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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Need to read up on my Agatha, but this was fun! Sadly, I didn't get the ending 🤷🏼♀️ what's with the green bottle?!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I picked this up on a whim because i want to get more into mystery but the reviews almost deterred me. i decided to ignore them and i’m glad i did. while it is basically the plot of and then there were none with a twist, it was easy to get in to and keeps your attention. i was genuinely scared and nervous at parts and it was that dread that made me keep reading. the reveal was lost on me at first though because i was trying to power through the last 50 pages. i had to flip back once i realized Van was not amongst the names i thought he was still on the island and then i realized he had revealed himself like 5 pages ago. that line did stop me in my tracks after i went back to it though and it had me going back trying to figure out how that was even possible because with the two locations pov, he was truly in two places at once. i appreciated that they wrapped it up so succinctly with the explanation of why van did it and how he did it but i think he motive was a little weak and i think the end left a little to be desired. so no one ever finds out? he just gets away with it? everyone got what the deserved? the bottle is back and it’s full circle? i think there were other paths the author could have explored that would have made for a stronger ending because after all that build up and finding the corpse in the hidden room, the story was rich with detail and imagery and places to go and then it just kinda gets shoved into a box. that being said!! i really enjoyed this and am not mad i read it at all. it did frighten me and i’m glad it’s over so i don’t have to keep reading with goose bumps. i would give it a 3.5!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji is a delightfully tricky take on Christie's classic And Then There Were None. A group of students in a Mystery Club are picked off one by one while staying in a decagon shaped house on an island where a brutal crime occurred six months before.
I love the way this book plays with the genre, both by referencing Christie's book directly and through the chosen nicknames of the characters, which are all crime novelists or detectives. Names become very important to the story.
I also liked the back and forth of the events on the island vs the events on the mainland, where an ex-club member is investigating after receiving a mysterious threatening letter. This split gave the plotline more dynamics while introducing nuance, red herrings, and plahing with timeline.
This is one of those mysteries where I had suspicions and my instincts said something was off, but the narrative manages to wiggle out of my grasp. I wouldn't really say this is a fair play mystery due to certain elements of the solution, but a lot of the clues are there.
I love the way this book plays with the genre, both by referencing Christie's book directly and through the chosen nicknames of the characters, which are all crime novelists or detectives. Names become very important to the story.
I also liked the back and forth of the events on the island vs the events on the mainland, where an ex-club member is investigating after receiving a mysterious threatening letter. This split gave the plotline more dynamics while introducing nuance, red herrings, and plahing with timeline.
This is one of those mysteries where I had suspicions and my instincts said something was off, but the narrative manages to wiggle out of my grasp. I wouldn't really say this is a fair play mystery due to certain elements of the solution, but a lot of the clues are there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes