Scan barcode
A review by _snarkysharky
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
1.0
This book felt robotic and lacked emotion.
I really wanted to like this book. In fact, for the first 50% of it, I convinced myself that I actually did.
I've always been a big mystery thriller fan and enjoy trying to figure out the puzzle before the book's end. However, this book presented a mystery I did not care to solve.
Here are the things that did not work for me:
It was hard to form a connection with the characters.
There were too many of them, and they were all introduced at the same time. I hadn't even formed a mental image and persona for one character before another was already being introduced. I did not care for any of them.
The narrator's voice was overpowering.
Perhaps the fact that she does not have a personality made this incredibly boring for me.
The book felt longer than it should have.
The writing was good, but the story was long and winding. I felt it could have wrapped up in 300 pages or so, but the narrative just kept going with unnecessary drama and a poor attempt at a family drama, and romance subplot. It was not atmospheric, it was not tense—it was bleak and dry.
The mystery was one I did not care to solve.
Since I was not able to form a connection with the characters, I couldn't care less who died or who lived. The investigation of the murder was too long and it bored me. From a mystery reader's point of view, this mass memory loss thing is too convenient a plot device.
Cliché Ending for a Dystopian Book
I was really excited when the first shocking twist was revealed. It was a peak dystopian plot twist! However, after the murder unfolded, everything became too cliché. The false suspects, wrong conclusions, and the very predictable and disappointing ending were just like every other dystopian book.
I don't get the hype. I do not recommend this book.
I really wanted to like this book. In fact, for the first 50% of it, I convinced myself that I actually did.
I've always been a big mystery thriller fan and enjoy trying to figure out the puzzle before the book's end. However, this book presented a mystery I did not care to solve.
Here are the things that did not work for me:
It was hard to form a connection with the characters.
There were too many of them, and they were all introduced at the same time. I hadn't even formed a mental image and persona for one character before another was already being introduced. I did not care for any of them.
The narrator's voice was overpowering.
Perhaps the fact that she does not have a personality made this incredibly boring for me.
The book felt longer than it should have.
The writing was good, but the story was long and winding. I felt it could have wrapped up in 300 pages or so, but the narrative just kept going with unnecessary drama and a poor attempt at a family drama, and romance subplot. It was not atmospheric, it was not tense—it was bleak and dry.
The mystery was one I did not care to solve.
Since I was not able to form a connection with the characters, I couldn't care less who died or who lived. The investigation of the murder was too long and it bored me. From a mystery reader's point of view, this mass memory loss thing is too convenient a plot device.
Cliché Ending for a Dystopian Book
I was really excited when the first shocking twist was revealed. It was a peak dystopian plot twist! However, after the murder unfolded, everything became too cliché. The false suspects, wrong conclusions, and the very predictable and disappointing ending were just like every other dystopian book.
I don't get the hype. I do not recommend this book.