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meesha_mo's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Reading this was like watching Lost all over again. The longer I read this book, the less I enjoyed it. How many mysteries need to stuffed into one book? The timeline of it all was hard to keep track of so I stopped trying. There were too many details to keep track of. The pacing was so slow. There was no tension with the way it was written. The mechanics of this world are never explained - not a one. Also, the ending??? So they're free? But are there bodies still in the prison - like is this a mental thing? If it's a physical thing, like they're actually at Black Heath, where's Aiden's body? Magic? Very advanced science? Also, 30 years they've been at this? Also, if he volunteered to go in, why make him answer the question/solve the murder? Just let him out. Especially when they realized he was losing himself?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape and Child death
iamaprettyflower'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Drug use, Violence, Infidelity, Murder, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Self harm
cozyfantasyfaetay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Slow start, didn't really enjoy it until I knew the twist. Lots of characters and hard for me to follow 😵💫 But maybe better for murder mystery fans.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Minor: Classism, Gore, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death
crimsonsparrow's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Time travel meets murder mystery meets Face Off... This has got to be one of the most complicated, convoluted detective stories I've ever experienced - in the most interesting and unique possible way. I didn't care how it ended; it was a fascinating ride.
I was especially intrigue by the author's ingenious use of a unique, first-person narrative and meta-narrative. It had both both a science fiction feel and a psychological thrill without compromising the best character qualities of the MC.
The only reason it's not a perfect 5: I would have liked some of the details to be more meticulous. Some things that seemed important up-front ended up a tad slap-dash in the end. It got a little rushed at the end. And the final explanation was not terribly well-supported or as well-developed as so many other aspects of the story. I absolutely recommend it, though, if for nothing else than novelty's sake
I was especially intrigue by the author's ingenious use of a unique, first-person narrative and meta-narrative. It had both both a science fiction feel and a psychological thrill without compromising the best character qualities of the MC.
The only reason it's not a perfect 5: I would have liked some of the details to be more meticulous. Some things that seemed important up-front ended up a tad slap-dash in the end. It got a little rushed at the end. And the final explanation was not terribly well-supported or as well-developed as so many other aspects of the story. I absolutely recommend it, though, if for nothing else than novelty's sake
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Blood
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Animal death, Child death, and Gun violence
wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
To relate it to a movie mash up, take Being John Malkovich and pair it with Knives Out with a dash of unexplained world building sci-fi time loop situation.
Premise was quite good, but the execution suffered. It dragged in the middle and the wrap up at the end wasn’t very satisfying because it left so many questions unanswered.
Premise was quite good, but the execution suffered. It dragged in the middle and the wrap up at the end wasn’t very satisfying because it left so many questions unanswered.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Sexism, Stalking, Drug use, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Ableism, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Body horror, Murder, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Self harm, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
shawniejo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape
jess_tries2read's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was completely unique to anything I had read. It took the trope of a dramatic murder at a creepy, rich-people mansion to a whole other level.
The story starts in the most dramatic way possible: a consciousness in a body they don't remember, nor do they remember anything else, except one name, Anna. This character is dragged into a neverending whirlwind of events once he sees a woman sprinting through the forest crying for help. Eventually he ends up a Blackheath, a blighted estate that once held prestige, until it was marred by the death of one of the Hardcadtle children 19 years ago.
The unique mystery had me in its grip until it ended.
The implication of the cosmic race/justice system is so compelling. The Plague Doctor was a great figure, terrifying and illuminating. You were scared to see him but also thrilled because you get to peek behind the veil of the bigger story. The body switching was the perfect, dramatic backdrop to obscure the simpler mystery of Evelyn's death.
5/5
The story starts in the most dramatic way possible: a consciousness in a body they don't remember, nor do they remember anything else, except one name, Anna. This character is dragged into a neverending whirlwind of events once he sees a woman sprinting through the forest crying for help. Eventually he ends up a Blackheath, a blighted estate that once held prestige, until it was marred by the death of one of the Hardcadtle children 19 years ago.
The unique mystery had me in its grip until it ended.
5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, and Blood
Minor: Body horror, Classism, and Sexual harassment
star's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was complicated for me. I really enjoyed it, but it was pretty hard to get through at points. Possibly that was because I was already anxiety-ridden waiting for something in my personal life, but the palpable anxiety throughout the book did not help me.
