Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

118 reviews

trippalli's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.0

This starts out is a Sherlock Holmes style " who done it" but evolves into a philosophical reflection on life, evil, and forgiveness...a race to escape a bizarre philosophical prison, more like Sartre's "No Exit".

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abbeyroad1410's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I'm going to be thinking about this book for awhile. I can honestly say I have read nothing like it and for that reason alone, I highly recommend it. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is extraordinarily campy and left me with more questions than answers.
One of my fascinations has always been with time loops, so it was fun to see one in this novel and explore the concept of whether our actions actually affect time or if what happens once is bound to be repeated over and over again. The novel looks at both theories at times which makes it super interesting.
Stuart Turton also does a wonderful job of exploring the different hosts disabilities as well as their strengths. Where hosts may have physical impairments or a harsh background, the main character also uplifted and emphasized parts of the hosts that were helpful.
Additionally, the novel has a very hopeful message and tone to it despite the dark themes and concepts it explores. The hopeful ending and tone make getting through what can be a tedious novel (simply because of the twists and turns and time jumps) so worth it at the end.
Overall, I feel completely fulfilled by the ending and still pondering some of the world-building elements. I have so many unanswered questions including in what time period was this even taking place? Yet, not having these answers adds to the overall mysterious and foreboding nature of the story.

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strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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? No

5.0

Honestly the beginning of the book is kind of slow and frustrating because you know nothing just as Aiden Bishop (the main character) knows nothing. He doesn’t even know his name. It picks up though and then it is a crazy ride.

I tried making multiple guesses about the things that were going to happen in the book but I was often wrong. There were a lot of twists and turns and I definitely did not see the final twist coming.

When I started reading I thought it would be a four star book at most but it really delivered. When I got to the final day I was worried that all the plot holes would remain holes, but Turton made sure that everything got wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow.

I loved this book and would read it again.

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