Reviews with content warning for Rape - 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.

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leahhhtaylor's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

My god. A perfect 5 stars, my first of the year. This book has everything I love. A deviously complex layout, every chapter thought about to the bone. Multiple characters and perspectives to keep my interest. wealthier than wealthy families where backstabbings, murders, insults and shade never cease.

AND multiple twists and turns that challenge me. A pure romantic like Jemima, I thought for a moment that Archie was faking his forgiveness of Red, but it soon faded away when he pretended to be in love with her. I was like yesss they’re gonna get married and take all of the money. I’m also normally not one to love a twist that undoes the work of the twists before it. But this one made sense, and was perfect.

A character who may have rough beginnings but is confident and doesn’t spend page after page self deprecating and being unsure of herself. Such perfect description and pacing that was JUST RIGHT! God I loved it. Can’t wait to read it again, need to go buy the physical cover.

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hannahg94's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I find it hard to write a review for this book... because honestly, I don't really have anything negative to say about it. And a review that simply gushes isn't necessarily helpful. But I love this book.

It's a beautifully done, epic adventure with many satisfying-- and logical!--twists, dastardly secrets, delightfully wicked characters, clever plots, and... maybe the work of the fates? I found the book fast-paced and attention-grabbing. I wasn't bored once. The adventure was jumped right into, and every chapter offered something to be excited about. I finished it in four days. It devoured my free time.

The story feels very Dickens-esque (apparently purposefully so) but in a Georgian setting. Though the book is not veiled in historical "modesty," and has the bite of a modern thriller. The plot was clearly planned meticulously before pen met paper. I loved the characters and their relationships---only one relationship felt weirdly stinted to me, but then a reveal in the end proved that that was intentional!

Laura Shepherd-Robinson, you got me. You got me good.

I could have taken a thousand more pages of this stuff, and I'm usually telling authors to write less.

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bessadams's review against another edition

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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

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hoppma's review against another edition

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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.

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rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition

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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!

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daisywilkes's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A mysterious page turner that will keep you hanging till the very end! If you think you know where this is going, no you don't. Some parts could be somewhat repetitive but otherwise this might be my favourite crime book

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elmewhy's review against another edition

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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>

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