Skip to main content

Review: The Magpies by Mark Edwards.


Book: The Magpies

Author: Mark Edwards

Pages: 350

Read On: My Kindle

How Long it Took Me To Read: 1 day

Plot Summary: Meet the neighbours from hell, in the gripping thriller that reviewers and readers describe as fast-paced, chilling, and impossible to put down. When Jamie and Kirsty move into their first home together, they are full of optimism. The future, in which they plan to get married and start a family, is bright. The other residents of their building seem friendly too, including the Newtons, a married couple who welcome them to the building with open arms. But then strange things start to happen. Dead rats are left on their doorstep. They hear disturbing noises, and much worse, in the night. After Jamie s best friend is injured in a horrific accident, Jamie and Kirsty find themselves targeted by a campaign of terror. As they are driven to the edge of despair, Jamie vows to fight back but he has no idea what he is really up against.

General Thoughts: I am always up for reading a psychological thriller. And this was one of the first books I picked up when we signed up for our Kindle Unlimited subscription. Plus I don't think I've ever read a book about psychotic neighbours before.

Things I Liked: 

1. I enjoyed the writing. It does a good job of showing both the love between the couple and their everyday life as well as when things start to go crazy.

2. I loved the pace of this book. It moved fast and I had to keep reading.

3. This was a really intense and unsettling read. Not scary exactly or in the traditional sense...it was just upsetting and really got under your skin. This is the kind of read that sticks with you and it's uneasiness lingers.

4. Jamie and Kristy were both very likable and it was really sad to see these awful things happen to them. You rooted for them and wished them well.

5. This isn't a book you read if you want a whodunit or a book you want to keep guessing who the culprit is. In this book you know pretty much at the get go who is the bad people are...there is little or no guessing involved. This is a book about psychological warfare and playing games.

6. Bad neighbours! Haven't we all had one version or another of those?! I had upstairs neighbours in Bangalore who woke up at 4:00 am every single day and pushed their furniture around! Ugh! But the people in this book make all bad neighbours pale in comparison! They are awful...malicious...petty and evil! It really irked me reading about them and all that they do! So sick.

7. The reactions Jamie and Kristy have in the beginning of their ordeal and even a little bit later seemed real and how most people would act in a similar situation.

8. We also get to see what happens to this other couple that lived in the same flat and pretty much had the same harrowing experience with the neighbours. It was nice seeing their story too and seeing how much they suffered and how they continue to deal with the after effects of being tortured and harassed!

9. The other occupants of the building were also well etched out and I liked how in the end they tried to help Jamie.

10. I love how non-typical this book is,  the evil in this book is so different and the scary part is this could happen to anyone...also this book made me so thankful for my neighbours. They aren't perfect but at least they aren't diabolical!

Things I Didn't Like: 

1.For most part I enjoyed this book and it left me feeling unsettled and disturbed...like a good psychological thriller should...but the ending wasn't my favourite. It was perhaps real and how things would turn out in real like but it was an unsatisfying ending. It made me a little sad. I wished things had turned out a little differently.

2. Towards the end when things get really bad...I think Jamie's reactions were a bit off and he really ought to have handled things better. 

Rating: 3/5

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a