Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

15 reviews

kadtide's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious 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? Yes

2.0

It's trying to be And Then There Were None, pretty explicitly, and I think it does an okay job of that. But I didn't really like it. The twist makes sense (although the epilogue didn't and that annoyed me). It was hard to care about any of the characters because they didn't have a ton of depth, and it felt like a lot of the book was just not having the information to know what was going on.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

reflectiverambling_nalana's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sarahna's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

2.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

uhhlexiconic's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.5

Nine Lives' hook is also its anchor. Unlike the Christie novel it emulates, it keeps the characters largely separate and creates mundane scenes leading up to their deaths. The narrative ends some of the more promising stories early, and misses some of the juicier implications of the narrative. Absolutely readable but ultimately a case of wasted potential

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hmetwade's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kmsander4's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

2.75

I'll be honest, I was really tempted to give this one 2 stars. But the reality is it was fine. There was a solid mystery that I didn't fully figure out until the reveal was made. And the premise is exactly what you get, I just feel like it could have been more.

The short glimpses into everyone's lives didn't give me enough to actually *really* care whether they lived or died, and the lack of solid investigating made it difficult to actually feel like I was with them trying to unravel the mystery. I just sort of felt like I was along for the ride.

The tipping point - and the thing that almost caused the 2 star rating - was the final chapter. I think it was a cheap way out to have Jessica still be alive. In fact, when I finished the section where she "died", all I could comment on was how her hubris had led to her death. I didn't think she deserved to die - obviously - but I did think her cockiness and reliance on "I'm a cop, nothing can hurt me" leading to her downfall may have been fitting.

I also think this story would have majorly benefitted from actually hearing from the parents! Or at least having a true investigation being done into their lives. Leaving this untouched really resulted in me feeling detached, which is never a great feeling!


It could have been worse, but with the premise, I was hoping for better.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

augustinedreams's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

There are so many characters, and it's a typical pick them off one by one scheme. Abd the plot twist was so left field can we even call it a plot twist???

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wrestleacademic's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sigreads_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kimberlyswalters's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings