3 stars

Im going, to be honest, I read this at a time when focus wasn't my strong suit, This book definitely takes a lot of focus to follow all the characters and their timelines and how they all intertwine. Everything was closed up fine.

The story follows a brother and a sister who are estranged in adulthood. There is a book that may tell the future, an unexplained death, there are a whole bunch of other threads that make the whole picture.

This book was just ok for me. The writing was fine the story was just meh, If you have trouble with stories with multiple timelines and and multiple characters then you might want to skip this one.

Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC of The Angel Maker! All opinions in this review are my own.

The Angel Maker was offered to me by the publisher and not necessarily one I would have picked out for myself. I have heard great things about North's other books, The Whisper Man and The Shadows, but they seemed too creepy for me.

While I'm not disappointed that I gave The Angel Maker a try, it was definitely much darker than I normally read. I listened to it and found it difficult at times to keep the story straight, especially when it came to how characters were connected. Overall, it was a decent dark thriller, but I don't think this author is for me!

Thanks so much to the author, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for the gifted e-copy of this book, as well as to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audio copy, in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } My reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW: death/murder, stalking, violence, death/injury to children

Oh my gosh, I listened to this book on audio and it was slightly terrifying! I couldn't stop listening to it and almost listened to it all in one go, just because I needed to know how it ended and what happened next.

There are multiple stories and timelines going on in this book - there is the past with two young siblings being raised by a religious serial killer who believes everything is fated and pre-written in a diary for him; there is the more recent past with two young siblings that experience a great trauma in the form of an attack on the brother; and then there is the present, where the police are investigating a strange death that may link the two other storylines together.

This book was really well written and had me invested basically from the first page, and the narration on the audiobook was amazing! The narrator really captured every emotion, and absolutely added to the horror and terrifying atmosphere of the book. I think that it is absolutely worthwhile to read the book in this format.

Overall I would absolutely recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers - but I would definitely recommend looking at the trigger warnings before reading this book, as it is pretty intense at times. I think that the perfect way to read this book would be inside on a grey and stormy day, under a blanket, and with a very large glass of red wine. Maybe even next to a roaring fire, to add to the ambiance and make it feel like a real ghost story!

I found this to be an interesting mystery but I had a difficult time setting a pace while reading it. The plot was good, but it had many facets which I found confusing at times. Overall it was a good read.
Many thanks to Celadon and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Alex North is known for chilling thrillers that hint at the supernatural, and his latest, The Angel Maker delivers more of the same, while also exploring topics of fate and destiny.

One thing I love about North’s books is that he places a strong emphasis on family, in addition to the mystery. It makes it easy to get invested and really care about the characters. In The Angel Maker, he takes that to the extreme, focusing primarily on the relationship between Katie and her brother Chris, and how their lives were changed by a violent encounter with a stranger, rather than the core mystery of the novel.

I can’t say this is my favorite of North’s books but I think dedicated fans will love it.

The Angel Maker is out now. Thanks to Celadon and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Alex North's previous spooky thrillers, I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of Angel Maker.
Like his previous work, this sounded like a thrilling mystery with spooky elements. North's stories have always had multiple views and complex stories that somehow connect to give you a great read. But unfortunately, the multiple views and complex stories here never really obviously connected until the last half of the book that felt rushed. And without any spoilers, what was I supposed to get out of the ending?
I loved The Whisper Man and The Shadows, but this one was a miss for me. Too often I felt like there were too many characters and not enough connections to have what I was reading make sense. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book. I will continue to recommend this author to patrons looking for spooky thrillers/mysteries but not this title.

3.5⭐️

In the years since her brother’s tragic assault, Katie has not been quite able to let go of her own guilt. Her brother, Chris, has spent years on the streets struggling to make it by. In 2017, Chris resurfaces only to disappear again. At the same time, we have an old man murdered in his bed and Katie cannot shake the feeling that someone has been watching her family. How does it all connect?

Ok so, positive: this was a pretty twisty story that had some good elements and at times, felt like I could be reading a Criminal Minds episode.

