Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

A couple of people have recommended this one to me and boy did it not disappoint. I had no expectations going in and honestly I didn’t even know it was a thriller until I started it. Overall it was a fantastic surprise and I can say it really was one of the best (or at least most exciting) thrillers I’ve read in a while, that really elicited some emotional reactions.

Verity is a story of a struggling thriller writer who is suddenly whisked away to write for a an author (Verity) renowned for writing thrillers from the perspective of the villain. Our protagonist, Lowen, arrives at Verity’s house to do research for the upcoming writing projects, but the home is the site of many recent tragedies, including the death of their twin daughters followed by Verity’s accident, leaving her unable to finish writing her series. Lowen finds Verity’s autobiography, detailing the events of meeting her husband and even through the deaths of her children, hidden away in her office. The house gives Lowen an eerie feeling, and maybe or good reason. Just what happened with Verity, and is there something much more sinister lurking behind each corner? What is the truth, and do we really want to know what it is?

The characters were all great in this book. Honestly I found most of them at least some base level of despicable. However, it was still written in such a way that I really enjoyed reading and I struggled to put it down (though I did, explained later). Usually in a book where I can’t really relate to any character or “get behind” their perspective, I usually don’t enjoy the book. However, the characters in this novel were all flawed in believable ways, and it just made me feel like an innocent bystander who couldn’t help but watch the train wreck unfold. For a thriller, we got a lot of time to dive deep into many of the characters because of the nature of having the autobiography retelling everything. This was definitely unique to the book and I really enjoyed the dual perspectives.

The plot was very good. I was instantly enraptured and it was really hard to put it down, because I just needed to know the ending or at least discover what the truth was. The suspense was extremely well executed. Just enough paranoia, mixed with the protagonist’s sleepwalking history, mixed with the accident-prone family, and the fact that the deal was too good to be true really had me suspicious from the very start. The book really leads you down a path which seems normal at first but with each page becomes more of a shocking horror. Kudos to the author for genuinely spooking me with this book (in a good way!)

The ending was also phenomenal. One of the best thriller endings I have ever read to be honest. On the spectrum of too much left hanging versus everything tied up too well, it reached a very very happy medium. Overall it just really baffled my mind and was a type of ending that I really didn’t see coming. The author really took the train of thought I had and then turned it around halfway and jammed it onto itself–can you tell I was really affected by it? Anyway, I wouldn’t want to spoil the ending, but I really felt that it added a whole extra level of horror that I haven’t experienced in a while.

Overall Recommendations

Verity is a suspenseful thriller novel revolving around a struggling writer, Lowen, who gets asked to finish a famous series of thrillers written in the perspective of the villain. As Lowen enters into the headspace of the original author, Verity, especially by reading her unpublished autobiography, dark things begin to become clear. What is the truth behind the tragedies in Verity’s life and is it more sinister than what it appears to be? Find out in this exciting thriller that you won’t want to put down!

discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – All about E-Books

August 5, 2022 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

August 5: All about Ebooks (suggested by me!)

Prompts: Are ebooks the future of books? What are the advantages and disadvantages of ebooks? Are ebooks strictly better than physical books? Do all avid readers prefer real, paper books? Do you use an e-reader, or read on a phone/tablet? Do you ever find yourself missing one or the other?

Welcome to another week of LTB here at DTRH! This week, it’s a topic suggested by yours truly. I actually don’t really remember what I wanted to say about this topic, but I certainly want to hear all your thoughts on this. So without further ado, let’s dive right in.

I don’t think e-books are strictly the future of books. But I do believe that e-books (and audiobooks) will by and large become a very large market for books, or at least big niches. That being said I don’t think they will either will ever “replace” the other. They really just aren’t the same thing, and there will always be a place in this world for both medias I think!

