stuck with it. The tension ramps up, and it becomes impossible to put down.

I recommend this to fans of  thrillers that keep you guessing until the end. Stick with it—this one is worth the ride!
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shedevls's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

at first, i was a little worried about how well this would keep my attention when it’s 351 pages and we’re dropped into the thick of things on the first page, but it seems i was worried for nothing.

this was a wonderful book, even more so as a debut novel, and it’s one i’ll be recommending to everyone… just, for any other women (or those who are empathetic to the way women are treated by others, especially men), be prepared to punch the air more than a few times.
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