The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
jaimiejaimiejaimie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Well it was definitely an interesting plot device. I was fascinated for most of the book, though it dragged a bit in the last portion. And I'll be honest, I didn't really understand the mechanics of it. Maybe someone has a primer out there I can read. I wish there was more about what kind of world this existed in, but I can see why the story was made without that. It would have been 4 or 5 stars, but the fat hate was so jarring that I actively hated the book during those chapters, plus it had the trope of a calculating woman murderer and LADIES ARE VERY UNLIKELY TO MURDER PEOPLE. Anyway, worth a read but a few dings along the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fatphobia, and Murder
jenbertface's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
This book was every bit as mysterious, spooky, and crazy as I hoped it would be. The best part was getting to read it along with @stankmcdanken which made it so much more fun and enjoyable. The writing in this book was so detailed and descriptive, by far the most well written book I’ve read in a long time. The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is that I feel like the ending goes by too quickly after working for answers across 400 pages.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Child death
Minor: Grief, Infidelity, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Rape, and Self harm
retswerb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Definitely kept me engaged, although a bit longer than I often prefer. A bit hard to follow in places in the audiobook, which is common for mysteries. Certainly inventive and creative.
Worth checking content warnings on this one if you’re sensitive. There are multiple descriptions of murder from the perspective of the victim(s) which were pretty brutal. Also worth noting that the narrator’s response to the experience of being fat is pretty over the top.
Worth checking content warnings on this one if you’re sensitive. There are multiple descriptions of murder from the perspective of the victim(s) which were pretty brutal. Also worth noting that the narrator’s response to the experience of being fat is pretty over the top.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Ableism, Fatphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
tm400's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this book is a kind of groundhog day meets murder mystery type of novel, and i enjoyed it a lot! i love books written from multiple points of view and although this book is *techincally* from the point of view of one man, the fact that he gradually adopts more and more characteristics of his hosts was really intriguing to me. i loved the last hundred or so pages of the book the most, and really loved the twist. i really appreciate the intricacies of this book - but in the same vein, i would say my main struggle with this book was its length. i'm not a super big long-book reader and this book was approaching the cusp of too long for me. i'm glad the story was as interesting as it was because that helped me get through it for sure!
i'm giving this one 4/5 stars!
(my copy had 458 pages)
i'm giving this one 4/5 stars!
(my copy had 458 pages)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, and Death
shree's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Death, Blood, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Self harm, and Child death
Minor: Rape
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fatphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Child death, Death, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault
metanav's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
was slightly slow to grab me but i enjoyed it up until the twist which while i see it beforehand, was a bit underwhelming
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Murder
Moderate: Child death and Suicide
Minor: Rape, Drug abuse, and Gun violence
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Death, Classism, Child death, Blood, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Torture and Confinement
emcheym's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love the writing style the author uses in this book. The language is so descriptive and the plot is complex. It’s a bit hard to follow at times, but I’m really impressed with the thought and detail that went into the writing. I might consider rereading it at some point just to help understand more of the details.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, and Rape
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Representations: https://trello.com/c/8xKeIU81/86-the-seven-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle-by-stuart-turton
To start this off, the ending is pretty flat. It's a bit disappointing after the thrilling and complex rollercoaster the rest of the book is - but I don't think it was so bad it ruined it honestly. I wouldn't recommend reading it for the ending, certainly read it for the journey and puzzle it'll lead you through and the complex weaving story of twists and turns.
I will not go into a decent-length talk about the plot, all you need to know is it's a time-loop concept with body hopping to solve a murder - and nothing is as it first seems like. Not all the characters are likeable, but I believe they're not actually meant to be likeable anyways.
I quite liked the main trio: Aiden, Anna and Plague Doc. While I didn't love who they where, I was interested in their motivations, backgrounds and goals and was curious as to what they'd do next.
With the story starting essentially with the end and working backwards, you get this really complex puzzle-like mystery that slowly builds up more and more, but both you and the MC are given the same pieces to work with. It's a book I'd have loved to do the string-and-pin board meme with!
It does get complex and confusing, my copy of the book had a guest list in the front + a map - I *heavily* used the guest list and tried to keep a short bullet point list for the major players in my head. If your memory is as bad as mine is, or you read over a long period of time/in short bursts, highly recommend to take notes while reading! It's certainly a book to read if you have time to commit to it.
The ending though, man the ending. It's just a bit sad honestly. It feels like a cop-out that got tagged onto the end last second. Almost as if the journey to the end was the only focus, and the ending hadn't gotten thought of until right before publication. It's just a bit too convenient, a bit too.. dumb? Plain? after how complex the whole thing was it was just a bit too plain imo.
The world building however and the whole story around the timeloops I felt was fascinating and heavily under-explained sadly. I'd have loved to have seen more around that side of things.
To start this off, the ending is pretty flat. It's a bit disappointing after the thrilling and complex rollercoaster the rest of the book is - but I don't think it was so bad it ruined it honestly. I wouldn't recommend reading it for the ending, certainly read it for the journey and puzzle it'll lead you through and the complex weaving story of twists and turns.
I will not go into a decent-length talk about the plot, all you need to know is it's a time-loop concept with body hopping to solve a murder - and nothing is as it first seems like. Not all the characters are likeable, but I believe they're not actually meant to be likeable anyways.
I quite liked the main trio: Aiden, Anna and Plague Doc. While I didn't love who they where, I was interested in their motivations, backgrounds and goals and was curious as to what they'd do next.
With the story starting essentially with the end and working backwards, you get this really complex puzzle-like mystery that slowly builds up more and more, but both you and the MC are given the same pieces to work with. It's a book I'd have loved to do the string-and-pin board meme with!
It does get complex and confusing, my copy of the book had a guest list in the front + a map - I *heavily* used the guest list and tried to keep a short bullet point list for the major players in my head. If your memory is as bad as mine is, or you read over a long period of time/in short bursts, highly recommend to take notes while reading! It's certainly a book to read if you have time to commit to it.
The ending though, man the ending. It's just a bit sad honestly. It feels like a cop-out that got tagged onto the end last second. Almost as if the journey to the end was the only focus, and the ending hadn't gotten thought of until right before publication. It's just a bit too convenient, a bit too.. dumb? Plain? after how complex the whole thing was it was just a bit too plain imo.
The world building however and the whole story around the timeloops I felt was fascinating and heavily under-explained sadly. I'd have loved to have seen more around that side of things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fatphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Gore, Ableism, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault