ARC REVIEW: The Art Of Fear – by Pamela Crane

Title: The Art Of Fear
(The Little Things That Kill #1)
Author: Pamela Crane
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: July 18th 2017
Publisher: Tabella House
Finished reading: March 8th 2018
Pages: 306

“Everybody avoided the words the day your sister died, as if saying them aloud brought the curse upon themselves. Those words were the Lord Voldemort of my life.“

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Tabella House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I had added this title to my wishlist when it was originally published last year, so when I saw it pop up on Netgalley scheduled to be published last month, I couldn’t resist requesting it. I know there have been mixed thoughts about The Art Of Fear, and honestly that cover makes me very uncomfortable. Am I the only one who thinks that expression on her face should be x-rated? Anyway, despite the doubts I was still looking forward to start this one. And I was literally blown away with the intense start of The Art Of Fear. What a way to start a story! It was hook, line, sinker and I quickly cleared out my schedule to be able to read this one without distractions… Sadly, this enthusiasm for the story didn’t stay. After such an intense, dark and thrilling start, I was actually a bit disappointed by the fact that The Art Of Fear didn’t turn out to be as fast-paced as I would have liked. Sure, there will be some very messed up twists and details thrown at you, but in general somehow the plot and pace just didn’t manage to convince me. The multiple POVs and flashbacks probably had a lot to do with the slower pace and lack of connection to the story. And honestly, I was surprised to find myself not invested at all in who would be behind it all. Also, trigger warnings are in place for rape, abuse, suicide and violence in general! The writing style did make it quite easy to read, and I really liked the inclusion of the Mexican bits. But as for the characters… I felt there were too much of them, making it harder to connect to them and I honestly I don’t think I ever did. Most of the characters are broken and have a lot of potential; there is no doubt they are intriguing, but not being able to connect to them made me feel less invested in the story. I could have done without the romance as well; it went so well during a lot of time I was already getting my hopes up I would be spared this time, but no luck. I’m not sure what to think of the ending either… Although I guess it shows potential for the sequel. The Art Of Fear is by no means a bad read, but unfortunately it didn’t manage to convince me either.

Ari Wilburn’s life ended the day she watched her little sister die in a tragic accident and she was blamed for it by her parents and sent away. She has been struggling with life ever since, not really living, but as she joins a suicide support group and meets Tina, she starts to doubt her memories. Tina had been sold as a sex-slave when she was only six years old, but was able to escape and ended up where she ended up. When Tina finds her father dead, she suspects foul play and not suicide, and asks her new friend Ari to help her find evidence. But this might just be more complicated and dangerous than they would have thought…

I had really high hopes for The Art Of Fear, especially after such an explosive and dark beginning. But sadly I was never able to warm up to the characters, and the multiple POVs and flashbacks slowed down the pace considerably and didn’t help keeping the tension. Like I said before, The Art Of Fear is by no means a bad read, but I don’t think it lived up to expectations either. There is a lot of potential though, and I did like the writing style.