Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Square of Sevens

This historical mystery really hooked me and had such good twists.

A fast paced cat-and-mouse, lite courtroom drama, loaded with deception and intrigue! Red is a resourceful and clever main character, driven to unravel her family's history and secrets. From the Cornish countryside to the social court of London, we follow her from childhood to adulthood and experience all her heartbreaks and triumphs as an elaborate mystery unravels to reveal that not everyone is who they say.

The story is peppered with Tarot, as the key plot device is her Pellar father's signature technique, a little bit of star charts and mysticism. We get so many settings that all feel lived in and full- from her adolescent home full of antiquities, to creepy countryside manors, to grungy smelly London streets, and cozy but wretched taverns. The characters are believable, dogged, and loyal to their creeds. The dialogue matches the settings and historical context. There are little peaks into other characters perspectives, but the narration is mostly from Red's point of view, so the reader does build empathy even for the aggressors (sometimes).

The twists at the end had my head reeling! I don't usually get caught off guard, but dang!

I listened to this via Libro.fm, the narrator was excellent! The physical book is also gorgeous with card illustrations at each chapter head, and a few diagrams and a map of 1730's London.

Content Warnings

bessadams's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

khall123's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

hoppma's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I won this in a giveaway and I'm so glad because it was a fun read. This is a multi-layered mystery with many twists and turns. And despite the length of the book nothing is wasted. Every piece and thread will come back and be important at the conclusion, but it didn't feel overwhelming. I have read a lot of mysteries - and a lot of historical fiction - but this felt unique.

Content Warnings

rhiannonafternoon's review

Go to review page

mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The DRAMA this family has, I don’t know what’s worse; the deceit or the greed. It was hard to tear myself away with each chapter revealing something new and leading you to a new conclusion about everyone’s messed up relationships. What a journey!

Content Warnings

elmewhy's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

~~5 Stars~~ 22nd June 2023

“If you wanted a saint, then you should have read a different book.”

Happy Publication Day!

Lies, Secrets, Deception, an intense family feud and twists and turns to make you gasp aloud - this novel is a gorgeously crafted tale guaranteed to be one of your favourite reads this year.

I love an unreliable narrator, and this book delivers. You jump right into a mystery that follows Red, a daughter of a fortune teller, who embarks on her quest to find her family. Red, an expert in the famous cartography of the Square of Sevens, uses her charm and wits to find the truth.

This novel is masterly plotted into four sections, with each chapter corresponding to a particular card that follows the Square of Sevens method - a second read would see the prominence of this.

Red is such an engaging narrator, and you can’t help but root for her, a seemingly unfortunate girl who faces injustices and poor luck at every turn. Lazarus Darke is another engaging narrator featured, and his pov is entirely different from Reds. Darke is more duty-bound; towards the end, he closely resembles us, the reader. A whole other host of characters help weave this web of complex tales, and the author does a great job of introducing them and giving them enough time within the story to feel their impact.

Laura Shepherd-Robinson is a genius in historical fiction, and the level of detail is evident in her writing. The historical notes at the end of the book show how much research and care she put into the novel. Comparatively, I’ve never felt more empathy for women in the 18th century. Actions and mentions of sexism are not a central plot point but are subtly laced throughout the novel. These actions wouldn’t be uncommon for that time, but they created much injustice in the story that readers can’t help but feel for the women in the novel.

This novel was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The layers of secrets and mysteries were abundant. I read this novel so fast and loved every moment - I highly recommend any historical fiction or mystery fans read this novel!

Extra Details

-TW/CW:

Mentions of death, murder, poisoning, r*pe, inc*st

-Ending Happy/Sad/Unfinished:

This depends on how you feel upon reading the ending (which I will not fully spoil here). Truly a remarkable read.

-Favourite Quotes:

“When a man is powerful and evil, other people surround themselves with lies, until they’re not sure if they’re protecting him or protecting themselves.”

“People like to say they seek the truth. Sometimes they even mean it. The truth is they crave the warm embrace of a lie.”

“My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn't afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well.”

<I>Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Laura Shepherd-Robinson for this e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.</I>

Content Warnings

More...