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claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
5.0
OMFG! I LOVE THIS!
The story is fascinating, Jem's journey to find what really happened a decade ago is both, a fool's errand and a deep compulsion to understand why. He knows when his life stopped, when everything fell down but he needs to find out if anything of what he felt at that time was true. Did he really know his friends? Did they were their friends, at all?
It's a heartbreaking task that brings up past wounds and revives old fears. Everybody's lives seem to have stopped that night but all of them are willing to let the sleeping dogs lie and are not happy to find that Jem is determined to get to the core of it.
And yes, I had a suspect since Hugo showed up at Oxford although I was only 50% right. And in all honesty, I suspected him because I was not too fond of his attitude. His apparent cordiality and his offer of 'help' Jem smelled like a rotten fish, sorry
Throughout the book, I felt Jem's turmoil, his contradictory needs, his desperate need to understand the past and his fear of what the truth could do to them all.
The story is fascinating, Jem's journey to find what really happened a decade ago is both, a fool's errand and a deep compulsion to understand why. He knows when his life stopped, when everything fell down but he needs to find out if anything of what he felt at that time was true. Did he really know his friends? Did they were their friends, at all?
It's a heartbreaking task that brings up past wounds and revives old fears. Everybody's lives seem to have stopped that night but all of them are willing to let the sleeping dogs lie and are not happy to find that Jem is determined to get to the core of it.
Throughout the book, I felt Jem's turmoil, his contradictory needs, his desperate need to understand the past and his fear of what the truth could do to them all.
He couldn’t go on like this, loving people and suspecting them at once. A human mind couldn’t do that without breaking.
It's a brilliant historical mystery, a character-driven story in which nobody is perfect and everybody has a secret that could ruin them. This is a tale about love and friendship, about youth hopes ruined, about consequences.
This is a story with no exultant ending but a quiet one. Impregnated with sadness, yes, but also with hope for the future. And I loved it.
greatestheights's review against another edition
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Ableism, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Sexism
Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion
estruch's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Rape
gilberik's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Once again a KJ Charles book that I devour in the speed of light and come out of the experience a changed person.
The characters are organic, the places palpable. The mystery is nice to figure out along with the main character. Their lives are so entangled with one another, it is very rewarding to tag along the story and sort through it all.
I will need a read of Cymbeline and then a reread of Death in the Spires, to actually see how deeply well crafted this book is.
The characters are organic, the places palpable. The mystery is nice to figure out along with the main character. Their lives are so entangled with one another, it is very rewarding to tag along the story and sort through it all.
I will need a read of Cymbeline and then a reread of Death in the Spires, to actually see how deeply well crafted this book is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, Ableism, and Homophobia
Moderate: Rape and Ableism
fleurrochard's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
autumnaldusk's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ryank74's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25
dorin_love's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
kabrahams's review against another edition
4.75
A gripping dark academia murder mystery. After an accusatory letter loses him his job, Jeremy returns to Oxford to discover which member of their friend group really killed Toby all those years ago. The only problem is that everyone seems to have a motive, including his old lover, who is now a professor.