Review : The Never List by Koethi Zan
The Never List by Koethi Zan
Pages : 304
Genre : Mystery
Stand alone
My Rating : 3.5/5
About the Book :
Ten years later, at thirty-one, Sarah is still struggling to resume a normal life, living as a virtual recluse under a new name, unable to come to grips with the fact that Jennifer didn’t make it out of that cellar. Now, her abductor is up for parole and Sarah can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends from jail.
Finally, Sarah decides to confront her phobias and the other survivors—who hold their own deep grudges against her. When she goes on a cross-country chase that takes her into the perverse world of BDSM, secret cults, and the arcane study of torture, she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.
My Thoughts :
If you’d asked me what I thought of The Never List halfway through, you would have gotten an enthusiastic response; I thought Sarah was a fantastic main character, complex and anxious and deeply intriguing. The story she carried was heavy and unique, and I really appreciated how she suddenly had a newfound motivation to fight her anxiety and resolve her past. She was believable and I was rooting for her.
As the investigation went on though, my enthusiasm diminished and I found myself partly annoyed. What had started as an involving, somewhat personal psychological thriller became an almost unbelievable intrigue, filled with twists and surprises that didn’t feel genuine. The characters she met along the way felt flat, even the girls she had lived with in captivity lacked the complexity I would have liked them to have. I also felt like Sarah went very quickly from « unable to leave the house » to « let’s jump into danger! »
As for the story, I enjoyed it, but again, I felt it got too « big » toward the end. The final twist was very predictable to me, and while I appreciated getting answers, I wish the conclusion would have been more like the start : more human emotion, more psychology, less fast-action adventure and oh-my-god revelations. I just wish the ending could have delivered as much satisfaction as the beginning did.
In the end, The Never List wasn’t bad book; it offered an interesting and dark storyline with a compelling main character. It’s fast paced and hooks you from the start, and I liked how the story alternated between the present time and Sarah’s past. I would have still have enjoyed the book had it been only action and twisty twists, but for me the psychological aspects of it far surpassed the action.
I agree that this one didn’t live up to its potential. I felt like the ending was setting things up for it to become a series.
I was wondering about that, too. I know the book is being adapted for TV, so there’s definitely a possibility!