tivara101's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
starryeyesali's review against another edition
The plot seemed too wishy washy, the characters weren’t appealing to me and the narration wasn’t for me.
kimmiereadsalot's review against another edition
1.5
1.5 stars
I did not enjoy this one. It did not work for me. I’m no writer but ima try to contain my thoughts.
- the author was way to into her game. She set up two games for the reader to play while reading. This didn’t work for me. I couldn’t read the story and look for anagrams and title deeds. But no biggie. I don’t need a game. I’m here for the story anyway. Only the story didn’t work either.
- the novel is billed as clever and quirky but it was neither of those things imo. It was rather depressing too. I get it’s a murder game. But I was expecting more Knives Out level of quirk. But there was none. People just kept dying. And they just continued the game. And it just was all very weird.
- the characters were super one-dimensional. They had no depth and no development. They were described one way and never deviated. And don’t even get me started on Lily. She had no courage and was such a boring fmc. Seriously zero main character energy. She should have been a side character at best. But it didn’t matter because none of the characters were particularly interesting
- the whodunnit aspect also wasn’t a big surprise.
- And the reason for the game was just dumb. Aunt liliana apparently knew the family was nuts and decided to bring them all together for a deviceless game even knowing knowing all the things she knew or strongly suspected? It just didn’t make sense.
Basically nothing about this novel worked for me. The author cares more about her anagrams and trying to be clever her words that she neglected to tell a clever story.
I’m rounding up to 2 stars but could almost talk myself into just 1.
I did not enjoy this one. It did not work for me. I’m no writer but ima try to contain my thoughts.
- the author was way to into her game. She set up two games for the reader to play while reading. This didn’t work for me. I couldn’t read the story and look for anagrams and title deeds. But no biggie. I don’t need a game. I’m here for the story anyway. Only the story didn’t work either.
- the novel is billed as clever and quirky but it was neither of those things imo. It was rather depressing too. I get it’s a murder game. But I was expecting more Knives Out level of quirk. But there was none. People just kept dying. And they just continued the game. And it just was all very weird.
- the characters were super one-dimensional. They had no depth and no development. They were described one way and never deviated. And don’t even get me started on Lily. She had no courage and was such a boring fmc. Seriously zero main character energy. She should have been a side character at best. But it didn’t matter because none of the characters were particularly interesting
- the whodunnit aspect also wasn’t a big surprise.
- And the reason for the game was just dumb. Aunt liliana apparently knew the family was nuts and decided to bring them all together for a deviceless game even knowing knowing all the things she knew or strongly suspected? It just didn’t make sense.
Basically nothing about this novel worked for me. The author cares more about her anagrams and trying to be clever her words that she neglected to tell a clever story.
I’m rounding up to 2 stars but could almost talk myself into just 1.
sapphic_book_dragon's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
putalilstardust's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
hammrdown's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another interesting British manor murder story. Very Good, not great. Ties to Christmas are plot driven, not needed to read it over the holidays specifically.
tiffanielle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Car accident, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
rachelsread's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
I absolutely adored this novel! It's exciting, unique, and original, keeping me on the edge of my seat with every word! The characters (which include LGBT+ representation) are incredibly complex and realistic and there's one plot twist after another that I genuinely could not predict. Even when the "villain" is finally revealed, there's an hour left in the audiobook and yet, unlike most other whodunnits, the rest of the story is still just as interesting and action-packed as the start. I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to absolutely everyone as it's fresh, satisfying, and thrilling throughout!
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leasummer's review against another edition
3.0
This is a pretty depressing and the main character isn’t overly likable, which makes it hard to care if she lives or dies as everyone around her dies one by one. I didn’t understand the fetus and why it was a character, unless it was to tie her to her mother even further.
At the start I didn’t realize it was set in modern day, but that quickly became obvious with mentions of cell phones and cars.
I don’t think there’s one thing likable about any of the characters. But the mystery did keep me guessing. The ending wasn’t all that satisfying. It’s a dark story that isn’t that much of a thriller as it’s pretty predictable.
At the start I didn’t realize it was set in modern day, but that quickly became obvious with mentions of cell phones and cars.
I don’t think there’s one thing likable about any of the characters. But the mystery did keep me guessing. The ending wasn’t all that satisfying. It’s a dark story that isn’t that much of a thriller as it’s pretty predictable.