The shifting time periods, numerous characters, and poor character development led to a very chaotic and messy story. These elements also made the book very confusing. At the end of the day, it was difficult to recall which character was which due to the poor character development. Again, because of the poor character development, I did not care what happened to any of the characters! More than a handful of times I wanted to call it quits on this book, but I stuck it out. Not too sure it was worth it, lol!

I don't think all issues were resolved at the end of the book either, which left me frustrated. Honestly, maybe they were in the novel, but it was so haphazard it is hard to say.

I think what this book lacked was some good editing. This should have never been the final version. A coherent timeline would have made all the difference, as well as tightening up the character list and developing those that remained.

Thanks Celadon Books and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am usually such an Alex North fan. Unfortunately, this one provided more hype than the final result. I will still be an avid reader, though.

This one definitely solidified @writernorth as an autobuy author for me and well, I’m not surprised. I really enjoyed The Whisper Man & The Shadow Man because North really knows how to build up a story with the perfect webbing of unease plus characters that grab you along their journey. I also really enjoy how he can utilize multiple POV’s and time jumps in a way that only strengthens the narrative instead of muddling it.

In The Angel Maker, you get Katie Shaw who is an older sister that is burdened by guilt after a small decision led to a brutal attack of her little brother. Years later, the siblings are estranged with Katie struggling to grasp the feeling that she can protect her small family. Detective Laurence Page faces a murder investigation that somehow correlates with the attack on Christopher Shaw as well as the crimes of a notorious serial killer that claimed to see the future.

This by far was one that was tough to put down. It’s just a classic thriller crime procedural that has you wanting to connect the dots as the story unfolds. For a work of fiction, it uncannily has the ability to feel realistic so it really puts you on edge at points. I practically exploded when @netgalley approved me to receive this as an arc. I encourage any thriller fan to run not walk to snag this!
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I enjoyed The Whisper Man and The Shadows by Alex North so I was very excited to read The Angel Maker.

Unfortunately, the book just fell short on impressing me. At times the storyline was very hard to follow, I even tried listening to the audiobook to help. The story just seemed jumbled & in the end I couldn’t tell you who I was even reading about.

This is my third Alex North book and it did not disappoint. He does an amazing job of giving us the perfect thriller. This one definitely has a lot going on and if you are not someone who enjoys multiple POV/timelines then this not for you! However, without these multiple POVs I do not think this story would have been what it was. You were able to really understand the characters more and get more invested. I loved this concept of how these people were all intertwined to lead us to where we are. Alex north definitely seems to always deliver a thriller that gives you that shock factor- and for that I'm grateful!

Alex North has some CREEPY, HAUNTING books. And this one was no different. I loved both the Whisper Man and The Shadows. The Angel Maker, although enjoyable, rates third of the three books of his I've read. This again, has an interesting and complex plot, has haunting characters and keeps me hooked the entire book. I would recommend to anyone who loves that chills-down-your-spine feel from a book.

This was...fine. It was often disjointed and difficult to understand some of the story lines, and how they came together. There was some suspense, but the disjointed story lines honestly made this overall too distracting to enjoy.

You can never go wrong with an Alex North novel! He has such compelling plots and I always enjoy his writing style.

This book was definitely creepy and packed with suspense, but it hurt my brain trying to read it. this was my first read by this author so maybe that's his style? I just feel like it was unnecessarily confusing for no reason and i really struggled to finish it. overall, it was a fast paced read and i enjoyed the murder mystery and dark themes.

"The Angel Maker" by Alex North is a psychological thriller that intertwines past traumas with a present-day investigation, creating a narrative that promises suspense and intrigue. While the premise holds great potential, the execution leaves something to be desired, resulting in a three-star review.

The novel successfully captures the haunting effects of a violent incident on the protagonist, Katie Shaw, and how it continues to shape her life. The exploration of guilt, fear, and the blurred lines between reality and imagination is well-crafted, adding a layer of psychological depth to the story. Additionally, the parallel narrative involving Detective Laurence Page and a gruesome murder adds complexity to the overall plot.

However, the pacing of the novel feels uneven, with moments of intense suspense followed by slower sections that may leave readers wanting a more consistent rhythm. The characters, while adequately developed, lack the depth needed to establish a strong emotional connection with the reader. Some plot twists and revelations may come across as predictable, diminishing the impact of the story's intended surprises.

"The Angel Maker" has its moments of tension and mystery, but it doesn't fully capitalize on its potential. While it offers a decent psychological exploration, it falls short of being a truly gripping thriller. Readers seeking a psychological mystery may find it engaging, but those expecting a more tightly woven and unpredictable plot may be left wanting.

