A review by sofiya
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

3.5

The first thing I'd like to say is that I listened to this as an audiobook, which I think proved to have some advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that the reader did a great job at making the different characters sound different, which both made it enjoyable and clearer. The disadvantages were that this book requires a lot of focus and attention to details, which are even more difficult to maintain while listening rather than reading.

I enjoyed the book and the concept was interesting- and I love it when both the audience and the main character are in the dark about what's going on so they can learn more together. I also sped through the end because I got into it then.

I do wish that the book had featured female hosts in addition to male ones because I think it would have given the story a bit of a break between the characters (assuming that makes sense)? Lucy/a maid would have been a great perspective to have in my opinion.

Also, the ending was lackluster, unfortunately. I did at one point guess Evelyn to be Thomas's killer, but I wasn't absolutely sure, so I didn't mind her being the "bad guy", but I do wish it had been a bit better executed. I also thought that throwing in Anna as a notorious killer and having Aiden chose to be with her was a bit strange, and the ending gave me optimistic 1984 vibes (which is... weird).


Overall, the book was pretty good. I think I might re-read it eventually knowing all the facts now and see what I pick out as I read. 
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