Alyssa Jacunski &
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
I first heard about this book from BookTube, and once I heard the synopsis knew I needed to read it. The basic premise is that parents child gets kidnapped. In order to get the child back, parent must kidnap someone else's child, effectively making the family part of the chain. It's a better more nuanced than that, but this is the very basic premise of what the book is about. The first half of this book had me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to know if the chain would keep going or if our main characters were going to lose their lives. The second half was a bit less exciting, but still intriguing because I wanted to know what was going to happen. I will say that I guessed a couple of the "twists" before they happened, but it didn't detract from the story in any way. Reading this you're probably wondering why this book didn't receive five stars from me. I felt that there were a couple of items that either could've been explored more, weren't needed in the story at all or too convenient. For example, did (view spoiler)[Uncle Pete need to be a heroin addict (hide spoiler)]? It may have helped move the plot a bit, but it probably wasn't completely necessary. The (view spoiler)[death of Eric (hide spoiler)] could've been explored more. I'm doubtful that he would've become careless in his notebook (if you've read the book you know what I'm talking about), and that a (view spoiler)[simple death (hide spoiler)] wouldn't have helped anyone. Lastly, certain parts of the ending were a little too convenient for me to believe. But generally, I enjoyed the ending. I really loved reading about some of the characters in their childhood to help us understand who they are as adults. Overall, this was a strong book that my mom also loved. If thrillers are your style and you can handle kidnap of a child, I would recommend this. Trigger warnings: kidnap; murder; near-death; drug addiction.
- Edition
- ISBN 9780316531269
Reviews
౨ৎ | 'life is fragile, fleeting and precious. and to live at all is miracle enough.'
— ★ 3.5/5
this book had me hooked from the first page, but i feel like the ending could have had a bit more. but it was a good read nonetheless.
Holy… I mean it’s crazy. It’s compelling, suspenseful, and thrilling. It’s also sad, I teared up a few times. But omg SO GOOD.
Pretty good concept and idea. The book itself was done well. There were some head scratching moments, but overall it was a fun read.
I liked this, but I didn’t love it. I think I liked the idea of it more than the actual execution of it.
3.5/5⭐️
This was interesting…
The plot was compelling and I was hooked to seeing what would happen in the book but it wasn’t as thrilling as some books that I have read. I think everything could have been laid out better. Everything was kind of everywhere especially after part 2. I think if some of the information was included in part 1 I think the ebb and flow of the plot would have been better. It was a quick read and could be a little stressful but not one that I would consider a page-turner personally.
3.5.
adrian put his whole mckunty into this one
Adrian McKinty is now on my list of authors I need to read more from. This book was so thrilling!!!
This book is very interesting at first, but during the latter part, I got bored. I wasn't invested in the characters, but the plot. However, there were so many inconsistencies. It was an intriguing premise, it wasn't enough to keep me really engaged. The momentum died off during part 2. The ending felt rushed and I expected it to happen already. The concept had so much potential, but, for me, it wasn't executed well.
--◈ 3.50 STARS Definitely a page turner. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Though I sometimes hate it when the characters acted unwisely, this book still managed to make me go farther into it with so much anticipation. The concept is so unique and great, it was the reason I picked this up in the first place. Absolutely a quick read. Though it was lacking a bit from what I was anticipating, seemed a bit unrealistic on some situation, it was still a good recommendation.
i really liked the premise but it turned out to be extremely underwhelming
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42779092-the-chain?ac=1&from_search=true#
This is a creepy thriller. Rachel's daughter is kidnapped. To get her safely returned, she must pay money and kidnap someone's else's child, keeping the links in the chain growing. This book has good twists and turns and will keep readers hooked.
Captivating!
Very addictive read, but feel this is the case with most thrillers. If you want something to get you out of a reading slump, perhaps this is it?
I was somehow stressed out and bored at the same time
This book really sucked lmao
It was a very interesting book that I needed to finish as soon as I could. I really enjoyed the short chapters. However, the I feel like could see the twist happening from a mile away.
Didn’t love this book but didn’t hate it either
Idk how I feel about this book honestly. It was good but some parts were so boring and unnecessary. the twist was interesting but also kind of lazy.
I really enjoyed the concept of this book and the plot kept me interested throughout. I'd definitely recommend it. I didn't blow me away but I think had I read it physically and not via audiobook I may have connected with the characters better and slowed the reading pace down. That being said I was hooked and couldn't stop listening.
this was really nothing special. saved by short chapters & and interesting premise. that ending though.. blegh
Okay, that was a fun, gripping read. 4.5 stars.
Highlights
The living are only a species of the dead, aren't they?