I found the relationships between the characters quite interesting, but unraveling it took quite a bit of time. Especially jumping between the hosts, I felt like I needed a huge wall of pictures and colorful yarn to figure that out.
I will say that the ending made the book very worth it for me. Between all the points being added and deducted in my brain for various things, I think I have settled on a 4 star rating. Good enough to finish, but not good enough to keep -- I will be donating this sometime soon. (Which is great, as I bought it at a half-price used books sort of deal, and I believe it was one of the donated ones (they also carry limited new selections).)
Now, for the spoiler portion:
I found the comparison of Anna to Hitler to be unnecessary, especially because Aiden just fucking ignored that anyway. I LOVED the twist ending, though - I did not expect for a second that Evelyn was actually Felicity, and that the REAL Evelyn was hiding. I also can appreciate how many of the characters died in various ways that WEREN'T Evelyn. I can't believe they wiped out the entire Hardcastle family in this book.
Finding out that Evelyn was to be married to Ravenscourt killed me though. And so many little plot points just stood out to me. It was a shame it was a bit of a slog.
I have seen a lot of complaints online about the descriptions of Ravenscourt in this book. Personally, the fatphobia was expected for me. As someone who is "medically obese" (a term I hate) it bothered me, but not enough to get me to stop reading. It was quite repetitive and gratuitous, as most of his descriptions of the characters "negative" traits are, but oh well. I do think that I would not have read this book if I had seen those reviews first.
I found the relationships between the characters quite interesting, but unraveling it took quite a bit of time. Especially jumping between the hosts, I felt like I needed a huge wall of pictures and colorful yarn to figure that out.
I will say that the ending made the book very worth it for me. Between all the points being added and deducted in my brain for various things, I think I have settled on a 4 star rating. Good enough to finish, but not good enough to keep -- I will be donating this sometime soon. (Which is great, as I bought it at a half-price used books sort of deal, and I believe it was one of the donated ones (they also carry limited new selections).)
Now, for the spoiler portion:
I found the comparison of Anna to Hitler to be unnecessary, especially because Aiden just fucking ignored that anyway. I LOVED the twist ending, though - I did not expect for a second that Evelyn was actually Felicity, and that the REAL Evelyn was hiding. I also can appreciate how many of the characters died in various ways that WEREN'T Evelyn. I can't believe they wiped out the entire Hardcastle family in this book.
Finding out that Evelyn was to be married to Ravenscourt killed me though. And so many little plot points just stood out to me. It was a shame it was a bit of a slog.
I have seen a lot of complaints online about the descriptions of Ravenscourt in this book. Personally, the fatphobia was expected for me. As someone who is "medically obese" (a term I hate) it bothered me, but not enough to get me to stop reading. It was quite repetitive and gratuitous, as most of his descriptions of the characters "negative" traits are, but oh well. I do think that I would not have read this book if I had seen those reviews first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Abandonment, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Fatphobia
literarydumpling's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was a ride and a half.
I said about a third of the way through the book and I had the impression that I probably wasn't clever enough to solve the mystery in the book. I'm glad to say that was the only 100% correct conclusion I came to for this book.
So cleverly written, I love the premise and the way the elements weave themselves together. A little baffling at times, but not so much that you won't pick the book up again.
I did find it incredibly useful that they had a character list and map at the front of the book so it was easy to refer to (and not miss, unlike some of my adventures in other books). It's a very unique take on a mystery thriller that I've not seen before with some slight fantasy/supernatural elements to it that are simple enough to understand.
Seriously enjoyable and the twists and reveals were all incredibly satisfying.
I said about a third of the way through the book and I had the impression that I probably wasn't clever enough to solve the mystery in the book. I'm glad to say that was the only 100% correct conclusion I came to for this book.
So cleverly written, I love the premise and the way the elements weave themselves together. A little baffling at times, but not so much that you won't pick the book up again.
I did find it incredibly useful that they had a character list and map at the front of the book so it was easy to refer to (and not miss, unlike some of my adventures in other books). It's a very unique take on a mystery thriller that I've not seen before with some slight fantasy/supernatural elements to it that are simple enough to understand.
Seriously enjoyable and the twists and reveals were all incredibly satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death
33vee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment