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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was such a fun holiday murder mystery! I loved all of the secrets, clues, relationships, and of course the betrayals. The author included all of the daily riddles, and even some of her own puzzles just for the reader, which added so much to my reading experience. I had my suspicions throughout, but I was thrown for a couple loops in the end. Incredible!
Hackneyed similes. No. Just no.
Reading other reviews I think it wise to leave alone.
Reading other reviews I think it wise to leave alone.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm bah humbug when it comes to Christmas, so if anything's going to get me to read a Christmas related book, I guess a murder mystery is acceptable. I was honestly more surprised by the amount of murders in the book than who the murder(s) was/were. The reason behind the family gathering was the death (murder) of Aunt Liliana who just so happened to murder her brother (Edward) and his wife for murdering their beloved sister (and mother to the main character, Lily) for the title to the manor, maze, and accompanying wealth. That's a lot of family murder even prior to the second generation of family murders within the main story of the book!
Aunt Liliana had requested in her will and final instructions for her attorney gather the family at the manor to play one last Christmas game to determine who would own the manor, maze, and family money. All of the cousins, besides Lily, were solely playing for the manor and the money, but Aunt Liliana had also sent a letter to Lily stating this one final game will also tell her what really happened to her mother.
Not that you get to know all of the cousins very well, but I recommend not getting attached to anyone because very, very few make it out alive.
Aunt Liliana had requested in her will and final instructions for her attorney gather the family at the manor to play one last Christmas game to determine who would own the manor, maze, and family money. All of the cousins, besides Lily, were solely playing for the manor and the money, but Aunt Liliana had also sent a letter to Lily stating this one final game will also tell her what really happened to her mother.
Not that you get to know all of the cousins very well, but I recommend not getting attached to anyone because very, very few make it out alive.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
In between a 3* and a 4*. It felt like Daisy Darker (Alice Feeney) and The Family Game (Catherine Steadman) had a baby and it was this book.
Fantastic!
This book has all the necessary elements of a classic mystery. The setting is so well-described you can feel it and smell it. The characters are well-written and not one-dimensional. The constant guessing games within the book are creative and such fun.
This book has all the necessary elements of a classic mystery. The setting is so well-described you can feel it and smell it. The characters are well-written and not one-dimensional. The constant guessing games within the book are creative and such fun.
Lily has spent twenty years believing her mother had killed herself during the Christmas holiday. Then the aunt who raised her tells her that her mother was actually murdered and that she will reveal the murderer over the Christmas holiday. Then her aunt dies suddenly and the Christmas holiday becomes an all out competition between the cousins for ownership of the family home. It’s a prize someone is willing to kill for.
The book was very well written, the anagrams were fun, and it definitely had the feel of Golden Age Classic. It was darker than I tend to like in a mystery because Lily is still processing a lot of trauma and grief due to her mother’s death. Lots of grief and trauma from other characters also. I prefer my mysteries to be more about the puzzle and less about the emotional state of the characters.
As a Christmas mystery it was definitely heavier than I like. There was plenty of Christmas food and decorations and snow, but not a cozy atmosphere.
For people who enjoy thrillers or psychological mysteries or more realistic -less cosy- murder mysteries I think they would find this book enjoyable.
The book was very well written, the anagrams were fun, and it definitely had the feel of Golden Age Classic. It was darker than I tend to like in a mystery because Lily is still processing a lot of trauma and grief due to her mother’s death. Lots of grief and trauma from other characters also. I prefer my mysteries to be more about the puzzle and less about the emotional state of the characters.
As a Christmas mystery it was definitely heavier than I like. There was plenty of Christmas food and decorations and snow, but not a cozy atmosphere.
For people who enjoy thrillers or psychological mysteries or more realistic -less cosy- murder mysteries I think they would find this book enjoyable.
It started out as a nice murder mystery with even some extra puzzles for the reader. But unfortunately it ended up pretty predictable and the story felt repetitive. I also found the way everyone dealt with the murders unrealistic. I mean there is a murderer in the house and they continue with the game like nothing happened.
I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Very good book but unfortunately the ending was pretty predictable imo. I’ve never solved a mystery book before the answer was actually given, either, so to me that means it must be pretty clear.
Still loved the writing style and the characters! Very interesting, original plot line as well. Would definitely read more from this author!
Still loved the writing style and the characters! Very interesting, original plot line as well. Would definitely read more from this author!