Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
I think this book has a great concept and good potential. But I prefer plot driven books and this was too character focused with a skipping timeline that made it hard to really sink my teeth in to. I did appreciate reading a book set in 2022 local to Toronto - so it was fun reading about so many familiar places and quirks. But other than that, the book fell flat for me.
7 hotel employees each with a part to play in a mission to assassinate someone who visits the hotel. Except they don’t know when they have to carry out their part until one day the text arrives to set in motion the plan. None of them know of each other’s involvement. The story is told as a series of interviews with the employees after the event itself. It’s a unique way to tell a story. For some parts of the study I felt like I was on drugs! It was like a puzzle to be unravelled bit by bit. Satisfying to read but not sure I enjoyed it!
An interesting, mostly effective, puzzle of a story, Seven Down tells the story of a failed plot carried out by various sleeper agents, all employees of the same hotel and all unaware of each other’s affiliation with The Company. The book is arranged as a series of transcripts of recording with the agents after the plot, some a few years after the day, some merely a few hours. I loved getting bits and pieces of how everyone’s various stories connect in small and major ways, slowly putting together what when wrong and why. Much of the hows and whys are opaque, which adds to the intrigue. I was actually disappointed at the end, when the exactly goal of the plot is laid out plainly. It’s all a bit rote and cliched and really undercuts the rest of the book. I’d have been happier not knowing what it was that they were trying to accomplish and why.
Witty, dark, & satirical - Seven Down is a unique character study with a gut punching effect.
I would recommend diving into this blind, but all you need to know are – Seven hotel employees, a secret trigger code and a mission that fails spectacularly – all these lead to the company’s investigation of this fiasco – starting with the interviews of the involved staff.
The format of this book & the writing style pulled me in pretty quickly. Though it’s all very perplexing to begin with, as we hear the narrative of every protagonist, the plot & the events leading up to the debacle start becoming clear.
Whitton does a great job of maintaining a high level of secrecy & suspense all the way till the end. The plot is cleverly constructed & surprisingly, it wasn’t one bit predictable. Speculating anything & suspecting anybody was hard, which kept me turning the pages furiously with curiosity, to find out which of them pulled the plug & why.
I loved how Whitton explores the kind of psychological ramifications, this event brings upon each of the characters. However, I felt there was a bit too much of meaningless ramblings which caused me to lose interest at times.
The storyline deals with some serious subject matters such capitalism & drug abuse. But at the same time, there is a good balance with the snarky remarks & humor filled banter between the interviewer & the interviewee.
After some bizarre drama & crazy turn of events, the ending left me feeling – “aaaahh!”.
Overall, this was unlike any other book I’ve read. Short at 200 pages, it certainly has a lasting impact & makes you think about what you just read!
Thanks NetGalley & Dundurn press for providing me with this ARC in exchange of an honest review!
I would recommend diving into this blind, but all you need to know are – Seven hotel employees, a secret trigger code and a mission that fails spectacularly – all these lead to the company’s investigation of this fiasco – starting with the interviews of the involved staff.
The format of this book & the writing style pulled me in pretty quickly. Though it’s all very perplexing to begin with, as we hear the narrative of every protagonist, the plot & the events leading up to the debacle start becoming clear.
Whitton does a great job of maintaining a high level of secrecy & suspense all the way till the end. The plot is cleverly constructed & surprisingly, it wasn’t one bit predictable. Speculating anything & suspecting anybody was hard, which kept me turning the pages furiously with curiosity, to find out which of them pulled the plug & why.
I loved how Whitton explores the kind of psychological ramifications, this event brings upon each of the characters. However, I felt there was a bit too much of meaningless ramblings which caused me to lose interest at times.
The storyline deals with some serious subject matters such capitalism & drug abuse. But at the same time, there is a good balance with the snarky remarks & humor filled banter between the interviewer & the interviewee.
After some bizarre drama & crazy turn of events, the ending left me feeling – “aaaahh!”.
Overall, this was unlike any other book I’ve read. Short at 200 pages, it certainly has a lasting impact & makes you think about what you just read!
Thanks NetGalley & Dundurn press for providing me with this ARC in exchange of an honest review!
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was fascinated by the way the author narrates in a very smooth sequence of events issues that are not openly spoken -if you know what I mean if you do not, I will not specify- the fact that every character is created as an ordinary individual although capable of turning their life upside down just because they are not comfortable with a 1% of their life. This states to me, once more that human beings are capable of good and evil. "It just takes a second to make a bad decision or amended it."
This is my first time reading a book like this one, it is categorized as General Fiction, but for someone like me who only reads Rom-Com, Cozy mystery, or Romance Fantasy, this was an unexpected Thriller.
I am glad I was selected to read it.
You can find me here:
https://www.instagram.com/i_am_a_slow_reader/
https://www.facebook.com/TheSlowReadersPage/
https://twitter.com/Elliemas6
This is my first time reading a book like this one, it is categorized as General Fiction, but for someone like me who only reads Rom-Com, Cozy mystery, or Romance Fantasy, this was an unexpected Thriller.
I am glad I was selected to read it.
You can find me here:
https://www.instagram.com/i_am_a_slow_reader/
https://www.facebook.com/TheSlowReadersPage/
https://twitter.com/Elliemas6
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Copy provided by Dundurn Press.
Seven Down was a debut novel. Set in the near future Toronto of 2022, post pandemic. Seven tells the story of a failed plot carried out by seven members of the staff of a hotel, playing in a mission to assassinate someone who visits the hotel. The only thing is that they don’t know when they have to carry out their part until one day the text arrives to set in motion the plan. None of them know of each other’s involvement.
The story itself was told in a series of transcripts and interviews. It was like solving a puzzle piece by piece, which was a different aspect/different type of book I never read. However, I'm not sure if I was totally into the book, just since Im not the biggest fan of the genre. What. I liked was there was a lot of Toronto references, since Im from Toronto and there are not many books on Toronto or about Toronto. Another thing it was very interesting to see an authour write about a book post pandemic. I would definitely recommend reading this book and giving it a shot.
Seven Down was a debut novel. Set in the near future Toronto of 2022, post pandemic. Seven tells the story of a failed plot carried out by seven members of the staff of a hotel, playing in a mission to assassinate someone who visits the hotel. The only thing is that they don’t know when they have to carry out their part until one day the text arrives to set in motion the plan. None of them know of each other’s involvement.
The story itself was told in a series of transcripts and interviews. It was like solving a puzzle piece by piece, which was a different aspect/different type of book I never read. However, I'm not sure if I was totally into the book, just since Im not the biggest fan of the genre. What. I liked was there was a lot of Toronto references, since Im from Toronto and there are not many books on Toronto or about Toronto. Another thing it was very interesting to see an authour write about a book post pandemic. I would definitely recommend reading this book and giving it a shot.