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apalershadeofwhite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
(Note: take a shot every time I used the word 'sometimes' lmao.)
Overall, this book was so freaking good! I loved the premise, the characters, the execution... but there was one thing that didn't make this a 5-star read which is pretty petty of me, to be honest, but I think it's still valid lmao.
There were some really stunning sentences, metaphors, and similes throughout this entire book. Absolutely beautiful. I did sometimes feel like there were too many in a small space, though. Some of them felt a bit forced and included to try and be beautiful and thought-provoking, but sometimes simplicity is more telling. For example, on one page there were three similes/metaphors all of birds. They were each individually pretty, but there were so many in such a condensed space that it sometimes felt unneeded, unnecessary, etc. Some of the sentences didn't even need a linguistic technique and would have been just as good without them. A specific example being: the sentence "[a]n image of her mum making pastry for mince pies smacks into Lily's head like a robin into a plate glass". In my opinion, you don't need the simile; the word 'smack' is evocative and symbolic enough to insinuate painful or unwanted memories. Also, all of the metaphors and similes were Christmas or winter themed. Kudos to the dedication, but sometimes they didn't make as much sense as they could have if they weren't constrained to a theme.
Regarding characters, I loved Ronnie! He was the cause for a lot of the humour within the novel, which I think was a good choice to offset the darkness of the murder and death lol. I also loved Mrs Castle for her biting nature because she just did not give a shit, which also made for some funny lines.
The author is so good, based on this book, and I will probably read more of their stuff.
(POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD)
When it came to the plot twist (which in a sucker for), the hints were perfectly placed. I started to get suspicious of Tom because he was very attached physically to Lily while also constantly verbalising how emotionally attached to her he was. It happened so much that it started to feel like a diversion, but he was also the first who was attacked and did not succumb to his injuries, which was interesting. The other plot twist, about Sara and Tom made me a bit uncomfortable though, but it is DEFINITELY shocking and a twist, so I guess it works lol.
Overall, this book was so freaking good! I loved the premise, the characters, the execution... but there was one thing that didn't make this a 5-star read which is pretty petty of me, to be honest, but I think it's still valid lmao.
There were some really stunning sentences, metaphors, and similes throughout this entire book. Absolutely beautiful. I did sometimes feel like there were too many in a small space, though. Some of them felt a bit forced and included to try and be beautiful and thought-provoking, but sometimes simplicity is more telling. For example, on one page there were three similes/metaphors all of birds. They were each individually pretty, but there were so many in such a condensed space that it sometimes felt unneeded, unnecessary, etc. Some of the sentences didn't even need a linguistic technique and would have been just as good without them. A specific example being: the sentence "[a]n image of her mum making pastry for mince pies smacks into Lily's head like a robin into a plate glass". In my opinion, you don't need the simile; the word 'smack' is evocative and symbolic enough to insinuate painful or unwanted memories. Also, all of the metaphors and similes were Christmas or winter themed. Kudos to the dedication, but sometimes they didn't make as much sense as they could have if they weren't constrained to a theme.
Regarding characters, I loved Ronnie! He was the cause for a lot of the humour within the novel, which I think was a good choice to offset the darkness of the murder and death lol. I also loved Mrs Castle for her biting nature because she just did not give a shit, which also made for some funny lines.
The author is so good, based on this book, and I will probably read more of their stuff.
(POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD)
When it came to the plot twist (which in a sucker for), the hints were perfectly placed. I started to get suspicious of Tom because he was very attached physically to Lily while also constantly verbalising how emotionally attached to her he was. It happened so much that it started to feel like a diversion, but he was also the first who was attacked and did not succumb to his injuries, which was interesting. The other plot twist, about Sara and Tom made me a bit uncomfortable though, but it is DEFINITELY shocking and a twist, so I guess it works lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Confinement, and Homophobia
staceyinthesticks's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
lydias1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I don’t like present tense writing :(
I couldn’t place the tone. It was an odd combination of intelligent and precise metaphors (albeit they were excessively used), and rather obvious and unclever ways of revealing plot information (“remember when you found your dead mum in the centre of the maze?”).
