Review: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton
Started reading: August 14th 2018
Finished the book: August 21st 2018
Pages: 512
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Published: February 8th 2018
Source: Netgalley
Goodreads score: 4.13
My score:

Synopsis
How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?
At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

My thoughts

This book is actually a pretty good debut. It's original and the different characters all have a strong personality. I was eager to find out how the book would end, so I was sure to finish the book, but sadly I wasn't that involved and felt more like a bystander. I always love to get sucked in a book, but I wasn't caring that much for the characters.

Pros

• Footman: THIS PERSON IS SO SCARY. I was scared every time I figured out the footman would come into the scene. It was liking watching the movie Scream where you know someone is coming after you, but you can't do anything about it. It actually contained some very vivid killing scenes. This footman is not somebody to mess around with.
• The plot: I did not figure it out. I was coming along with the different characters to find out what happened and to solve this big mystery, but I had no idea how. I have been doubting a lot of things and a lot of characters as well. I had no idea how the story would end and I always love to go for a ride and see where it ends.
• Original: The book is original. It's like nothing I have ever read. It was hard to understand at some point, but I could still appreciate how orignal this book is. I can't explain to much without spoiling! You should go on a ride yourself, to figure out what is going on in this book...

Cons

• Confusing: At some point the book got a bit confusing and I couldn't stay focussed for too long. I kept drifting off and not understanding what was going on. Some things didn't make sense, especially towards the ending when more characters are introduced.
• Wasn't involved: I couldn't compare myself to any of the characters and I didn't care for them that much either. I didn't mind it that much if people died. I felt like I was taking a ride as a passenger, and looking out of the window and just seeing what was happening, instead of me wanting to get out of the car and get involved. 
• Hard to get into: Because of the POV switches it is pretty hard to get into. When I was used to a certain character, the book would switch to another character and I had to get used to the new character all over again.

Overall

I do believe this is a great book for lovers of Mystery and you should pick it up if you want to read something original. Make sure you don't rush through this book, it can be hard to understand what is going on and you have to get used to the characters every time you switch POV's. This is not a bad debut at all and I am curious what this author can come up with as a second book. I expect an original second book!

Other opinions on this book

"This book blew my mind. It is utterly original and unique. I couldn't get it out of my head for days afterwards."

- Sophie Hannah

"Dazzling. Bracingly original, fiendishly clever. Quite unlike anything I've ever read, and altogether triumphant. I wish I'd written it.

- A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window

"Darkly comic, mind-blowingly twisty, and with a cat of fantastically odd characters, this is a locked room mystery like no other."

- Sarah Pinborough

Memorable quotes from this book

"How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?"

"If this isn't hell, the devil is surely taking notes."

Thanks for reading!

I'd love to talk books, so let me know what you think about this book/review!