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kiwi_00's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
3.0
The build up of the book from beginning all the way to the middle was fantastic and if the book ended there i'd give it 5 stars but the ending..... What a let down, that felt like the equivalent of saying 'it was all a dream' at the ending of a creative writing task at school. The fact that both all the supernatural stuff can be explained away is fine but both sammy and creetsjie manipulated arent and sara respectively? Really? After laying all that ground work and creating a vibrant world with such distinct characters, the ending feels terrible
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
rkpaulson96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
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
Stuart Turton did it again! His second novel is a fun, puzzle-within-several-puzzles mystery thriller. The characters are just as complex as the supernatural-tinted conundrum facing the passengers and crew of the ship, Saardam, on whose decks a demon allegedly prowls.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
theasi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Blood, and Grief
achubb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
3.75
The combination of historical fiction along with mystery thriller was not one I'd expect to enjoy this much. Turton does a great job of keeping the reader hooked and asking questions throughout. It did take a bit of time to get going but the characters presented have a nice depth to them.
I especially enjoyed the grey area of morality throughout. Each person viewed the situations in a unique way that helped bring the story to life.
The ending was not as satisfying as I hoped. It's wrapped up a little too nicely in the last few pages.Arent viewed Sammy as the only person he knew without corrupt morals. To discover his friend is just as bad as his Uncle was a great twist but then suddenly everyone's happy and in agreement? I would have preferred it to be left with a bit of mystery to muse over. I dont buy the sudden agreement of everyone. How do they forgive that easily and not question it further?
I enjoyed the questions I was left with. How many cases did Sammy fake the culprit of? Was he the true murderer for some of his cases considering his history? I wish this was explored/hinted at more
I especially enjoyed the grey area of morality throughout. Each person viewed the situations in a unique way that helped bring the story to life.
The ending was not as satisfying as I hoped. It's wrapped up a little too nicely in the last few pages.
I enjoyed the questions I was left with. How many cases did Sammy fake the culprit of? Was he the true murderer for some of his cases considering his history? I wish this was explored/hinted at more
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Animal death and Vomit
Minor: Rape
jerseynoonatic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
sandysmith's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm gradually adding books I've read in 2021 to give a true reflection of the books I've read since keeping records. This was the first book I read in 2021, and is what kick started my reading journey having put reading on the back burner whilst bringing up the children, previously being an avid reader. Based in 1634 regarding a shops Voyage. A thriller of sorts, with devilish or supernatural symbols and a murder. Arent Hayes is a body guard to a great detective Samuel Pepys kept under guard. It was a good read until the disappointing ending and it seemed to loose its way. It was a long book anyway but the ending seemed a completely different pace to the rest of the book. That said I really liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Blood, Excrement, and Vomit
Moderate: Animal death and War
sjburton127's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Vomit
bglenners's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
thebookkeepers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
A closed door mystery aboard a ship traveling from Batavia to Amsterdam, this story will have you questioning who’s behind murders or if something paranormal is afoot. While I wasn’t overly endeared to any of the characters, I did enjoy seeing the multiple POVs and how intricate the character dynamics were. I did not guess any of the twists & was satisfied with the conclusion of our mystery. The format in which the unveiling of the secrets was a miss for me though. It felt like a recap of here’s how XYZ happened and was a little to “wrapped up” for me. My son (15) LOVED this though and I can see this being more Men-Lit (is that a thing? Haha opposite of chick lit).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Rape
hopeydoo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Moderate: Animal death and Death