The characters were rather flat.
The pace was odd, because it was so drawn out over 12 days. 12 clues, except they were all the same - fancy sonnets that the reader had no chance of solving so it was pointless to try.
Overall, the plot is just bizarre and I finished the book out of spite. Wouldn’t recommened. A bonus star given because it had good bisexual representation which was nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Incest, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
tuhkasirius's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Biphobia and Incest
purplepenning's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
A classic, tense, atmospheric whodunit with a dysfunctional family and a rising body count during a snowed-in, country-mansion inheritance game full of clues, puzzles, and the weight of the past, present, and future. Not entirely my cup of tea (I like my Christmas murder mysteries to have at least a little Christmas warmth and cheer 😆) but a good one for word-puzzlers who like to play along at home.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Gun violence, and Sexual content
maddireads13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Incest, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Biphobia
what_heather_loves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Endgame House is even darker than she remembers. A hulking, seventeenth-century grey Manor house made for marble and limestone that once, she was many times told as a child, seemed to glow at dawn and dusk. Now it absorbs all the light around it and keeps its secrets close. Curtains are drawn on the many windows. Ready or not, here she comes."
Following the death of her aunt Liliana, Lily (named after her) is summoned to the family house, Endgame House, in Yorkshire. Her cousins and their partners have been summoned too, for the family Christmas get-together. Since they were children, clever, but cruel Liliana devised 'the Christmas Game', whereby they raced around the house and its grounds, following clues to find their presents.
Managed by the family solicitor, with a housekeeper to look after them, this year it will be different, because this year the winner will become heir to Endgame House. However, Lily knows more is afoot, warned in advance by a letter from aunt Liliana, that Lily's late mother did not commit suicide, but was murdered.This is why Lily has come to Endgame House for the first time since childhood. Will Lily follow the clues, uncover the truth and survive her Twelve Days of Christmas at Endgame House?
With likeable, deteremined, but vulnerable Lily as the protagonist, the narrative quickly draws the reader into Endgame House. Tensions between this dysfunctional family (with some horrible characters) combine with them getting snowed in and the mystery of following the clues, make for an atmospheric and engaging read. A locked room mystery, one by one family members disappear or are found dead, leaving the reader, and Lily, guessing. Whilst the setting is not realistic it does feel like classic golden age crime fiction, and the author does a great job or rationalising the setting. I throughly enjoyed reading this pacy, engaging and immersive whodunit in the run-up to Christmas.
Following the death of her aunt Liliana, Lily (named after her) is summoned to the family house, Endgame House, in Yorkshire. Her cousins and their partners have been summoned too, for the family Christmas get-together. Since they were children, clever, but cruel Liliana devised 'the Christmas Game', whereby they raced around the house and its grounds, following clues to find their presents.
Managed by the family solicitor, with a housekeeper to look after them, this year it will be different, because this year the winner will become heir to Endgame House. However, Lily knows more is afoot, warned in advance by a letter from aunt Liliana, that Lily's late mother did not commit suicide, but was murdered.This is why Lily has come to Endgame House for the first time since childhood. Will Lily follow the clues, uncover the truth and survive her Twelve Days of Christmas at Endgame House?
With likeable, deteremined, but vulnerable Lily as the protagonist, the narrative quickly draws the reader into Endgame House. Tensions between this dysfunctional family (with some horrible characters) combine with them getting snowed in and the mystery of following the clues, make for an atmospheric and engaging read. A locked room mystery, one by one family members disappear or are found dead, leaving the reader, and Lily, guessing. Whilst the setting is not realistic it does feel like classic golden age crime fiction, and the author does a great job or rationalising the setting. I throughly enjoyed reading this pacy, engaging and immersive whodunit in the run-up to Christmas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent
breezer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Incest
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