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A review by liz_ross
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was complex, fascinating, addicting. Impossible to forget, unique. Unsettling, breathtaking, extraordinary. It was all that and more. One of the best Mystery books I've ever read, complex and intricate and impossible to guess even if you do have all the clues right there, waiting for you to put them together like pieces of a puzzle.
And the characters! Oh, the characters! This is a freaking masterpiece when it comes to characters. Complex, individual, unique, realistic. Imperfect perfection, just how all characters should be. Aiden is 8 diferent persons and yet every single one of them is unique. And so is Aiden. They are the same person and different persons at the same time and the way Turtpn managed to make that clear is extraordinary.
It was all that. But it was also disappoiting in so many ways. I was so scared of how Turton would explain the whole thing, I didn't have time to worry about the ending. Worse, I was even excited to read it, because I never thought it could be bad. Turns out, Turton pulled out a pretty reasonable explanation for everything (which proves how talented he is), but failed to deliever a satisfying ending. The complexity of the characters, the real ones (?), is something I can't help but appreciate. However, the way they got redemption? That's not right; I can't accept that. It's an easy way out, it's giving up.
It took away so much of the joy I felt. The plot was so good; so perfect; a delicious, intricate web of lies, conspiracies and murders that had everything to delight me. I guessed some of the plot twists, while others made my jaw drop. Literally. And I loved it. And hated it (but in a good way). And I was so happy and then... that. And I just can't forgive that ending, I just can't forgive Turton for how insatisfactory that ending was for such a great book. He had given me a satisfactory explanation and after that ending I was left wanting more, needing more answers, because what made a little sense ended up making no sense at all, because Turton overcomplicated something that was already complicated on its own. And then there's the second chances. I can't accept them too. I can't because no matter how much I believe in second chances, I can't accept them if they happen as Turton made them. It's wrong. It's not redemption, it's not a second chance. It's not right, especially not after everything that happened in the book.
I want to forget the ending so badly, to rate this book solely based on all the rest. It would have been so close of the 5 stars that way. But I can't. I can't let go, I can't forget the ending just because I don't like it. I wish I could, but it wouldn't be right. And it breaks my heart more than anything that happened in the book (and trust me, there was a certain part that truly broke my heart).
Full review coming soon!
And the characters! Oh, the characters! This is a freaking masterpiece when it comes to characters. Complex, individual, unique, realistic. Imperfect perfection, just how all characters should be. Aiden is 8 diferent persons and yet every single one of them is unique. And so is Aiden. They are the same person and different persons at the same time and the way Turtpn managed to make that clear is extraordinary.
It was all that. But it was also disappoiting in so many ways. I was so scared of how Turton would explain the whole thing, I didn't have time to worry about the ending. Worse, I was even excited to read it, because I never thought it could be bad. Turns out, Turton pulled out a pretty reasonable explanation for everything (which proves how talented he is), but failed to deliever a satisfying ending. The complexity of the characters, the real ones (?), is something I can't help but appreciate. However, the way they got redemption? That's not right; I can't accept that. It's an easy way out, it's giving up.
It took away so much of the joy I felt. The plot was so good; so perfect; a delicious, intricate web of lies, conspiracies and murders that had everything to delight me. I guessed some of the plot twists, while others made my jaw drop. Literally. And I loved it. And hated it (but in a good way). And I was so happy and then... that. And I just can't forgive that ending, I just can't forgive Turton for how insatisfactory that ending was for such a great book. He had given me a satisfactory explanation and after that ending I was left wanting more, needing more answers, because what made a little sense ended up making no sense at all, because Turton overcomplicated something that was already complicated on its own. And then there's the second chances. I can't accept them too. I can't because no matter how much I believe in second chances, I can't accept them if they happen as Turton made them. It's wrong. It's not redemption, it's not a second chance. It's not right, especially not after everything that happened in the book.
I want to forget the ending so badly, to rate this book solely based on all the rest. It would have been so close of the 5 stars that way. But I can't. I can't let go, I can't forget the ending just because I don't like it. I wish I could, but it wouldn't be right. And it breaks my heart more than anything that happened in the book (and trust me, there was a certain part that truly broke my heart).
Full review coming soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Alcohol, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Fire/Fire injury