I made it about 71% into the book and had to give up. There was nothing that was keeping me hooked and it jumped around so much that I was a tad confused at what was happening. Sadly I will be DNFing this book.

2.5 but rounding down.

What started out as an intriguing tangle of puzzle pieces became an unsatisfying mess. Such a strong start with lots of mystery and intrigue but unfortunately the several plot points were either unresolved or sloppily thrown together. There were more holes in this book than Swiss cheese. There was little to no character development or growth causing the story and it’s characters to fall a bit flat. The action scenes were very enjoyable, filled with vivid language and heart-pounding suspense. Was also let down that the most intriguing aspect of the book for me was glossed over and never fully explained. The ending left me feeling incredibly disappointed and frustrated, leaving me with almost as many questions as when the book started. I enjoy Alex North’s creepy, suspenseful writing style, but sadly this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Alex North, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

“If you could see the future, would you want to?”

A murdered old man. A mother asking her daughter to find her missing brother. A murder case from the early 20th century. A mysterious red car stalking a family. A missing book. All of it intertwined.

When I read The Whisper Man, I instantly fell in love with the story. It captivated my attention from the onset. I adored how eerie it was, and how interconnected the story was. The Angelmaker has a much slower pace at the beginning, which I know many people dislike. However, I felt the slower pace was necessary to really get all the pieces in place for the phenomenal ending. This book was confusing, unsettling, and at times a little disturbing to me. But it was a great read. I love a mystery that has a complicated puzzle-piece plot, and this was one of them. I will say this book definitely isn't for everyone--it took a lot of concentration to read, and it's complicated in a very niche way. Overall, I found it to be worth it. 4/5 stars.

This was a very fascinating thriller !!

There are multiple characters and storylines and how they were connected was really interesting.

I always wonder the significance of a Toronto a novel and this one is quite gruesome. I was confused at some times and have a bunch of unanswered questions.

I have made myself read many books, and this one definitely fell into that category. I found I lacked interest within the first few chapters. Nothing progressed I didn’t feel any attachments to the characters or the storyline. It was just a hard miss for me.

Reading this was a struggles and I wanted to DNF at so many points but I forced myself to power through. I found the book to be overly detailed, to the point that it hindered the pacing of the story. Although I enjoyed that the nonlinear timeline relates to the main theme of the book (the past, present, and future is all happening at the same time), I think that it adds to the confusion of the multiple plot lines. There were so many characters that they all suffered from being underdeveloped. I didn’t care for any of them and I didn’t care if any of them were to die, to be honest.

Too many point of views. Too many plot lines. Too many time jumps.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favorite by Alex North, but still a good one! It was well-paced and thrilling, just as promised. It kept me guessing all the way until the end.

3.5 stars rounded up

This book was thrilling, and I was unable to put it down through the last 50%. The POVs were intricately written, and I desperately wanted to find out how everything tied together. My only issue is that I feel like I still have SO many questions at the end of this. I will keep them to myself to save spoilers, but some of the plot lines I feel were not fully explained and left me hanging.

Overall, I enjoyed this read and I think that it provided a unique reading experience based on the woven together story lines.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley, but then waited to read the physical book. It's solid, but I enjoyed North's earlier work more. This focuses on Katie Shaw, who has always been very protective of her brother, Chris. As young adults, Katie had to care for her brother, who was always different, and she was somewhat resentful. The first time she took some time for herself, Chris was brutally attacked and the story starts there.

Chris' attack as a teenager appears to have been random, and we're taken inside Katie's somewhat dysfunctional family. However, as the scope of the book widens, we learn that the real cause of the problem is an even more dysfunctional family. Katie has to help her brother escape what others have planned for him.

When the book dipped into the philosophical and got into questions of predestination, I got lost. It's not a philosophy I can get behind, and I thought it was a distraction from the main plotlines. The book is interesting and moves quick - it's worth a read, it's just not as strong as I expected. If you haven't read Alex North's books before, start with The Whisper Man or The Shadows.

I had a really hard time enjoying this one. It was simultaneously too slow paced, but also convoluted. There were too many things going on between present time and the flashbacks and I found myself being mostly confused. I may revisit this novel again at a later date, but for now, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

As a fan of Alex North's previous work, I was so excited to read this as an early copy! Overall, I did enjoy this book despite having a few issues with it. It was rather confusing to follow so many characters and trying to keep them straight along side the multiple timelines that were happening. One or the other would have worked much better. I really enjoyed the detectives point of view and thought that was one of the best characters. I will definitely still be picking up whatever the author publishes in the future, even though this one didn't really work for me.

Alex North has become one of those authors I will read whenever a new book comes out, without reading the description of the book, judging the book by its cover, or sometimes even reading the title! I enjoy the creative ideas and storyline we get to experience as readers, each time we flip through the pages.

I was extremely excited to read yet another story, completely different than the other books written by this author. I was drawn to the characters from the first few pages, a young brother and sister, making choices in an instant that will choose the projection of their futures. Or were their futures predetermined by other means, no matter the choices made that fateful day? It was an interesting pretense. I appreciate how the plot line unfolds and the author gives you little breadcrumbs throughout the story. I love it when you get to the part of the story that starts making connections to these breadcrumbs and you tell yourself "I knew it!", until the next twist comes and you kind of only had an inkling but didn't really know why/who/what/where!

I suggest this book as a great page turner if you're looking for your next read while on vacation or have some spare time.

As soon as I heard about this book, I was excited to read it. I had hyped it up to my book club before even having access to read it. Alex North does not disappoint. Gripping from the first to last page.

Katie Shaw had a wonderful life growing up in the English Countryside with her family. As graduation grows closer and things seem to good to be true something horrible happens. Years pass and Katie is never able to completely get over what happened to her brother and now that she is pregnant it seems that it bothers her that much more. When she receives a random phone call that her brother has gone missing and she has to find him and save him.

Love Alex North’s writing and definitely was not disappointed in The Angel Maker. Twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat late into the night as I tried to guess which direction the story would go. Definitely worth checking out and it’s a nice one to when you’re not planning on going anywhere.

A solid thriller/mystery that borders on the paranormal. Not quite as good as his previous works but I still enjoyed it. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

Okay, I'm not going to give thorough feedback on this title because I didn't seem to be able to fully engage with it and think it may just be a wrong time for me to read this one and I should take another go of it.

I did enjoy the book itself but it took me awhile to get into while we built the backstory, the backstory is not an indication of what the whole book is about and I didn't fully appreciate that when I was trying to make it through the first few chapters. I think that the serial killer addition to this book is surrounded with all the best aspects of this book. I got a little frustrated with the character development of Kate because I felt like it used overused tropes, but overall they're over used because people think they're effective so I cant fault the author on that!

4.5 stars

"Because whatever would happen would happen. The story was already written, and it would unfold in the way it had been intended, just as the flower contains the seed that contains another flower."

Alex North has done it again! A gruesome, layered thriller you will absolutely want to have on your shelf.

Without giving too much away, here's what you're in for..

Siblings Katie and Chris were victims of an unthinkable act, altering the course of their lives. Now some fifteen years later, all will come to a head.

Not far away, an old professor is taking his final breath and setting in motion the final chapter of his intricate plan.

And that's where this story begins.

I'm such a fan of North's writing. He brings to life heartbreaking stories with complex paternal relationships. In The Angel Maker he explores the meaning of destiny, family secrets. Are your decisions your own? Or have your choices been made for you? Some parts brought me to tears, others had me squirming.

A fantastic third release, and I'm so thrilled I got to read this.

Big thanks to Celadon Books for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this mind-boggling read! The narrative features numerous time leaps, but there are skillful time markers included. (Just make sure to pay attention, these leaps may become important later!) I also appreciated the philosophical elements of this story. The conclusion was a little crazy, but it connected beautifully with prior parts of the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this title. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
The Angel Maker is a complex story that reveal the links between two families, and crimes both past and present. The characters are well developed. It is a title to take your time with as the time changes between past and present to fill in the back story, but it all pulls together by the end in a quite satisfying way. Readers, enjoy.