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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

40 reviews

kimberly_406's review against another edition

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

4.0

Think about that moment when you wake up in the middle of the night and you almost don’t feel alone. The first thought that pops into your brain is “there is someone in the house,” as your heart sinks and your body rushes with pins and needles as it reacts to the fear. Those are also the first lines of this book which quickly throw you into the world where a mother is at home in a blizzard with her sleeping children when suddenly she hears a stranger walking around in her home. She quickly gathers up her kids and together they hide as the man begins to search the house taunting them and explaining how finding them will be “oh so delicious.”

Although it certainly starts off gripping, this book is not your typical fast paced thriller. It floats back and forth between the events of a mother’s worst nightmare and memories of her past that have caused her to feel powerless in her own life making her question every move she makes. The author does a great job at showing the reader how chaotic the mind can get when you are in a traumatic situation attempting to make split decisions that could be the difference between safety and the unimaginable. It was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling. 

It also touches on the issues women sometimes face when explaining or dealing with emotional situations many times being pinned as “irrational,” “crazy,” “hysterical,” or “fragile.” Although I do find these to be true issues women face, it did become a bit much when it was every single person the mother talked to. At certain points it seemed to take away from the thrill of the story. 

Ultimately I did find this book very enjoyable and recommend it to anything who wants to feel uncomfortable and likes to question the reliability of every single character. 
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brooke_berry's review against another edition

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

5.0

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katieengelhart's review against another edition

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

4.0

I put this book off for several months, thinking it would be a bit boring. I mean, the main character is stuck watching a predator terrorize her and her children? I was totally wrong. This was extremely hard to put down! I read the last 50%
(after she escapes and finds help)
in one sitting. As a mother, this book resonated in many ways. 
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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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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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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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elysianbud's review against another edition

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

3.5

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