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colorfulleo92's review against another edition
3.0
It's was fine, not bad but not great either. Still a bit addicted to the story so will continue on
laurapk's review against another edition
1.0
Nope!
Quick and unsubstantial read, overloaded of irrelevant history and a really predictable plot.
Plus - no emotional attachment to the characters.
You can skip this one in the series and moved to the next one.
The book hurries through cases, coincidences, Hawaiian history, but takes no time to connect with the characters. The only little tickle of emotion came from Ryan's relationship with his daughter, but even that was so severely downplayed. As usual, I feel like Andrew Ryan is a more complex and compelling character in this series.
Spoilers ahead:
There were also obvious lapses of logic for Dr. Brennan, that were way too obvious for me as a reader. E.g.: when "Spider's" mother couldn't receive a kidney from her son, why would she assume there may have been a paternity problem? It wasn't the father needing a kidney, it was the mother, so obviously, the maternity was a problem. From there to realizing the mother had to be a chimera it was too easy. First, the chimera trope is already being overused in mysteries and 2, while I appreciate the mention of a real maternity-contested case because of chimerism, the bat-over-the-head listing of how many cases of chimerism there can be was totally unnecessary. I had the ending of the novel figured out by chapter 30. There are 40 chapters. The last 10 ones were unnecessary.
And yes. Brennan gets knocked in the head again. At least not in the finale. Which felt rushed, but at least we didn't get any villain exposition.
Quick and unsubstantial read, overloaded of irrelevant history and a really predictable plot.
Plus - no emotional attachment to the characters.
You can skip this one in the series and moved to the next one.
The book hurries through cases, coincidences, Hawaiian history, but takes no time to connect with the characters. The only little tickle of emotion came from Ryan's relationship with his daughter, but even that was so severely downplayed. As usual, I feel like Andrew Ryan is a more complex and compelling character in this series.
Spoilers ahead:
There were also obvious lapses of logic for Dr. Brennan, that were way too obvious for me as a reader. E.g.: when "Spider's" mother couldn't receive a kidney from her son, why would she assume there may have been a paternity problem? It wasn't the father needing a kidney, it was the mother, so obviously, the maternity was a problem. From there to realizing the mother had to be a chimera it was too easy. First, the chimera trope is already being overused in mysteries and 2, while I appreciate the mention of a real maternity-contested case because of chimerism, the bat-over-the-head listing of how many cases of chimerism there can be was totally unnecessary. I had the ending of the novel figured out by chapter 30. There are 40 chapters. The last 10 ones were unnecessary.
And yes. Brennan gets knocked in the head again. At least not in the finale. Which felt rushed, but at least we didn't get any villain exposition.
ohwildesoul's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
jriffic23's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big fan of the Kathy Reichs books and this one did not disappoint. I love a good 'challenge' and I often find myself shocked at the outcome of her books. This one is one of my favorites - a change a scenery and new characters but the same detail and suspense.
aprilatthelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Without giving away the story, the cases in this entry of the Temperance Brennan series were an interesting spin. I enjoyed that the story took place in Hawaii as I lived there for a little over 2 years and I miss it. It's always fun to see a book describing a place you've lived in; even hearing a street name or a location can make you smile.
As a side note, one trend I've been noticing more in the recent books is that Temperance is super rude in her observations of people. I'm not sure if it's supposed to show her character as a "scientific, serious" person but some of the stuff she says is fatphobic and very critical of anyone who doesn't fall into the "conventional idea of beauty", which is trash. I am hoping this changes because it can make Temperance a very unlikable character at times. Despite this, I still plan to continue the series.
As a side note, one trend I've been noticing more in the recent books is that Temperance is super rude in her observations of people. I'm not sure if it's supposed to show her character as a "scientific, serious" person but some of the stuff she says is fatphobic and very critical of anyone who doesn't fall into the "conventional idea of beauty", which is trash. I am hoping this changes because it can make Temperance a very unlikable character at times. Despite this, I still plan to continue the series.
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
2.0
This is the third Kathy Reichs book I have read. Sadly, this one was not as good as the first two. Spider Bones was convoluted, confusing and filled with way too much information to absorb. As interesting as it was that Temperance was in Hawaii, I didn't need an explanation of every road, eatery and beach. If i was interested in that, I'd pick up a Hawaii travel book. I found myself glazing over several sections of the book when the acronyms came out. There were way too many bodies, way too many unknowns, and too many backstories. I didn't know who was who half the time, and I lost interest rather quickly. I wouldn't recommend this one to a first time reader of Kathy Reichs. Hopefully the next one is better.
_askthebookbug's review against another edition
3.0
Spider Bones :)
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“Death in anonymity is the ultimate insult to human dignity.” - Kathy Reichs. .
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This my first novel by Kathy and I’m left utterly confused. It’s a known fact that the author is an Anthropologist and you’ll stumble upon hundreds of words that are from her work field. Spider bones is the story of unravelling the murder mystery of a man called John Lowery. John was declared dead in 1968 but when the cops find a body floating in a river many years later, it is identified as John Lowery. How can a person die twice? The story then revolves around a bunch of cops and medical examiners, topped with couple of other murders. This novel has mixed reviews and I’m not surprised. There are too many characters and too many terms related to Anthropology that’ll leave readers scratching their heads. I’d rate it 2.5/5. .
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“Death in anonymity is the ultimate insult to human dignity.” - Kathy Reichs. .
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This my first novel by Kathy and I’m left utterly confused. It’s a known fact that the author is an Anthropologist and you’ll stumble upon hundreds of words that are from her work field. Spider bones is the story of unravelling the murder mystery of a man called John Lowery. John was declared dead in 1968 but when the cops find a body floating in a river many years later, it is identified as John Lowery. How can a person die twice? The story then revolves around a bunch of cops and medical examiners, topped with couple of other murders. This novel has mixed reviews and I’m not surprised. There are too many characters and too many terms related to Anthropology that’ll leave readers scratching their heads. I’d rate it 2.5/5. .