Monday, October 3, 2022

"The Prisoner" by B.A. Paris - Book Review and Discussion

 

Book Review of "The Prisoner" by B.A. Paris




Looking for a new thriller to read? Check out my review of B.A. Paris's newest novel, "The Prisoner".

PLOT SUMMARY

Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Ned Hawthorne.

But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

In the vein of "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Therapist", multimillion-copy bestseller B. A. Paris is back with a gripping new suspense novel.



"The Prisoner" by B.A. Paris
Book Review and Discussion



Book Cover Image of "The Prisoner" by B.A. Paris
★★☆☆☆

As someone who has LOVED previous B.A. Paris thrillers, I was surprised by how much this one did not measure up to her others!


What Worked for Me  - For the first third of "The Prisoner" I was along for the ride! As is typical with B.A. Paris thrillers, you're thrown into the thrill immediately, and I love that. Within the first ten pages, the scene is set as the main character is kidnapped and held prisoner in a pitch black room. It's intense and unnerving, and the setup is guaranteed nightmare fuel for me - which I somehow enjoy reading. Without spoilers though, the plot and many of the characters at the beginning of the story are not the same for the second and third acts. And unfortunately, my enjoyment of this book ended pretty quickly.

What I Struggled With -  Unlike the beginning of "The Prisoner" which sweeps you up into the story and begins very quickly, the pacing and setup for the rest of the book felt incredibly slow! Most of the story is told through the inner dialogue of the main character, Amelie, and she was difficult for me to root for. You know those thrillers where you're pretty much indifferent about whether the main character makes it out alive by the end? Sorry, Amelie, but I rooted for your demise several times. She could be easily gullible one moment but then super sharp the next, and I mean - okay, me too - but reading it was just frustratingly inconsistent and too convenient to what the author needed for the plot. 

For me, this book is one to skip even if you enjoy thrillers. However, if you still want to try a thriller by this author. Check out my video review below for "Bring Me Back" by B.A. Paris.



2 comments:

  1. Who was Mr Smith? Did I miss something?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I’m listening to audio book. I didn’t hear the part where Ned strangles Amillees friend. Did I miss something?

    ReplyDelete

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