The main advantages is and will likely always be price and convenience for an e-book. Just nothing beats having unlimited books at your fingertips, limited only really by the memory of your device (although that is also expanding). One disadvantage that I find is that I’m also quite scared to damage my e-reader just as much as a book. So stuffing it randomly in a bag (especially with keys around, etc.) would make me similarly nervous as stuffing a physical book in a bag randomly. It just seems a little bit fragile! Another slight inconvenience is that I like the slightly larger handheld size of the e-reader (book-size), but that means it doesn’t really fit well in my pocket either. Small details, but still.

E-books are definitely not strictly better than regular books, but it definitely depends who you ask and when you’re asking. For example they may be slightly more impervious to water but I still don’t think I’d be swimming with an e-book.

I think generally avid readers do prefer physical books…in the sense that in a perfectly world with unlimited resources and space (and perhaps no environmental impact), people do like physical books a lot. That being said, literally none of those things are true in the real world so there are so many reasons why e-books take the advantage. This doesn’t make e-books any “worse” than regular books though, and in the spirit of this prompt I’d say actually avid readers probably prefer whatever “book” they can get their hands on. The reading experience is important yes, but not at the cost of being able to read the story at all, if you’re an avid reader I think!

I usually do use an e-reader but I also read off the library app on my phone. The phone is definitely slightly more tiring, but it helps a lot when the background is black with the white text (equivalent of dark mode). Of course this slowly drains my phone battery and is still slightly worse for my eyes, but it works in a pinch when there’s something I want to borrow and read. The convenience of these two media are just unmatched!

I am one of those people who will always miss the other when I’m using one. The inconveniences of a real book remind me of an e-book (even something as simple as returning the book to the library, or finding a bookmark), whereas the mechanical feel of an e-reader sometimes makes me feel like missing the feel of turning actual pages in a book. Another inconvenience of an e-reader is being unable to easily flip back and forth between chapters as easy as I could with a physical book. Does anyone else relate to that?

personality type

Typing Character Personalities (MB/Enneagram): Six of Crows

August 4, 2022August 4, 2022 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Welcome everyone to a new and experimental segment at Down the Rabbit Hole! We’ve been hinting at it and it’s finally here.

We thought it might be interesting if we were to take some famous characters from our favourite novels and do a personality analysis. We have chosen two common types of personality tests to apply to the characters: Myers Briggs (MB) and the Enneagram.

Below we have started with Six of Crows and the six protagonists. Both types of personality tests offer their own strengths in what they can show. See if you agree with our analyses below!

Kaz Brekker

MB: Architect (INTJ):
Imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything.

Kaz is a huge planner and strategist, who also really knows how to hold a grudge. The mastermind always has a plan behind another plan, and even if his overly meticulously planning may be driven by a fear of the past, he certainly uses this drive to further his goals. Even into the sequel, Crooked Kingdom, this continues to be the case. With the way Kaz keeps to himself, it just made sense to me that he would be an introverted “strategic thinker.”

Enneagram: Type 8 –
Core Motivation: to be in control and protect themselves

It would likewise make sense to put Kaz as a Type 8, someone who thrives off of being in control. If anything can be said about Kaz, it’s that he’s protective of the very few people who are close enough to him to be called family. In that manner, he’d do literally anything to ensure their safety and control for all unpredictable variables. For someone in his position in a place such as Ketterdam, perhaps it’s best that he is this way.

Inej Ghafa

MB: Logistician (ISTJ):
Quiet, serious, practical, realistic and organized. Values traditions and loyalty.

Inej is certainly all those things. She is all things practical, perhaps too practical to the point of unfeeling. Once again though, there are reasons as to why she has been nurtured to such a point, but throughout both books Inej is certainly quiet and sneaky, acting as Kaz’s spider, and is always thoroughly dependable. She certainly values traditions and has her knives named and has her own little ritual for every mission. She is also extremely loyal to Kaz from beginning to end.

Enneagram: Type 1 –
Core Motivation: to be good and do things right

Out of all the Crows, Inej demonstrates the principles and beliefs she holds tightly to even while surrounded in an environment that more easily destroys such beliefs than nurtures them. While we went back and forth for a bit in deciding what her largest core motivation was, we ultimately landed on Type 1. She may come across as idealistic at times which influences disagreements between her and Kaz, but every group needs someone to be their conscience when things get murky walking the line in the morally gray zone.

Jesper Fahey

MB: Entertainer (ESFP):
Outgoing, friendly and accepting. Lovers of life, people and material comforts. Flexible and spontaneous.

Jesper was little bit more difficult to pin down a personality for, but in the end I decided on this one. Jesper uses humour as a defence mechanism, and doesn’t want people to to get too close. He is guarded due to his backstory and certainly enjoys his material comforts…perhaps a little too much. Outwardly he is fairly carefree and is approachable, even if it may be driven by hidden motives.

Enneagram: Type 9 –
Core Motivation: to maintain peace and be without conflict

He’s the fun, without-a-care kind of guy (on the surface) who makes the group laugh when they need it. While Type 9s are known for peacemaking, anxiety and pessimism with bursts of emotion are common when under stress. In his way of unhealthily not dealing with the serious matters in his life, Jesper displays a lot of qualities of a Type 9 in stress. I mean, there are a lot of things going for the Crows – especially conflict related – so it’s only understandable.

Nina Zenik

MB: Debater (ENTP):
Quick, ingenious, stimulating, alert, and outspoken. Resourceful in challenging problems. Good at reading other people.

I mean if that doesn’t describe Nina then I don’t know what does. She is certainly good at reading other people being a Heartrender and is all the above adjectives as well. While all the team members are quite resourceful in pulling off the heist, I found that Nina definitely had the most shining moments where she almost single-handedly turns around a sinking ship. She is quick, witty, flirty, and outspoken, and will not stand down.

Enneagram: Type 2 –
Core Motivation: to be loved and appreciated

Nina, besides the name of the kind of Grisha she is, does a lot of things from the heart. Even going head to head (and falling in love) with someone who initially sought to harm her. We put her as Type 2 as she also demonstrates such loyalty for Ravka as a soldier and her unending love for her friends. She puts them above her own needs sometimes. Her outward behaviour may scream loud and bold but her motivation seems to stem from love (to love and to be loved).

Matthias Helvar

MB: Advocate (INFJ):
Seek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships, and material possessions. Want to understand what motivates people and are insightful about others. Conscientious and committed to their firm values.

Matthias was another slightly difficult one to pin down, and this I attributed to his internal confliction. On the one hand, his feelings for Nina cannot be denied, but on the other, his upbringing and culture completely denies and defies these feelings, leaving him in a sorry state. Given that though, he really always had her best interest at heart, although he was still certainly always conscientious and committed to his firm values as a drüskelle.

Enneagram: Type 6 –
Core Motivation: to feel a sense of security and belonging

Oh Matthias. How I do love thee. He was very hard to peg down at times for his internal motivations as he’s not one to overly share. But taking into account his overall story arc wherein Nina challenges his whole worldview from his loyalty to his country and the beliefs they instilled in him, it says Type 6 to us. It’s the idea of wanting everything to be as it should be, and much of his story was figuring out what that would look like so he may gain some peace in knowing his place in the world.

Wylan Van Eck

MB: Logician (INTP):
Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible and adaptable. Good at solving problems in their area of expertise. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical.

Though Wylan certainly suffers from his own weaknesses, he also adeptly utilizes his strengths. I found that this personality description matched him the best, as he was often the one coming up with the logical and probable solutions using his hard skills, rather than relying on something like pure intuition or gut feeling. Quiet and slow to open up, he is certainly the learning type, and one who is fascinated in things he is interested in.

Enneagram: Type 5 –
Core Motivation: to feel competent and understand the world around them

Wylan, the most innocent one among the Crows, struggled a lot to feel like he belonged. He definitely has the skills with demolitions and seems to always be curious to learn new things from the others. In that sense, he’s most definitely a Type 5 with their yearning to be competent at what they do and their innate ability to store information to creatively add to their repertoire of skills.

We hope you enjoyed this new series! What do you think of our personality typing choices for these beloved characters? Please let us know in the comments below.

Author: Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Review: Verity by Colleen Hoover