Reviews

Magpie by Elizabeth Day

danihumps's review

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3.0

A roller coaster that kept me doubting my guesses - just wish it had ended differently.

michmatched_1989's review against another edition

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3.0

At mid way point, I would of given this book 5 stars as it had a good twist but then it got a bit monotonous towards the end and the suspense died. Easy read though.

annaventure's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

amberinbookland's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0


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neolimekimi's review against another edition

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3.5

Finally a thriller thats good, realistic and punches me in the face a couple of times throughout. 3,5

leahhateshardbacks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A very promising start that is great at building tension and eerie uncertainty, but comparatively poor at delivering on its threats. 

The twist happens very early on in this book, so much so that the story doesn't bank on it like so many thrillers do. The issue was, because it was so unusual to have a twist early on, I spent the whole rest of the book waiting for another twist to come and it never did. There's a distinctly ominous feeling building throughout the story; I was apprehensive about ever thinking I knew exactly what was going on because the early twist proved otherwise, and I was waiting for that gotcha moment but it never came. This is the epitome of anticlimactic... the build up was so exciting and dark, I never had any confidence in what was going to happen but I was so eager to uncover the truth, and then it just fizzled out. 

For the life of me I can't figure out the relevance of the "She almost has everything. The rest she'll take" tagline on the cover... who are we talking about? I genuinely can't think which character this is supposed to relate to. This isn't affecting my rating though as I think this is a symptom of design teams picking up on vibes of the summary/plot rather than a lack on the writer's part. 

I would pick up an Elizabeth Day again - I enjoyed the journey I was just disappointed in the destination. Good writing, good atmosphere, and when I wasn't reading it I was always wanting to pick it back up. 

lonnielandia's review against another edition

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Feels like the book turns away from horror to an infertility journal close to the end. Not quite what I was expecting. Not rating.

lilyaforbes's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

amyhenderson's review against another edition

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4.0

Loved this. Real twists and turns throughout, kept me engaged.

beckyemma's review against another edition

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challenging 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

4.0