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A review by semi
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Oh boy, I needed a drink for this oneđ„.
The main strength Iâll give this book is the writing. Despite how clunky the plot got, I still enjoyed the writing for the most part. What I didnât enjoy as much was the plot twists, characterizations, and pacing.
During the first 60% of the book, I was literally getting dĂ©jĂ vu to âThe Woman in the Windowâ. The classic trope of a alcoholic, unhinged woman that has no hobbies besides spying on her neighbors with binoculars⊠but there was nothing new or fresh done to the trope so nothing much happens for the first half.
The MC was also somewhat frustrating. Iâm not expecting some natural genius born detective, just someone with a bit more common sense and critical thinking. Caseyâs actions were just so juvenile and reckless I had to pause a couple times. It also doesnât help that she has literally no other redeeming qualities that would make me overlook her actions.
Lastly, the fact that nothing happens in the first half then the last half is just flooded with plot twists that were not built up was very disorienting. The plot twists werenât believable and the paranormal plot twists literally came out of nowhere so it felt like I was reading like three completely different books. But I did not predict where this book would end, so they got me there.
The main strength Iâll give this book is the writing. Despite how clunky the plot got, I still enjoyed the writing for the most part. What I didnât enjoy as much was the plot twists, characterizations, and pacing.
During the first 60% of the book, I was literally getting dĂ©jĂ vu to âThe Woman in the Windowâ. The classic trope of a alcoholic, unhinged woman that has no hobbies besides spying on her neighbors with binoculars⊠but there was nothing new or fresh done to the trope so nothing much happens for the first half.
The MC was also somewhat frustrating. Iâm not expecting some natural genius born detective, just someone with a bit more common sense and critical thinking. Caseyâs actions were just so juvenile and reckless I had to pause a couple times. It also doesnât help that she has literally no other redeeming qualities that would make me overlook her actions.
Lastly, the fact that nothing happens in the first half then the last half is just flooded with plot twists that were not built up was very disorienting.