Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Il diavolo e l'acqua scura by Stuart Turton

26 reviews

selenatothemax's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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laurataylor's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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mrslsmith's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75


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tamara_joy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.75


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arce's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Very good book, at every point of the story I kept wondering what would most likely happen next, sometimes I was right, and it still managed to surprise me.
The explanation is not farfetched and seems reasonable, but I am not completely satisfied with the ending.
Sammy/Hugo doesn't seem to feel anything? Gives me strong psychopath vibes...
Also, what happenes with the other passengers on the island? Do they sail to Amsterdam afterwards?
And I'm definitely not a fan of Sara's solution. I liked neither of the options, but don't have any better on my mind. Vigilante justice is not the right way. Creesjie and Sammy/Hugo shouldn't go without punishment.

I would be interested in the more horror endings Stuart Turton mentioned in the interview at the end of the audiobook.

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shinsoukoku's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

2.25


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aguattery's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Really great intro to murder mysteries. Classic whodunnit but set on a boat. It actually was quite scary at times. The pacing was a little weird but the ending especially felt rushed. 

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aviery's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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maddiebusick's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Not bad, lots of twists and turns but I felt it dragged on a little bit which took away from the thrill and suspense of a murder mystery

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daisymaytwizell's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

Turton describes in the author's note that he believes the book's genre is up to the reader - I definitely see that fluidity in the text itself, and I think it makes for a wonderful read. It helps to maintain that tension and confusion regarding the nature of the mystery, because the reader experiences the shifts in atmosphere just like the characters do.

He also does a fantastic job of making you root for objectively unlikeable characters. A theme in this book is the terrible things mankind is capable of and why we might choose to do them, so there's a great deal of unsavoury characters present, but Turton recognizes who he can humanise and who is beyond that attention, which really pays off in the reading experience.

Also, the thing that really tied this incredible book together for me: Turton writes good sentences. The novel is good and careful and well-paced, but that attention reflects in every sentence throughout. Genuinely a phenomenal piece of work, and I'm excited to aggressively recommend it to everyone in my life who likes reading.

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