Showing posts with label one by one. Show all posts
Showing posts with label one by one. Show all posts

Monday, December 20, 2021

Mini Thriller Reviews–Winter Style: One by One by Ruth Ware & The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse



One by One by Ruth Ware
Scout Press
Publication Date: September 8th, 2020
Hardcover. 372 pages.

About One by One:
"Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them? 

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?"

One by One is a carefully crafted locked room murder mystery set at a ski chalet in the French Alps. We follow the perspective of Erin, one of the two members of staffing working at chalet, and that of Liz, one of the guests visiting for the company retreat. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a relaxing retreat soon turns into a trip full of tension and eventually fear as one member goes missing and some more sinister things begin to happen. 

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book because I found it compelling and hard to put down while reading, but at the same time I really didn't enjoy one of the POV narratives that much and found many of the characters a bit frustrating. I also sometimes had a difficult time remembering who was who, which is never good in a book where it's important to remember the details. That being said, I think Ware did a great job of crafting a very atmospheric setting where I could really feel and experience the emotions that ran through the group as things seemed to continue to take turns for the worse. I also found myself really enjoying the friendship between Erin and her fellow staff member Danny and appreciated the dynamic that they both brought to the plot and in their interactions with the guests. 

This book wasn't quite what I expected by "company retreat gone wrong" because it never once felt like a retreat–it was just tense and uncomfortable the whole time. I initially gave this book four stars after finishing it, but I really think it's more of a 3.5 star overall for me. It was entertaining and kept me engaged, but I don't really feel that much towards it having finished. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick thriller set in a snowy, closed mystery setting, but I'm not sure if it's one that will necessarily blow your mind. 






The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
Pamela Dorman Books
Publication Date: February 2nd, 2021
Hardcover. 390 pages.

About The Sanatorium:
"An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she's taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother's recent engagement, she has no choice but to accept. 

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it's beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous - as does her brother, Isaac. 

And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin's unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic."

The Sanatorium, much in the same vein as One by One, takes place at a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps and is just as full of tensions and secrets. The resort itself has been converted from an old, closed sanatorium into this new, modern resort, and our main character Elin Warner has been invited to visit for her brother's engagement celebration. But someone goes missing, and another turns up dead, and things take a quick nosedive. And, just like in One by One, a snowstorm and avalanche eventually trap everyone together in the resort. 

I enjoyed this one much less than One by One, and that was largely because I really didn't care for the main character and actually found myself somewhat annoyed with her actions and interactions with her fellow characters. I never felt like anyone really liked each other in this book, and I know that sounds like a dumb thing to say in a thriller like this, but there was no real connection between any characters and it made it hard for me to care about them, either. There was just something off about this entire story that I really didn't connect with or care for, and I found myself asking myself why I was reading this at a few too many moments. 

I also felt as though the titular sanatorium element was sort of ignored except for when it was relevant, and I was a bit disappointed that this element wasn't utilized more or in a more creative manner.  There were a lot of things that didn't work for me with this book, and the atmosphere didn't really give me that claustrophobic locked room vibe that I look for in books with similar premises. Because of that, I've given The Sanatorium 2.5 stars. 


Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Burning God by R.F. Kuang, City of the Uncommon Thief by Lynne Bertrand, & One by One by Ruth Ware


Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

October is yet another huge month for publishing releases, which means I'm going to once again be sharing three releases for my Can't-Wait Wednesday's this month!

This week's upcoming book spotlights are: 

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang 
Publication: November 17th, 2020
Harper Voyager
Hardcover. 560 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound

"After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. 

Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. 

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?"
This is easily one of my most highly anticipated releases this year! I am so excited to see how Kuang wraps this trilogy up. And a little scared.

and...
City of the Uncommon Thief by Lynne Bertrand
Publication: November 10th, 2020
Dutton
Hardcover. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound


""Guilders work. Foundlings scrub the bogs. Needles bind. Swords tear. And men leave. There is nothing uncommon in this city. I hope Errol Thebes is dead. We both know he is safer that way." 

In a walled city of a mile-high iron guild towers, many things are common knowledge: No book in any of the city's libraries reveals its place on a calendar or a map. No living beasts can be found within the city's walls. And no good comes to the guilder or foundling who trespasses too far from their labors. 

Even on the tower rooftops, where Errol Thebes and the rest of the city's teenagers pass a few short years under an open sky, no one truly believe anything uncommon is possible within the city walls. 

But one guildmaster has broken tradition to protect her child, and as a result the whole city faces an uncommon threat: a pair of black iron spikes that have the power of both sword and needle on the ribcages of men have gone missing, but the mayhem they cause rises everywhere. If the spikes not found and contained, no wall will be high enough to protect the city--or the world beyond it. 

And Errol Thebes? He's not dead and he's certainly not safe."
This sounds really interesting and also a bit weird! I have no idea what to expect from it, but I'm excited to find out.

and...
One by One by Ruth Ware
Publication: November 8th, 2020
Scout Press
Hardcover. 372 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | IndieBound


"Getting snowed in at a beautiful, rustic mountain chalet doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world, especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a cozy fire, and company to keep you warm. But what happens when that company is eight of your coworkers…and you can’t trust any of them? 

When an off-site company retreat meant to promote mindfulness and collaboration goes utterly wrong when an avalanche hits, the corporate food chain becomes irrelevant and survival trumps togetherness. Come Monday morning, how many members short will the team be?."
I still haven't read many Ruth Ware books, but I really enjoyed The Turn of the Key and have a few others of hers on my TBR. I'll never get tired of premises like this one and can't wait to have a chance to check it out.

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?