This is my third time reading Alex North's novels. When The Whisper Man came out I was so impressed by this author but then when The Shadows came out, I was less impressed. I had hoped that this one would be another positive point for the author but I struggled a bit with this book. I will say I would rank it higher than The Shadows though. This one had a little more suspense that helped make it a little more interesting to me. My biggest struggle was trying to keep the timeline straight. There was a lot of back and forth between the past and present so it was sometimes hard to keep track of where I was at. There were some suspenseful moments that kept me on the edge of my seat but it was more those scenes in the moment versus their connection to the overall story.
I really liked the idea of the story and the plot was really interesting but it was just a bit too confusing to get fully engrossed in. This may be a book that needs to be read twice to fully appreciate and understand the story.
Overall, I liked the story but still feel a little confused about certain timeline aspects. Maybe someday I will read it again to see if any of the confusion can be clarified.
3 Stars
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this. The plot was so unique, and I loved how the timelines worked. The characters wer great and the themes so compelling. I highly recommend it.

I love Alex North’s books; however, this wasn’t my favorite. I had a very difficult time following the characters and different timelines which made it less enjoyable than his others.

The Whisper Man by Alex North is a great read, so I was anticipating similar feelings to this but was disappointed by this book.

Katie has always felt regret for not protecting her brother when they were younger, and now as adults they are estranged siblings and Katie now has a family of her own while her brother is currently missing.

This book had too many POV, characters, lack of development, and time lines that made it confusing for me to focus and develop excitement.

As much as I wanted to love this book after his others, it fell short for me. The multiple characters and point of views made it clunky and hard to follow.

3.75 stars

Katie Shaw is a teacher who is haunted by the decision she made as a teenager not to walk her younger brother Chris home after school, choosing to visit her boyfriend instead, where Chris was violently attacked by a stranger. He survived the attack, but was set along a lifelong path of drug abuse and homelessness. It finally seems that Chris has turned his life around, with steady employment, a place to stay, and a devoted boyfriend, when he is placed at the scene of the murder of a prominent philosophy professor. Chris goes on the run, with Katie trying to track him down before the detectives working the case can catch up to him, and she discovers the ties between present and past, and how a notorious child k!ller called The Angel Maker, whose manifesto was purported to tell the future, connects them all.

The Angel Maker was one of those books that as I was reading it, I enjoyed, but after I sat for a few days after with my thoughts I realized I didn't like as much as I initially thought. Crime novels can be long and drawn out, of which this was neither, so it's fast pace and shorter chapters had that going for it. There were some difficulties for me following the who's who of characters, who have gone by different names at different times in their lives, and the heavy philosophical themes. Do we have free will, or has every action we take in our life already been predetermined? That is a depressing thought for sure.

3-1/2 ⭐️💫

This was a very creative story, and it’s obvious Alex North is a very talented author. I imagine it took a lot to come up with this book in its entirety (unique plot & then how everything intertwined). Overall this one missed the mark for me though. I liked it but I’m not sure how I can properly explain why I didn’t love it. I would absolutely read another book by him though. Great, intellectual writing, but not one of those books that it was all filled with words I didn’t know 😂 that I got hung up looking up definitions or having to read a sentence three times because the author was trying to be extra smart sounding. He’s ‘easy’ to read but not a mediocre writer, it’s fluid.

One of the things I didn’t love was there wasn’t a whole lot of character development. That’s one thing I like about reading is rooting for or relating to/ liking a character. I wasn’t sure I could get into the whole prophetic part of this (which I’m still definitely a skeptic) but I went with it for the sake of the entire plot. The whole predicting/seeing the future aspect is unrealistic, for me. There is a lot going on in this book, many characters & pov’s! Different storylines as far as events that happened in the past & how it affects people in the present & their families. It was creative how it eventually tied together but it was less suspense & more philosophical I guess. The synopsis made it seem like it was more of suspense (serial killer) but it was more about the cause & affect of life and choices made, and how things are destined to happened before they happen. As I said I went with it for the sake of the story but it’s not what I thought I was going to be reading & I’d have rather had it be more suspenseful of a book.

The ending was alright but not climactic & I feel like some stuff was missing at the end or not wrapped up nicely with some of the characters & their individual stories. Also very curious what happened to one character that it wasn’t ever clarified what their fate was. Just curious🤷‍♀️

So my thoughts wrapped up. I liked it, excellent writer (with a great mind!). While I enjoyed it I was also kind of ready for the book to be done before it was. I’ll absolutely be reading more of North’s books now that I have had the opportunity to see what he’s about.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher Celadon Books for the opportunity to have an advanced copy, always very much appreciated!

While the plot was interesting it was a little hard to keep up with the time switches. Unfortunately, it felt a bit over complicated.

Too many characters and too all over the place. I’m disappointed because I’ve loved Alex’s other books. Unfortunately I had to DNF.

I read another book by this author, the name escapes my mind at this time, but I absolutely loved it! It was a lot of fun to read, and it was very enjoyable. This book was also fun, but I loved the other one a lot more. I liked it, it was fun, but it wasn't great. It was also better than okay.