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A review by thecontrarybookworm
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
3.5*
Let me start off by saying the concept of this book is brilliant. One morning, a man wakes up at a manor with no idea who he is or how he got there. As the story progresses, he comes to realize that he wakes up in the body of a different "host" each morning as the same day repeats eight times, with the purpose of solving a murder. A young heiress will die by the end of the night, and it's up to him to figure out who did it.
Undoubtedly, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was enjoyable and fascinating. I've never read anything quite like it. However, the plot has so many layers of complexity and there are so many characters to keep track of that the novel was bogged down with details. The main character not only frequently interacts with his past and future selves, but (minor spoiler) multiple others trapped in the same time loop, who lose their memories after one day.
I was left a little confused, and I think it would be more interesting if his future selves weren't part of the equation - maybe he adds on a new character each time he loops through instead? It would have also been interesting if the others experienced the loop the same way he did, so he had to find out who was in whose body.
Despite my confusion, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a fun read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes mind-bending time travel books.
Let me start off by saying the concept of this book is brilliant. One morning, a man wakes up at a manor with no idea who he is or how he got there. As the story progresses, he comes to realize that he wakes up in the body of a different "host" each morning as the same day repeats eight times, with the purpose of solving a murder. A young heiress will die by the end of the night, and it's up to him to figure out who did it.
Undoubtedly, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was enjoyable and fascinating. I've never read anything quite like it. However, the plot has so many layers of complexity and there are so many characters to keep track of that the novel was bogged down with details. The main character not only frequently interacts with his past and future selves, but (minor spoiler) multiple others trapped in the same time loop, who lose their memories after one day.
I was left a little confused, and I think it would be more interesting if his future selves weren't part of the equation - maybe he adds on a new character each time he loops through instead? It would have also been interesting if the others experienced the loop the same way he did, so he had to find out who was in whose body.
Despite my confusion, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a fun read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes mind-bending time travel books.