But despite the interesting aspects, I feel like it was not organized well. There were lots of people and names to remember, and storyline kept bouncing between time and POV. This made the story difficult to keep up with and so I feel like I was not invested as I could have been. I was hoping this was just a “me” problem but after checking reviews, it seems I am not alone in this.

I was also absolutely shocked when I finally checked the page count of this book! I had been reading my NetGalley copy, so I was seeing my progress as a %. This book felt WAY longer than 336 pages, which does not bode well for a thriller.

Despite me reading and reviewing The Angel Maker months after publication, I would still like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my free digital copy!

“It was like looking at a selection of puzzle pieces. Some of them appeared to fit together, but for now he couldn’t tell which ones even came from the same puzzle.” - Me, reading this book

Shew I feel like I just did mental gymnastics to get thru this book. Ok I have to admit that 25% of the way in, I kept losing interest bc all the components of the mystery were so foreign to each other and I wasn’t really invested in any of the stories. 50% in and I had a very thin grasp of what was going on. I had already highlighted numerous unnecessary passages and was genuinely perplexed at where this was going.

The last 50% went much easier as things started to come together. Def more *mystery* with supernatural vibes than thriller.

I loved The Whisper Man, enjoyed The Shadows, but this one was a miss for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Alex North’s writing is complex and beautiful. I absolutely love how he weaves his stories together. Every little thread has a place to make up the bigger picture.

I really enjoyed Angel Maker. I found the character work complex and addictive. I wanted to know where all these stories connected. I loved how everything played out in the end. It was beautiful done. The audiobook was a fantastic listen. The narrator did a fantastic job telling the story.

My only complaint was this book felt hard to get into. I didn’t find myself really into the story until about 45% through. Then the action picked up and felt like a race against the clock. So just know it’s a little bit of a slow burn in the beginning but definitely worth it in the end.

Overall I really enjoyed this book like I do most of Alex North’s work. I will continue to pick up his books. I just love how complex his writing style is. If you are into thrillers with multiple povs and timelines I would highly recommend this book to you.
3.5/5 Stars

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Alex North has become one of my go-to author and this book did not disappoint. This was a 5-star book for me, and I would highly recommend that everyone pick this book up, sit back, and enjoy the ride of The Angel Maker and all that it has to offer. If you want violence, there is plenty. Want horror, yep that is included. Want some twists and turns and mind-blowing revelations, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 3.25 stars rounding down to 3 for GoodReads. Having read North's other two novels, I was quite excited to be approved for this one. Unfortunately, I'd have to say this is the weakest of the three. There are things I absolutely loved about this novel. I thought that the short chapters and hops between characters created the perfect atmosphere to keep the pace steady but fast as I worked my way through the story. I do, however, think that it may have been too many characters to follow for such a short book. I think the highlight of this book is the underlying theme and the philosophy discussed within the novel. The theme of whether or not we as humans are predestined for our entire lives already or have free will is one of my all-time favorite philosophical themes. And obviously by the end of this novel that is not answered because it never can be. But I do wish this had some type of wrap-up-style ending. I actually thought I was missing pages because I felt the story ended so abruptly. There were still many loose ends that could've been quickly summarized in a last concluding chapter. For fear of spoilers, I won't mention too much but the end was the most unsatisfying part for me. The plot was fine and moved in a typical thriller way but if you are looking for a super twisting, plot reveal book, this probably isn't the one for you. This felt more like characters discovering connections they didn't know they had but it didn't really feel twisty. I am still super interested to see what Alex North does next and I recommend this one to anyone looking for a quick, theme-driven thriller.

It took me quite some time to digest this book. No, not reading it - that was quick and easy. But taking the time afterward to ask myself "What did I just read?". I must admit that I love when books leave me in this state after reading them. It is a sign of a truly good book.

I haven't liked all of Alex North's books, but I felt this one sounded like a book I would enjoy - and I wasn't wrong. Fans of thrillers or mysteries will really enjoy this fast paced book. Mixing both old crimes with new crimes, the detectives have a lot to figure out.

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.