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A review by mahi_nad
Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
2.75 stars.
REVIEW:
Raise your hand if you immediately guessed who the killer was.
C'mon, I know you did.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
The way Murphy wrote the POVs in this book made it GLARINGLY obvious who the killer was. The way Liz just... wasn't scared at all in her normal POVs. It immediately set off my spidey senses. As I read on, I could tell she knew something, and then I realised she's most likely the killer. To be fair, I had just gotten off reading Silent Patient, so that could be why I guessed it almost immediately. Reading on just added fuel to fire, and I genuinely got bored of the book. I knew who did it, and I didn't understand why. It didn't make sense until the very end, which I guess is good, since it has a tiny little surprise (she has psychotic episodes).
One thing I didn't understand though. During a psychotic episode, she wrote "Dead Girls Can't Win" on the fogged up mirror in the bathroom, but then later she didn't remember it? And was "scared"? I genuinely had to stop reading and think about why she would be scared. I don't know enough about psychotic episodes to have a strong opinion on it, but something about that didn't sit well with me.
Also, the way the book flowed was too stilted for me. Something about the transition between LIz's POVs and the "murderer's" POVs broke the flow of the narrative. Also, the "murderer's" POVs literally sounded like a 3rd grader wrote them. I don't know why. Once again, gave me the impression of someone coming up with this story on the spot and writing down the first draft, then publishing it.
That being said, this book felt as though Murphy thought of a cool plot twist, and wrote the story around it. I'm not saying it's entirely bad, but for it to work, it needs to be done right. This book just didn't deliver it.
One good thing that happened in this book is Liz and Cole's relationship. I have to admit, it was pretty cute. As someone with a severe dust allergy, the fact that Cole went with Liz to that EXTREMELY dusty room was adorable.
But Liz, c'mon. He's most likely going to find out soon enough. The killing of head girls suddenly stops with you? Sure, she (blamed it? might blame it? I don't remember) on Dr. Patel, but if you really think about it, even if you didn't originally guess Liz, it becomes pretty clear who did it.
You know there's a problem when the romantic side plot is more compelling and captivating than overachievers dying in horrific ways.
BOTTOM LINE:
Could have been executed better, not as interesting as I thought it would be
AGE RATING:
13+
REVIEW:
Raise your hand if you immediately guessed who the killer was.
C'mon, I know you did.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
The way Murphy wrote the POVs in this book made it GLARINGLY obvious who the killer was. The way Liz just... wasn't scared at all in her normal POVs. It immediately set off my spidey senses. As I read on, I could tell she knew something, and then I realised she's most likely the killer. To be fair, I had just gotten off reading Silent Patient, so that could be why I guessed it almost immediately. Reading on just added fuel to fire, and I genuinely got bored of the book. I knew who did it, and I didn't understand why. It didn't make sense until the very end, which I guess is good, since it has a tiny little surprise (she has psychotic episodes).
One thing I didn't understand though. During a psychotic episode, she wrote "Dead Girls Can't Win" on the fogged up mirror in the bathroom, but then later she didn't remember it? And was "scared"? I genuinely had to stop reading and think about why she would be scared. I don't know enough about psychotic episodes to have a strong opinion on it, but something about that didn't sit well with me.
Also, the way the book flowed was too stilted for me. Something about the transition between LIz's POVs and the "murderer's" POVs broke the flow of the narrative. Also, the "murderer's" POVs literally sounded like a 3rd grader wrote them. I don't know why. Once again, gave me the impression of someone coming up with this story on the spot and writing down the first draft, then publishing it.
That being said, this book felt as though Murphy thought of a cool plot twist, and wrote the story around it. I'm not saying it's entirely bad, but for it to work, it needs to be done right. This book just didn't deliver it.
One good thing that happened in this book is Liz and Cole's relationship. I have to admit, it was pretty cute. As someone with a severe dust allergy, the fact that Cole went with Liz to that EXTREMELY dusty room was adorable.
But Liz, c'mon. He's most likely going to find out soon enough. The killing of head girls suddenly stops with you? Sure, she (blamed it? might blame it? I don't remember) on Dr. Patel, but if you really think about it, even if you didn't originally guess Liz, it becomes pretty clear who did it.
You know there's a problem when the romantic side plot is more compelling and captivating than overachievers dying in horrific ways.
BOTTOM LINE:
Could have been executed better, not as interesting as I thought it would be
AGE RATING:
13+
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship