#COLLABOREADS: A Book in a Series
If you're new to #COLLABOREADS, welcome!
Every month, Kristin from Taz + Belly and I host this fun little book-loving link-up, and we're so happy you've stopped by!
Here's how this works: We pick a theme every month, you pick a book that fits (we all read different books! it's fun that way!) and then all link up and share our thoughts (with a handy-dandy R.E.A.D.S. acronym usually--see below!) and link up and become BFFs. You can read more about this whole thing here.
If you're looking for an easy way to be reminded of when #COLLABOREADS is coming up, just sign up for our mailing list and we'll shoot you a reminder when it's time to get those posts ready!
This month's theme was: A Book in a Series
I chose: Persons Unknown by Susie Steiner. (Head over to Kristin's site to see what she chose, too!)
You can grab this book HERE (affiliate links are here and throughout this post!).
Riveting.
What part of the book could you NOT get enough of? This one wasn't nearly as riveting as I was expecting, but considering how it was the second book in this DS Manon (the main character) series (Missing, Presumed is the first one!) and I also didn't think the first was riveting... I shouldn't have been surprised. This one does seem to lack even more character development, which I think is because she's assuming you read the first book and already got to know the characters, but I would have liked to see more of that in this one. The murder at the center of this plot wasn't terribly thrilling either, and the suspense and mystery Steiner tried to create over who could have done it and why seemed to fall flat and not hook me. It's probably helpful to think of this one more as a mystery, and not as a thriller or a suspense novel.
Elements.
How did you relate to/care for the characters? What's your thought on the plot line and twists and turns? Like I said, the characters weren't very well developed in this one (and I've come to realize that's pretty important for me when reading!) and if I hadn't already gotten to know more of their stories in the first book, I don't think I would have liked any of them at ALL in this one. Even knowing more about them, I still didn't connect well with anyone or really want to root for any of these characters. The plot in this one was slow (something I also said when I reviewed the first book!) and I only finished because I wanted to know how it finished, not because I was really loving the storyline to get there.
Associate.
What other books are like this one? If none, did it remind you of a particular TV or movie with it's themes and characters? Does it serendipitous-ly line-up with things going on in your life or the news right now? It's in a similar style to I See You by Clare Mackintosh or The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda, I'd say.
Design.
You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel? And the font and layout of the pages? This cover is solid, but nothing stunning or particularly noteworthy. I appreciate that the typography of this one perfectly echoed the typography of her first book (at least the versions I had did!) -- continuity like that is key in my book!
Stars.
How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend? This one was a 3 out of 5 star book for me -- I liked the first one more, so I would start there, see what you think, and if you want more from those characters, pick this one up for a pretty quick and easy read!
LET'S LINK UP NOW.
FOR THE FUTURE:
September's theme is "A Brand New Book". Find any book that feels like summer to you, read it this month, blog your thoughts (you can use our R.E.A.D.S acronym or whatever style you want!) and link up at the end of the month!
Kristin from Taz + Belly and I are so excited to have you joining us, and we can't wait to see this fun little link-up grow this year!
