Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 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:
Yes
I feel like this had so much potential but it was poorly executed. Messy and hard to follow
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m glad there are a good number of people who love this book, because I really enjoyed the writing itself. The story, however, was not for me.
I don’t know if it’s just my own preferences, the recent Benoit Blanc movies, or this book’s comparison to Agatha Christie, but the fact that this was an unsolvable mystery throughout 70% of the book doesn’t sit well with me. I like to be able to come up with ideas, change them with new information, compare theories to the characters - but most of the very important information is held way back until the reveal at the end.
And, while I like in theory the idea that the motive for Callum’s death was so mundane, and I think if it had been executed differently that it could have been truly tragic, it fell flat for me since I’d spent the rest of the book up until that point coming up with other, more interesting motives.
When everything was revealed, it all sort of felt like a let down, and not like everything was suddenly clear and fit together, like you want from a mystery, and I’d chalk that up to there being no foreshadowing whatsoever, as far as I can remember (I’m going to go back to check, though). And I know it’s the big thing in TV and movies now to have wild twists that come out of nowhere, so I understand why it was done this way, but I really hope we can start moving away from that because, at least for me, it’s not a rewarding experience to try and piece together a mystery knowing that the only clues that matter are the ones the narrative will not provide to you.
I don’t know if it’s just my own preferences, the recent Benoit Blanc movies, or this book’s comparison to Agatha Christie, but the fact that this was an unsolvable mystery throughout 70% of the book doesn’t sit well with me. I like to be able to come up with ideas, change them with new information, compare theories to the characters - but most of the very important information is held way back until the reveal at the end.
When everything was revealed, it all sort of felt like a let down, and not like everything was suddenly clear and fit together, like you want from a mystery, and I’d chalk that up to there being no foreshadowing whatsoever, as far as I can remember (I’m going to go back to check, though). And I know it’s the big thing in TV and movies now to have wild twists that come out of nowhere, so I understand why it was done this way, but I really hope we can start moving away from that because, at least for me, it’s not a rewarding experience to try and piece together a mystery knowing that the only clues that matter are the ones the narrative will not provide to you.
dark
mysterious
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved the twistyness of this book! There were so many turns that you had no idea who did what, except that they were all bad. No one's perfect but these kids were just no good at all. I never found myself cheering anyone on except for the one who turned up dead. This book leaves you wondering until the very end.
To Whom It May Concern
“You’re not afraid of doing bad things. You’re afraid of getting punished for doing them.”
Young people do stupid things, even bad things.
Six university friends are summoned to a hotel for different reasons. Once they meet up they realize it’s a terrible mistake and people start dying.
Each chapter peeks inside the minds of the alternating characters that hold a terrible secret.
The secret: a housemate was killed 20 years ago by one of them and they all covered it up. A mystery someone got them back together to atone for their mistakes and there is no way out.
This someone stays a mystery to the end where I found myself suspecting each and every one of them. Brilliant!
Blood + Intrigue + Action = a great thriller!
“You’re not afraid of doing bad things. You’re afraid of getting punished for doing them.”
Young people do stupid things, even bad things.
Six university friends are summoned to a hotel for different reasons. Once they meet up they realize it’s a terrible mistake and people start dying.
Each chapter peeks inside the minds of the alternating characters that hold a terrible secret.
The secret: a housemate was killed 20 years ago by one of them and they all covered it up. A mystery someone got them back together to atone for their mistakes and there is no way out.
This someone stays a mystery to the end where I found myself suspecting each and every one of them. Brilliant!
Blood + Intrigue + Action = a great thriller!
Unfortunately, this one was not my favorite.
The introductions for the characters mixed with the time hopping had me struggling to completely get invested in the story off the bat. However, once I was invested, I wanted answers. The ending is a bit out of left field. I was still questioning things and was wondering if I'd missed something along the way. The ending was definitely it's saving grace.
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
The introductions for the characters mixed with the time hopping had me struggling to completely get invested in the story off the bat. However, once I was invested, I wanted answers. The ending is a bit out of left field. I was still questioning things and was wondering if I'd missed something along the way. The ending was definitely it's saving grace.
Grateful to have received a complimentary ARC copy to honestly review.
Horribly written. All of the characters were unlike able, which is fine if they’re interesting or the story is compelling. But nope. The characters are one dimensional, and the females are weak and irritating. I angry-read most of the book hoping for a big pay off at the end. But again, nope. I guess the author wrote in this big “twist” which was pretty predictable, boring, and made me even more angry reading it. Honestly a waste of my time, ugh.