A review by tramuntana
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

The plot is common enough for a mystery novel but features a unique and interesting twist to it whose potential is wasted. The book is entirely too long, mostly due to the overdrawn descriptions of the setting and a rather repetitive narration because of the mutliple POVs. Also, the narrative style, even when it gets to supposedly suspenseful parts, is just so bland, it's virtually impossible to get invested as a reader (I still wanted to know how it ended, though.). The characters are stereotypical, flat and appear to be very distant to both each other and the reader. On top of that, the plot leaves you mostly confused until the last 130 (or so) pages when things start to fall into place. Though the ending does give you answers, they are somewhat unsatisfying and the characters' motives are vague. It's not exactly a bad book, but it's not good either.
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