emcheym's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love the writing style the author uses in this book. The language is so descriptive and the plot is complex. It’s a bit hard to follow at times, but I’m really impressed with the thought and detail that went into the writing. I might consider rereading it at some point just to help understand more of the details.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Rape
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Representations: https://trello.com/c/8xKeIU81/86-the-seven-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle-by-stuart-turton
To start this off, the ending is pretty flat. It's a bit disappointing after the thrilling and complex rollercoaster the rest of the book is - but I don't think it was so bad it ruined it honestly. I wouldn't recommend reading it for the ending, certainly read it for the journey and puzzle it'll lead you through and the complex weaving story of twists and turns.
I will not go into a decent-length talk about the plot, all you need to know is it's a time-loop concept with body hopping to solve a murder - and nothing is as it first seems like. Not all the characters are likeable, but I believe they're not actually meant to be likeable anyways.
I quite liked the main trio: Aiden, Anna and Plague Doc. While I didn't love who they where, I was interested in their motivations, backgrounds and goals and was curious as to what they'd do next.
With the story starting essentially with the end and working backwards, you get this really complex puzzle-like mystery that slowly builds up more and more, but both you and the MC are given the same pieces to work with. It's a book I'd have loved to do the string-and-pin board meme with!
It does get complex and confusing, my copy of the book had a guest list in the front + a map - I *heavily* used the guest list and tried to keep a short bullet point list for the major players in my head. If your memory is as bad as mine is, or you read over a long period of time/in short bursts, highly recommend to take notes while reading! It's certainly a book to read if you have time to commit to it.
The ending though, man the ending. It's just a bit sad honestly. It feels like a cop-out that got tagged onto the end last second. Almost as if the journey to the end was the only focus, and the ending hadn't gotten thought of until right before publication. It's just a bit too convenient, a bit too.. dumb? Plain? after how complex the whole thing was it was just a bit too plain imo.
The world building however and the whole story around the timeloops I felt was fascinating and heavily under-explained sadly. I'd have loved to have seen more around that side of things.
To start this off, the ending is pretty flat. It's a bit disappointing after the thrilling and complex rollercoaster the rest of the book is - but I don't think it was so bad it ruined it honestly. I wouldn't recommend reading it for the ending, certainly read it for the journey and puzzle it'll lead you through and the complex weaving story of twists and turns.
I will not go into a decent-length talk about the plot, all you need to know is it's a time-loop concept with body hopping to solve a murder - and nothing is as it first seems like. Not all the characters are likeable, but I believe they're not actually meant to be likeable anyways.
I quite liked the main trio: Aiden, Anna and Plague Doc. While I didn't love who they where, I was interested in their motivations, backgrounds and goals and was curious as to what they'd do next.
With the story starting essentially with the end and working backwards, you get this really complex puzzle-like mystery that slowly builds up more and more, but both you and the MC are given the same pieces to work with. It's a book I'd have loved to do the string-and-pin board meme with!
It does get complex and confusing, my copy of the book had a guest list in the front + a map - I *heavily* used the guest list and tried to keep a short bullet point list for the major players in my head. If your memory is as bad as mine is, or you read over a long period of time/in short bursts, highly recommend to take notes while reading! It's certainly a book to read if you have time to commit to it.
The ending though, man the ending. It's just a bit sad honestly. It feels like a cop-out that got tagged onto the end last second. Almost as if the journey to the end was the only focus, and the ending hadn't gotten thought of until right before publication. It's just a bit too convenient, a bit too.. dumb? Plain? after how complex the whole thing was it was just a bit too plain imo.
The world building however and the whole story around the timeloops I felt was fascinating and heavily under-explained sadly. I'd have loved to have seen more around that side of things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fatphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Gore, Ableism, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
stankmcdanken's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Can’t remember the last time I read a book with so many twists and turns. Each answer leads to five more questions which keeps you flipping through the pages.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
missmandymarie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A super mysterious read that kept me on my toes the entire time. I was confused for almost the entire book, but the author gave me enough bread crumbs to keep me from being completely frustrated. There were a couple pieces I was able to figure out on my own, but most of the reveal was a complete surprise.
Definitely the type of book that makes me want to go back and read again to see the set up as it’s happening.
T/w - descriptions of violence, suicide, murder, mentions of rape
Definitely the type of book that makes me want to go back and read again to see the set up as it’s happening.
T/w - descriptions of violence, suicide, murder, mentions of rape
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Rape
bergha1998's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It’s a groundhog’s day Clue mystery. Everyday the main character wakes up as a different guest at a country party trying to solve a murder. Every different guest has the MC’s soul, but their own personalities and wants. The plot twists are crazy. Such a good mystery with a lot about morality and character development.
Murder Mystery, Slightly Fantastical, Lots of Violence/Murders
Murder Mystery, Slightly Fantastical, Lots of Violence/Murders
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Blood, Drug use, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Child death, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
bxnnny's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i greatly enjoyed this book and was surprised at how quickly i flew through it considering its length. i was worried that this story would drag, but i really felt like every chapter was just as captivating as the last and moved the plot along in one way or another. i felt intrigued by the characters or "hosts" and who they really were outside of all of this as well as the main character and who he really was and what he was really like. i really saw him as the timid and sensitive dr. sebastian bell, but as the story progressed, it became less clear which parts were aiden and which parts were the hosts, and i found that to be so intriguing. the intricate puzzles of time and body-hopping and the mysteries within mysteries really kept me engaged throughout. the only downside i'd say to this story was "the big reveal" in the final chapters. i had my suspicions, but i was hoping for something more interesting (what, i don't know). this was definitely more about the journey for me than the destination. the journey was so, so fun.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, and Rape
lizziaha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.25
I have to give it to the author for the sheer complexity of the story, as well as making each of the 8 hosts distinctly different characters, but after that, this book is just average. I didn’t feel like the characters really had motivations behind their actions, more like they were just playing the parts. And despite the fact that the men far outnumbered the women, not a single woman came across as complex or multi dimensional. As for the plot twists, I either guessed them or didn’t really care about them, so I didn’t really feel the need to keep turning the page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Child death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Death of parent, and Addiction
starlitpage's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Gun violence, Violence, Suicide, Alcohol, Murder, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, Torture, Sexual violence, Self harm, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Medical content, Bullying, and Rape
loronicole's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I could barely stand this book. It manages to spend 17 hours saying absolutely nothing and running around in circles. Some of the twists were clever, and I enjoyed those, but overall it just became tiring and completely meaningless by the end. Absolutely would not recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Classism, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, and Suicide
Minor: Rape
vivmorris's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
my mind also feels fractured and overcrowded (in a good way)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Blood, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault