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marleegoldshine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, and Gaslighting
amandas_bookshelf'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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Suicide, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
ticktock's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
janeycanuck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A modern twist on And Then They Were None but with a grittiness I didn't expect. I found the beginning a bit confusing but quickly settled in and needed to know how everything came together. Howzell Hall doesn't give you room to draw a breath between twists & reveals!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, and Racial slurs
gracefulbooks's review against another edition
DNFing at 42%
What the actual heck was this book even? I was hoping for something comparable to Clue or And Then There Were None but this was just a dumpster fire. The only redeeming quality is Janina Edwards narrating it.
The writing is all over the place and I think the author was intending to make Miriam an unreliable narrator but it was done too obviously and takes away from the scenes that I think were meant to be intense or sort of suspicious or scary. The writing isn't atmospheric enough to get me pulled in and worried about what happens to these (pretty dang awful) characters. I hate the slurs and random nastiness from so many of the characters. I get we probably aren't supposed to like them but this was just so poorly done and made very obvious and usually, I can vibe with a story that has bad characters but this just isn't it.
Everything is too obvious and that takes away from the supposed suspense of it all. I just don't like it, and the writing style in general just isn't for me. It's sort of confusing and I just can't follow it. I honestly think this could've been a good story but we are almost 50% through and nothing has happened and therefore I can't force myself to carry on with it.
Also, if I had been reading this physically, I wouldn't have been able to get as far as I did without giving up.
What the actual heck was this book even? I was hoping for something comparable to Clue or And Then There Were None but this was just a dumpster fire. The only redeeming quality is Janina Edwards narrating it.
The writing is all over the place and I think the author was intending to make Miriam an unreliable narrator but it was done too obviously and takes away from the scenes that I think were meant to be intense or sort of suspicious or scary. The writing isn't atmospheric enough to get me pulled in and worried about what happens to these (pretty dang awful) characters. I hate the slurs and random nastiness from so many of the characters. I get we probably aren't supposed to like them but this was just so poorly done and made very obvious and usually, I can vibe with a story that has bad characters but this just isn't it.
Everything is too obvious and that takes away from the supposed suspense of it all. I just don't like it, and the writing style in general just isn't for me. It's sort of confusing and I just can't follow it. I honestly think this could've been a good story but we are almost 50% through and nothing has happened and therefore I can't force myself to carry on with it.
Also, if I had been reading this physically, I wouldn't have been able to get as far as I did without giving up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Death
leahsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I've actually been considering reading an Agatha Christie novel, but I haven't gotten around to reading any yet. However, this book is apparently based on And Then There Were None.
Miriam and six others are brought to a private island off the coast of Mexico to be on a reality show, and for Miriam, the invitation has come just in the nick of time. Things in her life seem to be falling apart at an alarming rate, and she can use the money from winning this show to start picking up the pieces. But of course, nothing goes according to plan.
They find out that the reality show doesn't exist - it was just a ruse to get them to this isolated island where they are cut off from the outside world. As they get to know each other a little, they discover that each character has their own dark secrets. It comes as a surprise when the first character dies in a horrible accident, but when the next character dies, it's clear that there's something fishy going on in paradise.
But none of the characters are really likable. I found myself empathizing with Miriam, but I found myself suspecting that she wasn't the most reliable narrator. I had my suspicions about who was behind the killings, even though everyone potentially had motive. I wasn't as surprised about the plot twists as I thought I would have been though, some of them were a little predictable, but I did enjoy the story. The narrator was especially good, and made Miriam come to life in a way that felt very true to the character and her story.
Miriam and six others are brought to a private island off the coast of Mexico to be on a reality show, and for Miriam, the invitation has come just in the nick of time. Things in her life seem to be falling apart at an alarming rate, and she can use the money from winning this show to start picking up the pieces. But of course, nothing goes according to plan.
They find out that the reality show doesn't exist - it was just a ruse to get them to this isolated island where they are cut off from the outside world. As they get to know each other a little, they discover that each character has their own dark secrets. It comes as a surprise when the first character dies in a horrible accident, but when the next character dies, it's clear that there's something fishy going on in paradise.
But none of the characters are really likable. I found myself empathizing with Miriam, but I found myself suspecting that she wasn't the most reliable narrator. I had my suspicions about who was behind the killings, even though everyone potentially had motive. I wasn't as surprised about the plot twists as I thought I would have been though, some of them were a little predictable, but I did enjoy the story. The narrator was especially good, and made Miriam come to life in a way that felt very true to the character and her story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Cancer and Eating disorder
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