Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

115 reviews

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.

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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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Murder, Pregnancy, and Violence

Moderate: Torture and Suicide attempt

Minor: Rape

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

priscillarobock's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Drug abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

heini's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Confinement, Alcohol, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Blood, Sexual violence, Infidelity, and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug use, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Stalking

blewballoon's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

I was intrigued and a little intimidated by the premise of this book, but the intimidation wasn't needed. The author does a good job of dropping the reader into the story and having the POV character figure things out along the way. This book feels like a mystery-thriller, and leans more one way or the other depending on which body the main character is inhabiting and how that host's mind works. I did sometimes get annoyed by the

footman popping up to be a malicious murderous nuisance in scenes where there was already danger and tension, so he felt like overkill.

The descriptions of people are mostly grotesque and include mentions of being fleshy, wrinkled, or gaunt. If it's a maid, they are almost universally described like "[hair color] spilling out of her cap" on introduction. Minor complaint aside,  the descriptions across the book in general are very immersive and quickly get you a mental picture of the scene. I was very absorbed in trying to put the pieces of the mystery together, but didn't solve it for myself before the reveal.

I don't love when a murderer's motivation is basically just that they're a psychopath, that feels lame. There was so much to the mystery that there should have been enough for a more compelling motivation.

I also don't know how I feel about the explanations offered for the premise

I remember feeling a little taken out of the story when the plague doctors spoke to each other. I never got a good sense of what time period this was. It seemed like an afterlife thing, like maybe they were in purgatory, but then it sounded like this was the normal prison system for living people??

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Fatphobia

Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Drug abuse

nikimorr's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad 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

What a wild ride! This book hooked me from the start with a man waking up without a single memory except one name. That very first character is by far my favorite as it becomes immediately apparent how creative this book’s concept is and you really have no idea what’s to come. After that, the same “person” lives in 8 different characters reliving the same day from different bodies/perspectives to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle, and we don’t know why until the very end. 

The setting is just as creative and incredible as the character concept - Blackheath House, a mansion crumbling to the ground. A party with the exact same guests as those 19 years prior - when the hosts’ son was murdered during the party. We never quite know when or where in the world this party all takes place, leaving it all up to the imagination. Totally original and unique!

 By the end, admittedly, it can feel difficult to keep all the details straight; however, the author is kind enough to add extra reminders throughout about who someone is or a detail I’d forgotten. With the last few perspectives, it is almost impossible to completely keep up with every detail, but you realize it does not matter - it’ll all come together, and the author is intentionally keeping you, the reader, in the dark for the big finale. 

I was definitely cheering for our main character to solve it all by the end. One thing remains clear - he is a good person. But was he always a good person? 

SPOILERS AHEAD - My favorite part about the ending is not learning exactly what happened to Evelyn Hardcastle as it is learning why Aiden and Anna are there. What a concept for a PRISON! And for Aiden, it really is a prison, and you feel it with him throughout the book. Learning that Anna, who Aiden comes to love and trust is truly his enemy, is a true thinking moment for the reader. Can people change? Are some people worth saving even after committing horrible crimes? What really is our true nature? One thing that stuck with me is that Aiden finally succeeded in solving the mystery when he truly was a kind and good person throughout - maybe the good guys do win in the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Murder, and Confinement

Moderate: Blood, Violence, Alcohol, Stalking, and Animal death

jenn_reads's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

3.5

Started listening to the audiobook, switched to reading the kindle edition at chapter 34.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol and Suicide attempt

annareads97's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Honestly mind blowing. A book that I already can’t wait to read again just to see what I pick up on, now that I know how it ends. At no point did it go where I was convinced it was going. This is one I would pay a good amount of money to be able to read again for the first time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Blood, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Classism, Murder, and Violence

jenbertface's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

This book was every bit as mysterious, spooky, and crazy as I hoped it would be. The best part was getting to read it along with @stankmcdanken which made it so much more fun and enjoyable. The writing in this book was so detailed and descriptive, by far the most well written book I’ve read in a long time. The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is that I feel like the ending goes by too quickly after working for answers across 400 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Child death

Minor: Grief, Infidelity, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Rape, and Self harm