Review of Making Angels

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 03 Sep 2022, 19:43

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Making Angels" by M.J. Holt.]

3 out of 4 stars

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After Stella Fargo survived her abusive ex-fiancé’s attempt to kill her, she thought life was finally becoming normal again. However, she has recently been receiving weird postcards and threatening phone calls.

Stella’s business partner and friend implored her to go to his daughter Hannah’s home and retrieve her things. Although missing for four months, no progress had been made in finding her. Stella only planned to be there for a couple of days. However, things went haywire when a body dump was discovered in the woods across the road from Hannah’s house, and it was determined that a serial killer was in their midst.

A resourceful and energetic woman named Exie, an elderly neighbor who knew Hannah, offered Stella food and support. Through her, Stella met several neglected and possibly abused children. Retrieving Hannah’s things and returning home will not be as uncomplicated as previously thought.

Making Angels by M.J. Holt is a 306-page crime drama with plenty of suspense. The book begins with three and a half pages of names and descriptions of the characters in the story. This is very helpful as there are numerous names to remember, and I certainly took advantage of it. This is the second book with Stella Fargo as the leading character. After becoming increasingly confused when people and events from the first novel became incorporated into the tale, I downloaded the first book, The Devil’s Safe. Upon completing it, the current story made sense. Therefore, I don’t recommend reading Making Angels as a standalone novel. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed both books, and they are both filled with action and intrigue. Danger seems to be coming at Stella from multiple directions, so there is no time to get bored. The hair-raising suspense kept me thoroughly enthralled. This descriptive story is narrated from Stella’s first-person point of view, which transports the readers into the narrative and makes them feel they are there. Each chapter is labeled with the day when it is taking place, so the reader is able to follow the timeline without confusion.

I thought Stella’s character development was superb. She is a resilient and courageous female protagonist. At times, I thought she took reckless chances on her own (when she could have easily called for help). However, that just illustrated her determination to get to the bottom of things, in spite of her fears. Exie, her neighbor and friend, was my favorite character. Although in her eighties, she was constantly feeding and aiding others in multiple ways. She had a huge family, with multiple children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and they, along with neighbors and friends, were constantly in and out of her house. Exie was a boundless source of energy, courage, and wisdom and was certainly an inspiring figure.

As much as I enjoyed the book, it contained a few problems. The most pressing issue was too many grammatical and punctuation errors. A formatting problem at the beginning should also be addressed. After Chapter One, the next page said Chapter Two with a line underneath it and an additional label of Chapter 1. A following page was listed as Chapter Three, so there was no narrative with Chapter Two. The last problem was on page 294. In the first full paragraph, three sentences were repeated. A professional editor should be able to help with these issues.

If the previous problems are corrected, I’m confident this book would receive the highest rating. Because of the aforementioned reasons, Making Angels receives a rating of three out of four stars. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy crime dramas, mysteries, and suspense novels but only after they read the first book. Violence and profanities are encountered in the novel. Rape is alluded to but not described. If any of these presents a problem for the reader, they might want to look elsewhere.

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Making Angels
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Masimthande Dimane · Post by **Masimthande Dimane** » 06 Sep 2022, 14:00

The book is interested although i haven't finished reading it but it caught my eye

Agbata precious · Post by **Agbata precious** » 06 Sep 2022, 16:01

Though I haven't read this book, your review alone has giving enough reasons to read this book. Nice review.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 06 Sep 2022, 16:25

Agbata precious wrote: ↑06 Sep 2022, 16:01 Though I haven't read this book, your review alone has giving enough reasons to read this book. Nice review.

Thank you! I hope you get a chance to read it.

Edit_or · Post by **Edit_or** » 07 Sep 2022, 00:40

Books with lots of suspense catches my attention any day and time. I’ll add to my bookshelf. Thank you for this awesome review.

Nwaka Chukwuemeka · Post by **Nwaka Chukwuemeka** » 07 Sep 2022, 08:03

This book sounds interesting and captivating. I love the description of your review. I will give it a try. Great review.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 07 Sep 2022, 08:11

Edit_or wrote: ↑07 Sep 2022, 00:40 Books with lots of suspense catches my attention any day and time. I’ll add to my bookshelf. Thank you for this awesome review.

I love lots of suspense as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 07 Sep 2022, 08:32

Nwaka Chukwuemeka wrote: ↑07 Sep 2022, 08:03 This book sounds interesting and captivating. I love the description of your review. I will give it a try. Great review.

I think you will like it, but I do suggest reading the first book before you read this one. Happy reading!

Post by **Diana Lowery** » 07 Sep 2022, 09:46

Goodness, I became anxious just reading your review. I can't imagine what the suspense in the actual book must be like. I think I will wait until the book goes through another round of editing before I read it though.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 07 Sep 2022, 14:21

diana lowery wrote: ↑07 Sep 2022, 09:46 Goodness, I became anxious just reading your review. I can't imagine what the suspense in the actual book must be like. I think I will wait until the book goes through another round of editing before I read it though.

I don't blame you. Thanks for taking the time to read my review and comment!

Francis Omotayo Aderogbin · Post by **Francis Omotayo Aderogbin** » 08 Sep 2022, 13:52

I love the storyline of this book, and I always like reading books with a strong female protagonists like Stella. I wish the author to work on the book's editing as advised.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 09 Sep 2022, 08:17

Francis Freeman wrote: ↑08 Sep 2022, 13:52 I love the storyline of this book, and I always like reading books with a strong female protagonists like Stella. I wish the author to work on the book's editing as advised.

I hope they do too. It wouldn't take a whole lot of effort. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Amy Luman · Post by **Amy Luman** » 09 Sep 2022, 11:37

This seems like an interesting novel. I want to know all about Stella. However, I think that would involve reading the first book and I am not interested in that right now. Thanks, through, for the great review.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 10 Sep 2022, 16:46

Amy Luman wrote: ↑09 Sep 2022, 11:37 This seems like an interesting novel. I want to know all about Stella. However, I think that would involve reading the first book and I am not interested in that right now. Thanks, through, for the great review.

I understand. However, I do think it is necessary in order to thoroughly enjoy this one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!