Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

27 reviews

ladybismuth's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Definitely one of my favourite books. The narrative is exquisite, the characters are complex and intriguing, the plot is original and interesting. After reading it I couldn't stop thinking what I'd do with my lives if I were an ouroboran.
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francestea's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ok wow, what a book. The first half (and it’s a long half) of this book is spent introducing the characters and their context. North doesn’t rush this section and though I found it slow at the time, I appreciate how thoroughly she set up the story to come. Then all of a sudden the second half hits and it’s a fast-paced adventure story; I couldn’t put it down! The first 15 Lives of Harry August is a book for people who love and appreciate world-building and time-travel narratives. If you loved this book I would recommend Kate Atkinson’s Life after Life or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab!
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bookswithjk's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense slow-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

4.5

On the one hand, this book reads as a tale of love, loss and sorrow. It is a story about a man incapable of “dying” forced to relive his entire life over and over again, able to remember everything from each previous incarnation, mirrors by a similar man with higher ambition. The first half crawls at a glacial pace, with Harry introduced to us through his different lives in what is at times a tedious manner. However, once we hit halfway, the story immediately picks up. 
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lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The premise was really cool and interesting, but I struggled a lot with the rest. The atmosphere was quite depressing, and I really didn't like the detailed descriptions of torture, injuries and diseases. If you can think of any trigger, you can be sure it's in the book. I also didn't care for any of the characters, most of them were pretty unlikable. And it probably didn't help that I didn't like the German translation or the German narrator of the audiobook. Kinda wish I'd had access to the English book/audiobook.

There were some things I liked, though. The premise, like I said. But also how the story was structured. You get these random episodes of Harry's lives, and with each one you get a piece of information that explains how living your life over and over again works. All the pros but also cons are explored really well, and I like how they play a big part in the showdown of the story. I think it was cool, how many historical events around the globe Claire North was able to insert in the plot, the research must have been really extensive. Oh, and some of the settings were really cool. 

But all in all it felt too long in some places, too short in others, and the ending really dragged a lot because of so many repetitions. This felt like a 1000 pages book without actually being one. 
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georgianadarcy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

This is probably my favourite book.

The premise is fascinating, the way North explores it is even more fascinating & the characters are intricate & richly woven into the plot.

When Vincent was revealed to be evil I cried & when he tortured Harry & tried to wipe his mind I damn near sobbed.


Go read it. Then cry & force everyone you know to read it too.
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squid0110's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-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? No

4.25

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candace's review

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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