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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a very BIG book and it turned out to be a very long book ... I don't think I even understood it although I might be overthinking it.
The dialog was good -- it reminded me of listening to an old mystery show on the radio ... very much first person so I could 'see' what was being described .. and the descriptions were often poetic.
On the bad side for me, SO many characters and SO MUCH repetition of the interactions and by the end, when getting the wrap-up, whatever it might have been about was not clear -- not to me anyway.
Sometimes I thought it might be a Rashomon sort of story with a myriad of views, but ... I just don't know!
The dialog was good -- it reminded me of listening to an old mystery show on the radio ... very much first person so I could 'see' what was being described .. and the descriptions were often poetic.
On the bad side for me, SO many characters and SO MUCH repetition of the interactions and by the end, when getting the wrap-up, whatever it might have been about was not clear -- not to me anyway.
Sometimes I thought it might be a Rashomon sort of story with a myriad of views, but ... I just don't know!
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My head was spinning half of the book in the best way possible
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Rating: 4/5 Stars
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More reviews like this one can be found on my blog, CoffeeCocktailsandBooks
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Review:
So, I tried reading this book for the first time last year and was so confused. I was listening to the audiobook and struggled to follow along with the switching hosts and overall plot. I ended up trying this one again while following along with a physical copy of the book and did end up enjoying it.
–>plot<–
The plot of this one is really what drove me to pick it up. Evelyn Hardcastle is to be murdered at 11pm. Our main character has eight days and eight hosts to inhabit to help solve the murder and leave Blackheath.
That concept is was so compelling and really pulled me in. We’re immediately pulled into the chaos and mystery. The number of details that came full circle were amazing. It was really intriguing to watch the day play out, even though we were watching it in such a disjointed format.
That being said, the actual mystery was…okay. There were some things that were genuinely compelling and interesting and other things that just felt a bit meh. I did enjoy the Plague Doctor, who had a bit of a Virgil role to help Aiden escape from Blackheath. I thought the information he provided was some of the most interesting aspects of the book overall.
I also did grow to enjoy the various hosts that Adien inhabits, though we’ll get back to some of the descriptions of the characters. That was one of the things I was not in love with, though I can also understand what the author was trying to do.
The revelation of Blackheath actually was was just weird. Everything about that and tying that into Anna felt so out of place. I’m not going to lie, Anna’s back story was something I was more interested in than the Evelyn Hardcastle murder by the end of the book.
Going off of that, I think the biggest weakness of this book is that it began to feel looooooooong after a while. This is a 400-something page book and began to drag about towards the middle. I understand that the pacing and clues were necessary for some reveals that came towards the end. But yeah, it was actually boring at times and I found myself needing to take breaks to keep myself interested.
I also want to address probably the biggest source of criticism in this book, the fatphobia. One of Adien’s hosts is an incredibly overweight man and most of the time spent as this character describes his weight is pretty harming descriptions. Now, as someone who is plus size and has struggled with my weight, I’m not excusing these depictions. I do just want to point out that many overweight people have the weight gradually add on and have time to become accustomed to it. For Adien, he woke up in this body, with no time to become accustomed to it, and the author was trying to describe the jarring experience. I acknowledge that the descriptions are definitely harmful, though I’m not sure if the author could accurately describe the sensation of waking up in the various bodies without including some of these descriptions. It’s something that readers should definitely be aware of going into the book, though for me, it didn’t affect my reading experience.
Final Thoughts:
Evelyn Hardcastle is a fun, unique take on the whodunnit story. though it did definitely drag in the middle. If the concept intrigues you, you may want to check it out, knowing that there are definitely flaws with this book. This is a book where I enjoyed the journey more than the final destination, though I don’t feel like my time was wasted by reading it. It’s not a new favorite, but it was an intriguing read for a slow weekend.
-------
More reviews like this one can be found on my blog, CoffeeCocktailsandBooks
-------
Review:
So, I tried reading this book for the first time last year and was so confused. I was listening to the audiobook and struggled to follow along with the switching hosts and overall plot. I ended up trying this one again while following along with a physical copy of the book and did end up enjoying it.
“How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?”
–>plot<–
The plot of this one is really what drove me to pick it up. Evelyn Hardcastle is to be murdered at 11pm. Our main character has eight days and eight hosts to inhabit to help solve the murder and leave Blackheath.
That concept is was so compelling and really pulled me in. We’re immediately pulled into the chaos and mystery. The number of details that came full circle were amazing. It was really intriguing to watch the day play out, even though we were watching it in such a disjointed format.
That being said, the actual mystery was…okay. There were some things that were genuinely compelling and interesting and other things that just felt a bit meh. I did enjoy the Plague Doctor, who had a bit of a Virgil role to help Aiden escape from Blackheath. I thought the information he provided was some of the most interesting aspects of the book overall.
I also did grow to enjoy the various hosts that Adien inhabits, though we’ll get back to some of the descriptions of the characters. That was one of the things I was not in love with, though I can also understand what the author was trying to do.
The revelation of Blackheath actually was was just weird. Everything about that and tying that into Anna felt so out of place. I’m not going to lie, Anna’s back story was something I was more interested in than the Evelyn Hardcastle murder by the end of the book.
Going off of that, I think the biggest weakness of this book is that it began to feel looooooooong after a while. This is a 400-something page book and began to drag about towards the middle. I understand that the pacing and clues were necessary for some reveals that came towards the end. But yeah, it was actually boring at times and I found myself needing to take breaks to keep myself interested.
I also want to address probably the biggest source of criticism in this book, the fatphobia. One of Adien’s hosts is an incredibly overweight man and most of the time spent as this character describes his weight is pretty harming descriptions. Now, as someone who is plus size and has struggled with my weight, I’m not excusing these depictions. I do just want to point out that many overweight people have the weight gradually add on and have time to become accustomed to it. For Adien, he woke up in this body, with no time to become accustomed to it, and the author was trying to describe the jarring experience. I acknowledge that the descriptions are definitely harmful, though I’m not sure if the author could accurately describe the sensation of waking up in the various bodies without including some of these descriptions. It’s something that readers should definitely be aware of going into the book, though for me, it didn’t affect my reading experience.
“We are never more ourselves than when we think people aren’t watching.”
Final Thoughts:
Evelyn Hardcastle is a fun, unique take on the whodunnit story. though it did definitely drag in the middle. If the concept intrigues you, you may want to check it out, knowing that there are definitely flaws with this book. This is a book where I enjoyed the journey more than the final destination, though I don’t feel like my time was wasted by reading it. It’s not a new favorite, but it was an intriguing read for a slow weekend.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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Vi piace Cluedo o lo stile di Agatha Christie? Ecco il libro che fa per voi.
È difficile parlarne senza fare spoiler, ma ci proverò: il nostro protagonista si risveglia in un bosco, i suoi abiti sono rovinati, non ha ricordi di come sia arrivato lì o di quale sia la sua identità. Ha solo un nome in mente: Anna.
Proprio mentre inizia a riprendersi, scorge le sagome di una donna e dell’inseguitore di lei. La donna chiede aiuto, il nostro protagonista inizia a rincorrerli, ma li perde di vista. Si sente uno sparo, e mentre lui si inginocchia a terra sperando di non essere la prossima vittima, l’inseguitore gli lascia una bussola e gli dice di puntare ad est.
A est c’è Blackheath House, una antica villa mezza caduta in rovina in cui sono presenti tantissimi ospiti per la festa organizzata da Lord e Lady Hardcastle, ma niente è facile come sembra.
Alle undici di sera, in un ciclo che continua all’infinito, Evelyn Hardcastle morirà – e il compito del nostro protagonista che ogni giorno cambia incarnazione vestendo i panni di alcuni degli abitanti di Blackheath House è quello di scoprire come muore Evelyn e per mano di chi.
Risolvere questo mistero è il solo modo per il nostro protagonista di liberarsi da questo ciclo e fuggire da Blackheath House, ma non è il solo che cerca la chiave per la fuga e uno dei suoi rivali è decisamente agguerrito.
Non avevo letto la sinossi del libro, acquistandolo; come al mio solito sono stata attirata dal titolo e dalla bellissima copertina, e mi sono vista trascinare in una storia molto complessa ma allo stesso tempo coinvolgente e “abbordabile”.
Il libro fornisce una mappa della tenuta degli Hardcastle, munita di nomi degli abitanti delle varie camere – e questo mi ha aiutata non poco a destreggiarmi tra le numerose incarnazioni del protagonista e tra gli altrettanti personaggi secondari che forniscono tutti motivazioni, stralci di vita e particolari utili a far sentire vivo non solo l’“abito” indossato per una giornata dal protagonista ma l’intera storia.
“Le sette morti di Evelyn Hardcastle” è un libro che consiglio.
Vi piace Cluedo o lo stile di Agatha Christie? Ecco il libro che fa per voi.
È difficile parlarne senza fare spoiler, ma ci proverò: il nostro protagonista si risveglia in un bosco, i suoi abiti sono rovinati, non ha ricordi di come sia arrivato lì o di quale sia la sua identità. Ha solo un nome in mente: Anna.
Proprio mentre inizia a riprendersi, scorge le sagome di una donna e dell’inseguitore di lei. La donna chiede aiuto, il nostro protagonista inizia a rincorrerli, ma li perde di vista. Si sente uno sparo, e mentre lui si inginocchia a terra sperando di non essere la prossima vittima, l’inseguitore gli lascia una bussola e gli dice di puntare ad est.
A est c’è Blackheath House, una antica villa mezza caduta in rovina in cui sono presenti tantissimi ospiti per la festa organizzata da Lord e Lady Hardcastle, ma niente è facile come sembra.
Alle undici di sera, in un ciclo che continua all’infinito, Evelyn Hardcastle morirà – e il compito del nostro protagonista che ogni giorno cambia incarnazione vestendo i panni di alcuni degli abitanti di Blackheath House è quello di scoprire come muore Evelyn e per mano di chi.
Risolvere questo mistero è il solo modo per il nostro protagonista di liberarsi da questo ciclo e fuggire da Blackheath House, ma non è il solo che cerca la chiave per la fuga e uno dei suoi rivali è decisamente agguerrito.
Non avevo letto la sinossi del libro, acquistandolo; come al mio solito sono stata attirata dal titolo e dalla bellissima copertina, e mi sono vista trascinare in una storia molto complessa ma allo stesso tempo coinvolgente e “abbordabile”.
Il libro fornisce una mappa della tenuta degli Hardcastle, munita di nomi degli abitanti delle varie camere – e questo mi ha aiutata non poco a destreggiarmi tra le numerose incarnazioni del protagonista e tra gli altrettanti personaggi secondari che forniscono tutti motivazioni, stralci di vita e particolari utili a far sentire vivo non solo l’“abito” indossato per una giornata dal protagonista ma l’intera storia.
“Le sette morti di Evelyn Hardcastle” è un libro che consiglio.
I accidentally returned it early and now have to wait for it to be available again
This was a unique combination of classical Agatha Christie mystery and time-travel science fiction - Turton pulled it off! I was gripped by every character's unique perspective on the same events, trying to unravel the mystery, each with their limitations and strengths. There were so many peices of narrative hidden from the reader and then revealed at the right time to produce the strongest reaction! A practically impossible murder to solve, with so many twists! However, this book requires a great deal of concentration to follow - time, space, and bodies are manipulated - it's incredibly complex!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced