cde10's review against another edition
3.0
I think I’m in the minority on this. The idea for the story is really amazing. The road to get to the end and the big reveal was convoluted and for me, hard to follow at times. You almost need to either read it all in one sitting so you can remember everything or read it with others so you can recap.
maryzzzz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
readerreaderpumpkineater1's review against another edition
4.0
I did NOT see the end coming. I didn’t expect it AT ALL.
This book would make a really good movie.
If you are expecting to go into a book and know what is going on or keep track of what is happening… that’s not going to happen here. You honestly have to stop trying to figure that out and just go along with it. I reread the first two chapters maybe 3 times because I DIDNT UNDERSTAND what was going on. That’s the point.. you aren’t going to. You have to just be okay with being a little uncomfortable with a lack of understanding at first.
It’s worth it.
I will admit tho.. it is a tad long.
This book would make a really good movie.
If you are expecting to go into a book and know what is going on or keep track of what is happening… that’s not going to happen here. You honestly have to stop trying to figure that out and just go along with it. I reread the first two chapters maybe 3 times because I DIDNT UNDERSTAND what was going on. That’s the point.. you aren’t going to. You have to just be okay with being a little uncomfortable with a lack of understanding at first.
It’s worth it.
I will admit tho.. it is a tad long.
rcbick's review against another edition
3.0
very interesting concept but so many plot holes, unnecessarily convoluted.
just_bellla's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
twistykris'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
2.25
I honestly was going to DNF this book about 20% in and I wish I had. I loved the concept of this (especially since I'm going through a phase of wanting to read murder mysteries) but I seriously struggled getting through this.
- The fatphobia made me so so uncomfortable. Aiden is in a host body of one character, and every other paragraph talks about how "huge" and "grotesque" this man is, and how every piece of furniture "creaks" under his "immense" weight, and how he has "many greasy chins." It felt excessive and unnecessary (yes, he's fat, you hate how fat he is when you're in his body, we get it. And sure, maybe some of it was ).
Spoiler
because the thoughts and memories of the hosts start to take over Aiden's mind, and maybe this is that character's own self-hate and internalized fatphobia but YIKES - I don't mind reading a book I feel is dense or challenging. But maybe my brain was just not prepared for the absolute string-and-post-it-note levels of dense this book felt. I had to make a GoogleDoc to keep track of who said what when and who interacted with who because as it turns out, tiny little details would pop up later and I had to be constantly re-reading and flipping back to previous chapters, and not in a fun "OH I'M MAKING A CONNECTION" way; more of a "wait, who said what? I'm so confused" way. To be honest: this book made me feel dumb as hell at times.
- I couldn't seem to be invested in these characters. I felt a twinge of it for Aiden closer to the ending after a big reveal, but nothing that made me hold my breath in anticipation, fear, or excitement.
- Without spoilers: the ending left me feeling a sort of "ick."
- There were some things that felt unanswered in an unsatisfying way.
All in all, I'm giving this a 2.25- this book wasn't for me. I went into this book, craving a "Benoit Blanc"-style mystery but it left me feeling disappointed. Maybe it was a wrong-book-wrong-time scenario, maybe I would never have enjoyed this. But I leave with the knowledge that I need to learn when to put a book down if it isn't giving me satisfaction.
If you enjoy a book that will make you put up a whiteboard to keep track of the intricate webs, if you enjoy multiple twists that leave you feeling a smidge lost and wanting to find the connections, if you feel compelled to immediately re-read a complex book so you can pick up on all the details you missed the first time, this might be the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fatphobia, Murder, and Body shaming
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Child death, Rape, Classism, Injury/injury detail, and Drug use
Minor: Ableism and Death of parent
yquix's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Rape
bkr's review against another edition
3.0
An entirely okay novel. But when there’s a twist on every page it becomes confusing begins to bore. One of the endorsement quotes implies Agatha Christie would be jealous of this mystery… but the greatest mystery remains unsolved — who, and why, are the plague doctors?
kclay98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
5.0