Scan barcode
prairieraven's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ah_nailse's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’d compare this book to Knives Out. I really liked the twists, usually they caught me off guard and I thought that was pretty well done, but there is something just not really engaging about this book. I think it was the mystery aspect, I was more interested in the mundane things the characters were doing in this huge murder mystery I was supposed to be invested in
kmthomas06's review
3.0
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting but it wasn't quite this. An interesting read and it certainly kept me guessing though it was ultimately pretty implausible all around. The morality of the characters is concerning, to say the least, but I enjoyed the exploration of a set of people driven by numbers at all costs and the blind faith that if the numbers say it is so then it must be, no matter what. Hazel does well as the "heroine" (and I only had minimal desire to shake her periodically) and her uncle and brother made for compelling narrators (and in retrospect, how their chapters play with the idea of an unreliable narrator is quite cool).
mary_elizabeth's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookonarooftop's review
3.0
What if someone told you that predicting your death was possible with a mathematical equation?
Sounds quite bizarre, does it?
The story follows a dysfunctional Severy family after the death of a family member.
As the main character, the granddaughter of a famed mathematician who passed away tries to find the equation grandfather left for her, the tragic truth about other family members comes to light.
As much as I loved the idea of the story, it was "too much". Too many themes all in one, spread all around the place, without diving deep into them. The book tries to address topics such as vigilante justice, child abuse, drug abuse, infidelity, pseudo-incestious relationship, etc. But all of these are just on a surface level.
The Chaos theory the author uses to predict future deaths could have been explained better - I would not have minded more scientific/mathematical explanations.
And it's sold as a mystery novel but the clue-hunt part, the thriller part is just a background story, no one cares about it. No clues are fully explored and everything just ends up too predictable.
[Maybe that was the point? To predict the future with that mathematical equation? Who knows]
Sounds quite bizarre, does it?
The story follows a dysfunctional Severy family after the death of a family member.
As the main character, the granddaughter of a famed mathematician who passed away tries to find the equation grandfather left for her, the tragic truth about other family members comes to light.
As much as I loved the idea of the story, it was "too much". Too many themes all in one, spread all around the place, without diving deep into them. The book tries to address topics such as vigilante justice, child abuse, drug abuse, infidelity, pseudo-incestious relationship, etc. But all of these are just on a surface level.
The Chaos theory the author uses to predict future deaths could have been explained better - I would not have minded more scientific/mathematical explanations.
And it's sold as a mystery novel but the clue-hunt part, the thriller part is just a background story, no one cares about it. No clues are fully explored and everything just ends up too predictable.
[Maybe that was the point? To predict the future with that mathematical equation? Who knows]
celiapowell's review
3.0
Isaac Severy, famous mathematician, dies under slightly mysterious circumstances, leaving his niece Hazel a cryptic letter of clues leading to his last piece of work - the last equation of the title. This novel isn't just a mystery quest story though - in large part, it's a story about Severy's family, and their secrets and difficult relationships. I really enjoyed it.
hmetwade's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
kiki_chaser's review against another edition
I didn’t like the audiobook narrator’s voice and the story was really slow to start. Even after an hour of listening (30%) of the way into the book, it didn't feel like anything had really happened.
tepmurt12's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I did enjoy the story, I've read so many mysteries about spouses and locked rooms that this was a nice change of pace however Hazel was the one character we were supposed to like and she was absolutely infuriating as well as the fact that I hated that she ended up with her cousin, even if they aren't blood related.