Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

208 reviews

jenmtnbike's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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lilcassieg's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-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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will_meringue's review against another edition

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2.5

Incredible concept with solid delivery. There's one or two plot points that made me roll my eyes, but even considering that I think Turton pulls this off.

However - the fatphobia in this is horrendous and obscene. I would actively warn fat people against reading it and I'm appalled it got past the editor. They should be ashamed - we should all be ashamed - that something so vile was allowed to be published in 2018 (!). And, not to the same extent as the fatphobia, but some of the characterisation is pretty misogynistic. 

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shadowmuse's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

2.0

The book is well written which is why I'm giving it 2 stars. It's just not one I'll ever read again and through the middle it was a slog that I debated stopping reading multiple times. 
It may just be even in the end I didn't find the main characters likeable. 

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iamaprettyflower's review against another edition

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

4.0


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cozyfantasyfaetay's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

2.5

Slow start, didn't really enjoy it until I knew the twist. Lots of characters and hard for me to follow 😵‍💫 But maybe better for murder mystery fans.

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crimsonsparrow's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Time travel meets murder mystery meets Face Off... This has got to be one of the most complicated, convoluted detective stories I've ever experienced - in the most interesting and unique possible way. I didn't care how it ended; it was a fascinating ride. 

I was especially intrigue  by the author's ingenious use of a unique, first-person narrative and meta-narrative.  It had both both a science fiction feel and a psychological thrill without compromising the best character qualities of the MC.

The only reason it's not a perfect 5:  I would have liked some of the details to be more meticulous. Some things that seemed important up-front ended up a tad slap-dash in the end.  It got a little rushed at the end.  And the final explanation was not terribly well-supported or as well-developed as so many other aspects of the story. I absolutely recommend it, though, if for nothing else than novelty's sake

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wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

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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

3.5

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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shawniejo's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0


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jess_tries2read's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was completely unique to anything I had read. It took the trope of a dramatic murder at a creepy, rich-people mansion to a whole other level.

The story starts in the most dramatic way possible: a consciousness in a body they don't remember, nor do they remember anything else, except one name, Anna. This character is dragged into a neverending whirlwind of events once he sees a woman sprinting through the forest crying for help. Eventually he ends up a Blackheath, a blighted estate that once held prestige, until it was marred by the death of one of the Hardcadtle children 19 years ago. 

The unique mystery had me in its grip until it ended.

 
The implication of the cosmic race/justice system is so compelling. The Plague Doctor was a great figure, terrifying and illuminating. You were scared to see him but also thrilled because you get to peek behind the veil of the bigger story. The body switching was the perfect, dramatic backdrop to obscure the simpler mystery of Evelyn's death.


5/5

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