Scan barcode
apalershadeofwhite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
(Note: take a shot every time I used the word 'sometimes' lmao.)
Overall, this book was so freaking good! I loved the premise, the characters, the execution... but there was one thing that didn't make this a 5-star read which is pretty petty of me, to be honest, but I think it's still valid lmao.
There were some really stunning sentences, metaphors, and similes throughout this entire book. Absolutely beautiful. I did sometimes feel like there were too many in a small space, though. Some of them felt a bit forced and included to try and be beautiful and thought-provoking, but sometimes simplicity is more telling. For example, on one page there were three similes/metaphors all of birds. They were each individually pretty, but there were so many in such a condensed space that it sometimes felt unneeded, unnecessary, etc. Some of the sentences didn't even need a linguistic technique and would have been just as good without them. A specific example being: the sentence "[a]n image of her mum making pastry for mince pies smacks into Lily's head like a robin into a plate glass". In my opinion, you don't need the simile; the word 'smack' is evocative and symbolic enough to insinuate painful or unwanted memories. Also, all of the metaphors and similes were Christmas or winter themed. Kudos to the dedication, but sometimes they didn't make as much sense as they could have if they weren't constrained to a theme.
Regarding characters, I loved Ronnie! He was the cause for a lot of the humour within the novel, which I think was a good choice to offset the darkness of the murder and death lol. I also loved Mrs Castle for her biting nature because she just did not give a shit, which also made for some funny lines.
The author is so good, based on this book, and I will probably read more of their stuff.
(POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD)
When it came to the plot twist (which in a sucker for), the hints were perfectly placed. I started to get suspicious of Tom because he was very attached physically to Lily while also constantly verbalising how emotionally attached to her he was. It happened so much that it started to feel like a diversion, but he was also the first who was attacked and did not succumb to his injuries, which was interesting. The other plot twist, about Sara and Tom made me a bit uncomfortable though, but it is DEFINITELY shocking and a twist, so I guess it works lol.
Overall, this book was so freaking good! I loved the premise, the characters, the execution... but there was one thing that didn't make this a 5-star read which is pretty petty of me, to be honest, but I think it's still valid lmao.
There were some really stunning sentences, metaphors, and similes throughout this entire book. Absolutely beautiful. I did sometimes feel like there were too many in a small space, though. Some of them felt a bit forced and included to try and be beautiful and thought-provoking, but sometimes simplicity is more telling. For example, on one page there were three similes/metaphors all of birds. They were each individually pretty, but there were so many in such a condensed space that it sometimes felt unneeded, unnecessary, etc. Some of the sentences didn't even need a linguistic technique and would have been just as good without them. A specific example being: the sentence "[a]n image of her mum making pastry for mince pies smacks into Lily's head like a robin into a plate glass". In my opinion, you don't need the simile; the word 'smack' is evocative and symbolic enough to insinuate painful or unwanted memories. Also, all of the metaphors and similes were Christmas or winter themed. Kudos to the dedication, but sometimes they didn't make as much sense as they could have if they weren't constrained to a theme.
Regarding characters, I loved Ronnie! He was the cause for a lot of the humour within the novel, which I think was a good choice to offset the darkness of the murder and death lol. I also loved Mrs Castle for her biting nature because she just did not give a shit, which also made for some funny lines.
The author is so good, based on this book, and I will probably read more of their stuff.
(POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD)
When it came to the plot twist (which in a sucker for), the hints were perfectly placed. I started to get suspicious of Tom because he was very attached physically to Lily while also constantly verbalising how emotionally attached to her he was. It happened so much that it started to feel like a diversion, but he was also the first who was attacked and did not succumb to his injuries, which was interesting. The other plot twist, about Sara and Tom made me a bit uncomfortable though, but it is DEFINITELY shocking and a twist, so I guess it works lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Self harm
Minor: Biphobia, Confinement, Alcoholism, and Homophobia
staceyinthesticks's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide, Sexual content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
lydias1's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I don’t like present tense writing :(
I couldn’t place the tone. It was an odd combination of intelligent and precise metaphors (albeit they were excessively used), and rather obvious and unclever ways of revealing plot information (“remember when you found your dead mum in the centre of the maze?”).
The characters were rather flat.
The pace was odd, because it was so drawn out over 12 days. 12 clues, except they were all the same - fancy sonnets that the reader had no chance of solving so it was pointless to try.
Overall, the plot is just bizarre and I finished the book out of spite. Wouldn’t recommened. A bonus star given because it had good bisexual representation which was nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Biphobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
dutchessofbooks's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.25
It was okay. Lots of typos though (like you're/your mistakes - very sloppy). I liked the premise, but then when everyone started dying and everyone else pretty much ignored it, is where the author lost me. Like, Lily lost most of her cousins, then asks her old beau out?? Who even does that?! Anyone would be severely traumatized. So although the puzzle of it all was fun enough, the characters were a little too flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Murder and Violence
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Homophobia, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Murder, Gore, Pregnancy, Blood, Grief, and Incest
hauntedtesty's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
1.5
I initially felt bad for comparing this to And Then There Were None, but I'm glad to see other reviews picking the same issues.
Good points - I liked the riddle aspect, a twelve days at christmas hunt with tension is a good plot idea! I actually really enjoyed -no spoilers - the part where someone would list everything they loved about a person.
Everything else - I couldn't get on with the characters, the culprit was noticeable but I couldn't even enjoy the protag working it out. Each character has one real trait and this will be repeated often in the hopes it gives them flesh. The tension wobbled a lot as I was really bewildered by the attitudes to certain events, the end just collapsed on itself.
Good points - I liked the riddle aspect, a twelve days at christmas hunt with tension is a good plot idea! I actually really enjoyed -no spoilers - the part where someone would list everything they loved about a person.
Everything else - I couldn't get on with the characters, the culprit was noticeable but I couldn't even enjoy the protag working it out. Each character has one real trait and this will be repeated often in the hopes it gives them flesh. The tension wobbled a lot as I was really bewildered by the attitudes to certain events, the end just collapsed on itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Biphobia and Incest
Minor: Alcoholism
katiej's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Exactly what you want from a festive murder mystery. Festivity, crime, tension, family drama and a splash of humour. I loved all the extra details and clues included and littered throughout. May have to become a yearly Christmas read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Biphobia
growintogardens's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Sigh. Well, I'm happy to see the lgbtq rep in mysteries, especially a bi protagonist. That said, I didn't really care for the story or the characters. Too many deaths, not enough character development. I also really didn't like having to read about pregnancy. Overall I just couldn't get into it, which sucks because I love the whole stuck in a house mystery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Incest, Pregnancy, and Death
Minor: Bullying, Biphobia, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
tuhkasirius's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Car accident, Death of parent, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Death, and Grief
Minor: Biphobia and Incest