4.5 stars rounded down

Katie's brother is missing. Someone may be watching/following her daughter. The police respond to a gruesome murder. How are all of these connected? Could they all be related to legendary serial killer who claimed to see the future?

This book was a fun ride! I was intrigued the whole time and read this book very quickly. Actually I listened to the audiobook and think the narrator did a great job! I think Alex North did a great job of weaving together a lot of characters and plot points into a cohesive narrative. The beginning was a little bit confusing because of the many characters and plot threads, but it came together quickly. I enjoyed getting all the characters POVs because it allows for information to be learned slowly throughout the book. It also gave me a sense of each character's personality. I found the addition of philosophy and the theory of determinism a very interesting component of the book. My only real complaint is that I wish this book leaned more into the telling the future idea.

This was not my favorite, but it was an original story, and I enjoyed hearing it. The story felt like it dragged on through about the first 2/3 of it, I feel like nothing notable happened that just pulled us in and it got confusing (and is still confusing) with the different timelines, POVs, and characters who had multiple names. I only got into it at about 70% when it picked up. I enjoyed the narration. Overall 3/5.

🔥BOOK REVIEW🔥

The Angel Maker - Alex North
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

“North's latest thriller does not disappoint, weaving an intriguing cast of characters across multiple time periods into a story rich with layers and plot twists and perfectly suspenseful pacing. A delightfully bone-chilling tale.”

This was my first Alex North book. I listened to the audiobook - narrated by Rosalie Craig - which was exceptional! Honestly a stand out narration and I can’t wait to listen to more from her!

However, the actual story fell short for me. This is a tough one to review - it was just too many overlapping narratives and it made it confusing. BUT I’m still thinking about it days later.. and that’s not an easy feat!

I did really enjoy that it was very twisty and had a great reveal! It’s definitely one that you need to pay close attention to - and as beautiful as the narration was, I honestly think it may have been easier to keep the timelines and characters straight in print.

Recommend if you like:
- Multiple POV
- Overlapping timelines
- Dark thrillers
- Stories about serial killers
- Philosophy/nature vs nurture/fate

I will definitely be checking out Alex North’s other works.

Thanks to @netgalley, @macmillan.audio and the author for access to the ARC!

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This is one time where I wish I kept to the physical or ebook version, instead of listening to it. While the narration was great, I had a hard time staying focused and I got lost a bit. Even though I know the ending, I think I'd like to read this book again in a few months to fully get the story. (3.5 rounded up to 4)

The parts of the story I did understand, I thought were great. I really like the way Alex North writes. I thought it was a slow burn with good twists. I don't necessarily think it was a thriller though!

This was my first book by Alex North and it won't be my last! I actually bought The Shadows and am so excited to read it! I was lucky when it came to this book, I have so many copies! Thank you to Celadon Books for my physical and digital copy, and to Macmillan Audio for my audio!

Alex North to me presents incredibly ambiguous thoughts. This is partially because plots with paranormal aspects are often a struggle for me to connect with but can still be enjoyed if done the right way. This one’s either going to work for you and be a standout, as I’ve seen numerous five star reviews, or it’s going to fall completely flat and there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. I’m here to tell you, I am that middle ground 🤣

Now, I’m going to say that I’m going to keep this pretty vague as I don’t want to spoil anything and I highly encourage going in as blind as possible!

The core of this one is spooky and dark and creepy and the horror elements are strong. It’s thought provoking and the alternating timelines really seem to work well for the story! The cast is intriguing and certainly deep and diverse, but can sometimes be overwhelming and slightly confusing. As a whole, it wasn’t quite my cup of tea, but I will say I enjoy North’s story telling abilities and I’m intrigued enough to see what he’ll do next!

It was fine. All the elements of a spooky thriller that got a bit too cumbersome and convoluted to really deliver a solid story. Overall, not my favorite of Alex North’s but won’t rule him out quite yet as an auto-read author either!

Rating: 2.8 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 2.5/5
-Cover: 5/5
-Story: 2.5/5
-Writing: 3/5
-Horror: 1/5
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. I really liked The Shadows by Alex and when I saw this one up on Netgalley I quickly requested this book.

There were a lot of lines to follow while figuring out who was who. I think listening to it was harder for this than maybe actually reading it. I am still not sure about like... 3 people in this whole book. I liked the concept of the story I just think it was poorly executed. Alex was trying to do a lot and instead of giving us a clear view it because busy and too much.

Ooh, this was twisty and there were so many intersecting stories that helped complete this mystery. I have had The Whisper Man and The Shadows on my TBR shelf for a couple of years and I am definitely going to have to move them up the list after reading this book.

Rosalie Craig did a great job of narrating this novel and I will look for more books narrated by Rosalie in the future.

When I read The Whisper Man in January of 2020, I was so impressed. It was everything I wanted in a Crime Thriller. It was gritty, eerie, sordid and compelling. That book single-handedly sealed the fate of my future with this author. I would anxiously await and then eagerly pick up all his new releases.

I ended up really enjoying The Shadows as well. Thus, when I heard about this book, North's most recent release, The Angel Maker, I was over the moon with anticipation. Sadly, this one ended up being a complete miss for me.

I listened to the audiobook and starting out, I was so jazzed. The narration was great and I was stoked to be getting early access to North's new book. The next thing I know, I am 20% in and I have NO CLUE what is happening, who anyone is, or what I am supposed to care about. I can recall the very beginning though, that was interesting and it did stick with me.

A teen girl, who is supposed to walk her brother home from school, chooses not to in lieu of spending some private time with her boyfriend. When she arrives home to police cars, lights and an active investigation, she's horrified to learn her kid brother had been viciously attacked.

Katie and Chris were the siblings. Here I am at the end of the novel and those are the only two characters I would be able to talk about with any confidence at all. I cannot name one other character. Truthfully, I couldn't follow this plot to save my life. It apparently required way more concentration than I was willing to give it. I didn't care at all. There were so many characters, none of which I felt were developed, besides Katie. After the 60%-point, I just wanted it to end and here we are.

With this being said, I am very aware that I am in the minority opinion on this one. There are so many people who read this and absolutely loved it. Therefore, do not take my opinion on this one as anything more than what it is: one Reader's jilted opinion.

Please note, even though this didn't work for me, I still think that Alex North is an incredible author and I will continue to pick up all his future novels. Thank you so much to the publisher, Celadon and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion and look forward to seeing what North comes up with next.

I have been itching for a new Alex North novel! The time has finally come and it did not disappoint!

Warning my sweet book friends, this is a complex book. It centers around a very unique and mind-bending topic while adding 6+ characters to the plotline. It can be a lot to process at times.

BUT if you stay patient. Really sit with North's prose. Boy, this book will knock your socks off.

I really loved this book. I loved that it was weird. I loved that North centered his story around this weird complex topic of determinism. I loved being able to stop and think about the concept. I loved when the twists dropped. I loved when my brain melted out of my ears. It's awesome.

Pro-tip #1: Do the book and the audio together.

This really helped me a lot! I was able to grasp what was happening throughout the story listening and reading at the same time. As I said before this book is complex. It can be very confusing. Take your time be patient.

Pro-tip #2: Take notes

I am a person who thrives and understands better when I take extensive notes. Yes, I know...this feels like homework. But hear me out, this helps keeps the characters straight. No spoilers but that's important to fully get punched by North's twisty tale.

Pro-tip #3: Be Patient

I dropped a star rating from the book. It had to happen. It's difficult and frustrating at times to embrace this book. He throws a ton at you. Characters. Determinism. Crossing-storylines.

There are many times where I had to re-read sections of the book or reverse the audio thirty seconds backwards to full grasp what was written. I admit it got frustrating at times.

But be tolerant of the depth this book has. There are high rewards at the end.

I do highly recommend this book if you love twisty, weird and complicated stories. Alex North's stories are so good. You really don't want to miss this one.

It's terrifying in the most bizarre way.

It will open you're eyes about the way the world works around you.

It will make you think deeper.

It will confuse you but once everything clicks...your mouth will guarantee drop.

It lived up to the hype for me.

I've had Alex North on my radar for awhile, and my first book of his, The Angel Maker is now behind me.

Immediately after finishing this thriller, I headed to GoodReads to find an explanation for my lack of understanding in the plot and my "what did I just read" confusion. What I found in amongst the very positive reviews, were thoughts like mine: the plot and characters were just too much to keep track of.

The prologue had such promise, and it made me wish that I hadn't started this book right before bed! But then chapter one came, and I found myself questioning what was happening, wondering if maybe my eARC was missing a section, because there just seemed to be a huge gap between the prologue and this first chapter. As I kept reading, I continued to feel overwhelmed and as though I was thrown into a story that felt like it was already traveling at warp speed, with too many characters that weren't fully (or easily) explained, and a plot that I just couldn't grasp.

I did a tandem Kindle and audio combination for this thriller, and I had no issues with the narration. Since the words were in front of my eyes as my ears listened, I don't believe that my lack of comprehension was due to spacing out during the audiobook - but I also can't even explain what happened in this book.

While I read, I was hopeful that the plot, and the many characters would all come together in a twist that explained things and everything would click into place for me; sadly that "ah ha" moment never came.

It seems everyone loves The Whisper Man and The Shadows (both of which sit on my shelf), and I will pick them up in due time, but I'm not sure I'm in a rush.

Thank you NetGalley, Caladon Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Oh wow how can I do this book justice in my review without giving away spoilers. So I will just keel my review brief and say it was completely and utterly brilliant.

When I saw news of the release of The Angel Maker, I was intrigued by the plot and I had liked The Whisper Man so I decided to give this a try.

I have an advanced egalley of the audiobook. I listened to it every day but somehow every time I came back to it I was confused by the plot. Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. I couldn't keep up with which characters were in present time vs past, there were too many names, and I didn't feel particularly interested in the plot or the characters. This might just be that the book doesn't translate well to audio, but I did see similar reviews elsewhere.

This book was a fast paced nail-biter, but also incredibly confusing. There are so many storylines and time switches, I found myself loss for a bit. I ended up enjoying it overall and found it to be creepy, just lacking something. I also wasn’t super impressed with the narrator, and I do wonder if I would have have a better reading experience reading a physical/eBook copy.

I was very grateful to have been gifted the audio edition of the Angel Maker by NetGalley and Macmillan audio. A long car trip seemed like the perfect time to listen to this story but my assumption was wrong.
This is a fast paced and ever twisting and turning thriller/ horror story with a touch of the mystical. It’s difficult to give any synopsis or insight into the plot and characters as the storyline kept changing in time, place and characters. This was not a simple story and wasn’t suited to my long car drive which also required some concentration.
Much of the story line was intriguing The reader was excellent. Initially it seemed to be the story of a sister and brother and an almost tragedy. But then I found myself thrust into the world of Professor Alan Hobbs , whose life’s work was focused on predestination. He knew when and how his life would end. It took a very long time to connect the pieces of the story along with an overflowing cast of characters , introduced and then gone.
At some point I will give this book another try at a time when I’m not involved in another task and am more able to give this story the concentration required to do it justice.

I love Alex North's works of writing and have read a lot by him. For me, I'm not sure if this is because it was an audiobook or because there was so much going on, but I could not focus enough to keep the story straight. I did love listening to the book, but will be re-reading the book on my Kindle so I can fully grasp it. Either way, I thought this book was well written and I can't wait to read about piece by Alex North.

This fast paced thriller will keep readers on their toes, but only if they read this book in as few sittings as possible. Why do I suggest that? Because there are multiple characters and storylines to keep up with. If readers don’t, it may cause confusion. I finished this in a day (shoutout travel days), and there were a few points where I was scratching my head.

Although there was a lot to remember, I really liked how much crime was incorporated rather than gore. Yes, there were some really creepy and gruesome descriptions, but there was more true crime than I was expecting. The atmosphere North provides definitely brought the eerie vibes to life, but too much was included to really give that slow burn, drag out the mystery, kind of feel.

One POV, Katie, is a mess and as Andy Bernard says, “I don’t trust you, Phyllis.” She’s not unstable per se, but her decisions are chaotic and the situations she finds herself in are a little too coincidental. Her actions alone annoyed me, which made the other POVs feel disjointed and as if they were a different story altogether.

There is another aspect that is very spoiler heavy so I won’t share it here. It involves mockery, which I found sort of hilarious, but maybe I turned it into dark humor when North didn’t have that intention.

Did I like it? Kind of. Did I predict the twist? Yes (really proud of myself for this). Will it be a thriller I recommend to folks? Probably not.

Big thank you to Celadon for the gifted copy.

Content warnings: murder, child abuse, suicide, drug abuse, addiction, misogyny, pedophilia

The Angel Maker tells the story of Katie, Chris, Alan, and Edward. They are all connected by a past that has not been unraveled that relates to a long ago serial killer called the Angel Maker. When Alan is murdered, it sets in motion events that can't be undone. Will everyone make it out alive?
This book was absolutely captivating. I loved that the book is rooted in the author’s philosophy studies. This book and it‘s views on religion and determinism really got to me. The twists and turns took me by surprise. Abuse and trauma and it’s effects on the next generation is a big topic but actually it is just a truly captivating thriller. I kept reading at the edge of my seat. I loved that the author was able to make this a semi-historical serial killer story without completely fixating on the serial killer - an intriguing concept well executed !

I wasn't quite sure if I'd read THE ANGEL MAKER by Alex North or not, but Rosalie Craig's narration drew me right in. I particularly liked her voice for the italicized text -- her inflection added to the words on the page.

As much as I have no complaints about the narration, I did opt to read the text for the rest of the book (honestly this could have just been a matter of it being a weekend, so my eyes weren't already tired by the time I picked up the book. Or my wanting a speed somewhere between 2x and 2.5x, which isn't possible via the NetGalley app).

As a not-infrequent mystery/thriller reader, THE ANGEL MAKER felt like pretty run of the mill crime fiction to me -- not terribly dark, suspenseful, or creepy. To be sure, I didn't set it aside for another book (it did keep my attention). There are a lot of moving parts from the beginning; I'd recommend reading it in one or two days, rather than over the course of a week+, for maximum enjoyment. This is the sort of book that I think could be a fun ride poolside or on a plane/train/road trip.

The plot comes together, and did so the way I was expecting it to -- nice to feel smart for working it all out early on, but would have enjoyed a twist or two.

I appreciate the opportunity to review but I was very bored by this. Too many timelines to follow to try to be complex. Just ended up losing my interest