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.

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.

5 Stars!!!

Alex North knocks another one out of the park! This book has all of the things my twisted soul needs - a serial killer, family drama, and a spooky atmosphere.

I was left with questions at the end, but it was so well done, I'm not upset about it.

Please, please, please hurry up with your next release. :)

A special thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Alex North for providing me with an ARC.

I absolutely loved the whisper man and was beyond excited when I received this arc. However, this was sadly mediocre to me. The first chapter was so exciting and the beginning had great built up. It was atmospheric and really creepy which Alex North knows how to create. But the middle lost me for a bit. The plot of sibling rivalry, a serial killer who can predict the future and a detective trying to fit the pieces together was gripping but the execution was was slow moving. it was disturbing and I was intrigued. But, I just struggled to get through it. I loved how everything weaved together and the ending is where it got exciting. But this is probably my least favourite Alex North book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advance copy of this book! This is the first book I have read from this author and I loved it! Keeps you guessing through out the book and pay attention to everything.

This has been my favorite Alex North book by far. Really good twists and turns and the story unravels beautifully at the end. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of but it’s all intertwined and wraps up well.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm generally a major fan of Alex North, but I found this to be his most disappointing novel yet. The Whisper Man blew me away and totally terrified me. The Shadows, I enjoyed, but the story was too similar to the real life Slenderman case and felt too familiar because of that, but was still well-written. The Angel Maker was really interesting. It was heavily based in philosophy and religion and would make for a great case study. The main narrators were the sister of a main suspect and one of the lead detectives on the case. The writing style and the switched perspectives between main character and lead detective has become pretty synonymous with North's style of story-telling. What's also pretty common for North's writing style is throwing in some later chapters from the story's antagonist that reveals the big plot twist.

What I did find to be really confusing, and what was a main problem for my enjoyment of the book, is the time-jumping and inconsistency in the storyline. Switched character narratives and a flipped timeline can work really well or can be the downfall of a book. In this instance, it really hurt the novel's ability to be coherent and overall injured how I perceived the book. Maybe it worked for some people. For me, it did not. The book could've been really great, but the way it played out just didn't work.

Creepy, twisty and suspenseful. The Angel Maker has quite a bit going on and once the clues fall into place the story lines come together, a very satisfying conclusion.

If you're in the mood for a book involving confusion, questioning what is going on, or troublesome plots, then Alex North's new thriller is for you. Having previously read his other books, "The Whisper Man" and "The Shadows", I was more than thrilled to pick up his latest novel, The Angel Maker. Consider going back in time and changing your life or every decision you ever made. Who hasn't wanted to change their past. Just imagine wanting to change the future so much, that you set a plan in motion so intense, that no one would ever know. The multiple characters in this novel all have a part to play in this plan and finding out just what that is, is what makes this novel confusing. The initial plot and concept are pretty ingenious, however, in my opinion, the execution was lacking. The majority of the novel left me uninspired to see where the author is going. Then as we get to the punch, I found myself finally engrossed to keep reading and find out what all the confusion was about, only to be let down. Overall, this novel does cause the reader to question one's actions in life. Unfortunately, this reader, was more impressed with the author's previous works.

What did I just read? 🤔🙃

The Angel Maker was one of my most anticipated read of 2023. Alex North's first book, The Whisper Man, is one of my favorite thrillers of all time. I also enjoyed his second, The Shadows. This one... was just very weird. I didn't hate it, but was really confused at the end. I had SO many questions!

If you enjoy creepy books about serial killers and like supernatural elements thrown in, you may enjoy this one. I just wish there was more of an explanation at the end. It was a very quick, interesting read though. I love the way Alex writes and will continue to read his books.

This was another first for me. While I own all of Alex North's books, I have yet to read them, so this was my first. I was really excited to be approved for this arc. I think out of all his stories, this one's synopsis had me the most intrigued. This story is told in multiple point of views and it can be slightly confusing if you're not paying attention. I will admit I had to re-read certain parts over again to make sure I was really following. This made it a little more difficult for me to get through the book and it took me a bit longer than normal to read but once I did, i was glad I stuck it out. If you can follow the story and all its moving pieces, you will enjoy the book. If you can't, I don't see this one ending well for you.

Everyone was connected in different ways that they, themselves, don't even realize. Alan Hobbes is in his mansion, sends all his staff home for the day, and winds up murdered. It's like he knew it was going to happen... because he did. He believed everything in each of our lives is pre-determined and is destined to happen. The detective on the scene discovers that this crime is connected to two previous cases. One of which, is that of Christopher Shaw, who was attacked after school one day years ago. His sister, Katie, carries a lot of guilt over that event and although is estranged from her brother, clearly still cares about him. The storyline follows them both, as well as the officer, as they all search for answers.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for a free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Solid 3.5-4 stars.