Review of Shadows That Tempt

Post by **Melisa Jane** » 20 Apr 2022, 09:29

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shadows That Tempt" by Gitte Tamar.]

3 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Often, in murder mysteries, psychopaths have troubled childhoods. Sometimes, childhood trauma may result from abusive parents. Other times, it may be because of abandonment and lack of attention from the parents. Although neither of these can justify psychopathic tendencies, parents should strive to provide an enjoyable childhood for all their children to save them from these traumas. Shadows That Tempt by Gitte Tamar is a fictional book that narrates how an unhappy childhood turned a once innocent and intelligent girl into a monster who enjoys killing anyone she deems a nuisance.

After years of being reminded of how ugly she was, the narrator, a lady, finds solace in reading. Although her father was against this, she insisted on reading as many books as possible. While her other siblings got suitors, she knew no suitor would come for her. One day, while reading, she heard a voice. Later, she realized the voice was coming from a shadow. The shadow became her friend and started instructing her on what to do to make her life bearable. How will this shadow help her? Will she eventually get suitors? How will she treat those who wronged her? How does this turn her into a psychopath?

This book has two hundred and seven pages. It is divided into twelve chapters. Towards the end, the author includes an epilogue. The story is narrated from the first-person point of view and in the present tense. Some themes found in this book include relationship and marriage, friendship and betrayal, family relations, and murder.

I liked several things about this book. First, the author's use of flashbacks helps develop the characters. For instance, the narrator's childhood helped me understand her actions better. Second, imagery and vivid descriptions brought the book to life. I felt like I was right there in the scene most of the time, observing the characters' actions first-hand. Since I only found three grammatical errors while reading, this book appears to have been professionally edited.

Although this is an interesting book, it has some flaws. First, the author's vocabulary wasn't easy to understand. I had to refer to the dictionary to understand the story fully. Although some words, such as boudoir, were available in my dictionary, I couldn't find others, such as pickaxe. The constant reference to the dictionary slowed my reading, making the book less enjoyable. Second, the book was very slow-paced. In fact, for the first fifty pages (around three chapters), the plot was stuck in a single scene. Third, it was very hard to differentiate between the narrator's thoughts and her actions. I often got confused as I couldn't tell when she was daydreaming about killing someone and when she was actually killing someone.

In conclusion, although this book has a great storyline, the aforementioned flaws prevented me from fully enjoying the reading. I, therefore, rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I only deducted one star because, although I often referred to the dictionary, some people, especially native English speakers, may not be affected by this. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading thriller books. There are several explicit murder scenes. Anyone who finds murder scenes disturbing may not enjoy reading this book.

******
Shadows That Tempt
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

beutiful_pen · Post by **beutiful_pen** » 22 Apr 2022, 02:52

Great review. At first it picked my interest but I wouldn't like to read a book where I get confused about what is really happening.

Aisha Yakub · Post by **Aisha Yakub** » 22 Apr 2022, 04:47

I enjoyed reading your review. Lovers of crime stories would enjoy reading this.

Ikechukwu+12345 · Post by **Ikechukwu+12345** » 22 Apr 2022, 06:54

Amazing review. Parents have a whole lot of work to do on their children, they should endeavor to create a favorable and enjoyable environment for their children.

Kristia Morales · Post by **Kristia Morales** » 22 Apr 2022, 09:32

Parents must be sensitive to the feelings of there children.

Post by **Lynderella** » 22 Apr 2022, 09:54

I love the name of the book, the storyline and the intrigue created by the plot. This is definitely on my "want to read" list. Thank you for the great review.

nwankwo chibuchi · Post by **nwankwo chibuchi** » 22 Apr 2022, 10:03

The importance of having a conducive environment where one's children can thrive and avoid trauma can never be overemphasized. This is a brilliant review.

Amy Luman · Post by **Amy Luman** » 22 Apr 2022, 10:45

I am a huge fan of vivid description as long as it doesn’t include gore in the murder scenes. I agree with the other comments, in that a parent’s influence on a child cannot be overemphasized.

Itz Savaga · Post by **Itz Savaga** » 25 Apr 2022, 05:45

This book sounds interesting, and it portrays the disadvantages of neglecting a child. Great review.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 12 Jun 2022, 02:51

A female killer is an unusual choice, which makes this novel intriguing. This seems like a psychological thriller rather than an action thriller. Thank you for your great review!