Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

This unique locked-room mystery is like Freaky Friday meets Groundhog Day—in a dark, historical country setting, of course. The novel jumps right in with the main character lost on the grounds of a once-handsome estate—he doesn’t know where he is or how he got there; he doesn’t even know his own name. Come to find out that he’s been tasked with solving a murder, and he’ll have eight chances to do so. Each day he’ll wake up in a different body, none of them his own. The only way he can stop reliving this nightmare is to find out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. With lots of moving pieces, Stuart Turton’s debut is sure to keep you guessing. James Cameron Stewart’s narration sets the scene perfectly.

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Why I Read It: The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton first came onto my radar when I was looking for books involving time loops, since I love time loops. Months later, I saw it in the bookstore and decided to pick it up.

Review:

Turton should get a standing ovation for the brilliance of this book’s concept. It’s incredibly original, and no lazy author would have even come close to touching it. The execution of the concept is also laudable, as Turton’s beautiful writing and detailed thought made this book a joy to read. I never felt impatient about figuring out the mystery; I was content to let the story unfold and follow the main character step by step as he painfully learns more and more about his situation. Despite the undeniably convoluted plot, I was able to follow along, and I appreciated the moral questions Turton poses throughout the story. More importantly, the characters’ motivations and actions felt well-thought-out and realistic. It would have been far too easy for everything to feel contrived, but for most of the book, this is not the case.

I knew that no matter how amazing most of the book was, my ultimate measure of the book would rest heavily on the conclusion. While the conclusion is not the disaster it could have been—no plot holes are introduced, and it remains well-thought-out—unfortunately, it did not quite live up to my hopes. It fell into the trap mysteries so often fall into, in which the author springs a twist so out of left field that it feels contrived and requires a lengthy explanation to understand. The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle did not need such a twist for me to feel impressed by the mystery and the book’s intelligence. I felt that the ending somewhat betrayed the main character’s arc.

My main problem with the ending was Anna’s character. How am I supposed to believe that one of the world’s most evil people somehow becomes a good person by endlessly cycling through time loops in a setting that is described as “poisonous” in its immorality and corruption?

One other thing that bothered me considerably was the fatphobic language. The language Turton uses to describe a fat character is unnecessarily cruel.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle if:

· You are intrigued by unique, original premises

You might not like The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle if:

· You dislike intricate plots

· You go into the book wedded to your expectations

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

2.75

This is interesting, but it had way too many characters for me to keep track of, and I didn't feel like I "knew" any of them, even after 17 hours of audiobook. I also may have not been a huge fan of the writing style.

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laurajordensharris's review

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dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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shadereads's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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bealittlebrave's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

To call this "ambitious" is such an understatement. I don't understand how anyone can even begin to layout this story and its timelines (and at this point I'm trusting blindly that they all add up correctly because I wouldn't know if he snuck one past me).

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kimmykelly's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.0

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divine529's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

This was absolutely brilliant and I really enjoyed reading this.

As stated in the summary, Evelyn Hardcastle has been murdered and will continue to be murdered until it can be solved. Our main protagonist has eight days to solve it and eight different hosts to use to do so, some are more helpful than others, and several obstacles stand in his way.

It's really difficult to talk about this book because it's one you need to experience and sit with and it's very complex. It has the feel of an Agatha Christie novel, and it has some serious twists and turns and everything happens in a way you don't exactly expect. I'm usually really good at guessing mysteries very early, but this one kept me on my toes for quite awhile, especially since things get more and more complicated as you go.

I loved the setting a lot. It's perfectly atmospheric in every way, and particularly for this time of year. The plot was expertly woven together and I kept sitting here wondering how you'd keep track of it all to even write. It was excellent. The characters were all very interesting in a variety of ways, and there were some I liked more than others, but I don't think I ever truly fell in love with any of them. They're all despicable along with the intrigue, and yet you find yourself rooting for them in a way. It's very complicated.

Unlike most people, it seems like I was in the minority who didn't hate the ending. I thought it was very fitting. There were certain parts I wished were explained a little more (but it wasn't needed) and I have a lot of conflicting feelings about certain characters' endings, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

All in all, my feelings on this book are as complicated as the book itself, but I really enjoyed it anyway and can safely say it's a mystery I'll pick up again because there's so much to unpack.

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