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minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The writing is extremely “tell-not-show“. It was hard to get an idea of the surroundings because they weren’t descriptive or immersive. It was visual and very basic like the red room, the waiting area with high humidity, the island, the dock, the jungle... The main character moves all over a yacht, for example, but no scene is set other than it being luxurious, rich, near a pool and so on. The dialogue doesn’t naturally flow, it’s disconnected and flat. Almost like “oh no, ___ Is dead, what is happening?” People standing by like “Oh no, you shouldn’t do ___ (some dangerous thing)”, but not doing anything…no sense of panic, just being told the characters are scared or confused. I don’t mind books where I have to rely primarily on my imagination, but it’s an art form to write that style and keep that freedom for the reader to maintain the world they are creating with guidance from the author, and this author did not achieve that at all. When having to rely primarily on our imaginations for every setting it becomes frustrating to find halfway through the book that we imagined something so incorrectly. Far too often I found myself wondering where a character even was! Very close to being a DNF.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Terminal illness and Vomit
maritay918's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
2.5
Not one likable character. Interesting twist at the end. Original is better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, and Antisemitism
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
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