Krysten Ritter

This books was … actually really good.

After being burned by Otherworld, I tread carefully when it comes to actors-turned-writers. Still, I adore Krysten Ritter and couldn’t talk myself out of Bonfire. I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but I do read some, and I love one that’s well-written.

I think I need to come at this book from two different angles – technique, and entertainment.

From a technique perspective, Bonfire reads very much like a debut. It’s a little messy and could use show more some tightening up. For example, I noticed two different points in the first 15% of the audiobook where our protagonist, Abby Williams, let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. I brace myself after that, ready for more of the worst cliches… and you know? They didn’t really happen.

Don’t get me wrong, there were quite a lot of tropes and the general gist of the ending was very predictable. It’s not a perfect book. But. It was thoroughly entertaining, and really? That’s what matters. I was in this book for the journey and I gobbled it up.

When we meet Abby, she says she’s going back to Barrons because she wants to look into a big company poisoning the water supply. And while that’s all well and good, we know from the moment she says it that Abby Williams is definitely lying to herself and we want to know everything. BOOM. Hooked. Of course, breaching environmental law is one thing, and she cares about it, but that’s not why she’s here. We are introduced to Casey Mitchell in waves, and every little bit makes you more curious. It took me a while to get a feel for Casey, because I wanted to hate her, but I wasn’t sure it was all true. I wasn’t sure if Abby was an unreliable narrator – I knew other characters were unreliable – and I spent a lot of time trying to make up my mind about things. Especially about Casey.

You may know the name Abigail Williams from The Crucible, and in the context of Bonfire, Krysten chose her main character’s name so well. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but lending back to the Salem’s Witch Trials and Arthur Miller’s tale of the girls who faked possession was perfect for this situation, because while Abby herself was not involved, this is, in part, a story about girls faking something terrible to scare people and get attention. Just a small nerdy aside, but I really enjoyed the allusion.

There are a lot of mysteries tied up in Bonfire and they all get unraveled at the end. There were a lot of little things I liked. Things like the lawyer’s collective that were trying to keep Abby focused. That the trope characters were balanced by very real people, so they felt less like tropes and more like terrible people wearing masks. The love triangle was ridiculous and I wanted to be hateful, but I really liked how Krysten worked everything out in the end.

Ultimately, if you’re a fan of thrillers, this one is pretty good. It’s not stylistically perfect, but Bonfire will ensnare you and keep you eagerly turning pages, looking for more. If Krysten Ritter decides to write another book, I’d happily read it. show less

I wasn't sure what I was going to get into with this one, as novels from actors tend to, for the most part, not really interest me. For example, go take a look at the novels David Duchovney has spit out. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Okay, right? Weird.

Anyway, I read the description of Ritter's book and thought, if this was anyone else, including an unknown first time author, I'd give this a chance. So, with that in mind, I gave it a chance.

And I'm really glad I did. This is a surprisingly nuanced, show more well-plotted, well-paced novel. There's just the right amount of tragic nostalgia from the protagonist, a solid back story, corporate wrongdoing...it's all here, and it's a fun ride.

I would not hesitate to pick up anything else from Krysten Ritter. show less

My thoughts on this book are not swayed by the fact that this book is written by an actor. In fact, I hold the same standards to celebrity authors as I do other authors. Having said this, I thought that Ms. Ritter did a good job of writing this book. I liked the concept for the story. There was something ominous about what was happening to people in town as well as what happened to Kaycee. Yet, I felt like the story needed a bigger punch.

Being a fan of Jessica Jones, I was hoping and show more wanting this book to be as dark and gritty as the television show that Ms. Ritter stars in. This same thing goes for Abby. She seemed to act like she was still in highschool where she was the follower and not the leader. However, I did get glimpses of promise and where Ms. Ritter was going with this story. With a little more polish, I expect that the next book will be better. I look forward to seeing and reading more from Ms. Ritter. show less

While I know I read Ritter's first book, I don't remember anything about it beyond it being a decent timewaster.

This time around, Ritter's got a co-author (or, author, I don't know), but the quality on this one? Far far worse.

The writing is adequate, and the concept is interesting, but good lord, the plot holes are wide, gaping maws, black holes that suck any suspension of disbelief right down the tubes. Your entire con game blows up because someone recognizes the real you? And you don't show more rabbit immediately? But you've been doing this for years? No.

You've conned the hell out of people, but you sneak off to Mexico where no one can find you...but you keep your cell phone that can be traced by location, and just hope no one will find you? No.

And so on and so on.

I have a specific level of despisement for books that both telegraph their endings so obviously, leave such shockingly blatant clues along the way, and then count on the reader to be stupid enough to not pick up on them, or the gaping plot holes, to deliver a "thrilling rollercoaster"...

This book? It earned that level from me. It was insulting. show less