This book had the potential to be great. However it was somewhat lacking in its delivery. Th author should be commended for his originality in his delivery of the plot. The delivery of the plot though was the weakness. While intrigui9ing, it seemed to leave important gaps in the story. The duplicitous nature of several of the characters was entertaining and unexpected. The ending was utterly genius. Overall a decent read.

TW/CW: Fatphobia 

Review:


So, I tried reading this book for the first time last year and was so confused. I was listening to the audiobook and struggled to follow along with the switching hosts and overall plot. I ended up trying this one again while following along with a physical copy of the book and did end up enjoying it. 

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

–>plot<–

The plot of this one is really what drove me to pick it up. Evelyn Hardcastle is to be murdered at 11pm. Our main character has eight days and eight hosts to inhabit to help solve the murder and leave Blackheath. 

That concept is was so compelling and really pulled me in. We're immediately pulled into the chaos and mystery. The number of details that came full circle were amazing. It was really intriguing to watch the day play out, even though we were watching it in such a disjointed format. 

That being said, the actual mystery was...okay. There were some things that were genuinely compelling and interesting and other things that just felt a bit meh. I did enjoy the Plague Doctor, who had a bit of a Virgil role to help Aiden escape from Blackheath. I thought the information he provided was some of the most interesting aspects of the book overall. 

I also did grow to enjoy the various hosts that Adien inhabits, though we'll get back to some of the descriptions of the characters. That was one of the things I was not in love with, though I can also understand what the author was trying to do. 

The revelation of Blackheath actually was was just weird. Everything about that and tying that into Anna felt so out of place. I'm not going to lie, Anna's back story was something I was more interested in than the Evelyn Hardcastle murder by the end of the book. 

Going off of that, I think the biggest weakness of this book is that it began to feel looooooooong after a while. This is a 400-something page book and began to drag about towards the middle. I understand that the pacing and clues were necessary for some reveals that came towards the end. But yeah, it was actually boring at times and I found myself needing to take breaks to keep myself interested. 

I also want to address probably the biggest source of criticism in this book, the fatphobia. One of Adien's hosts is an incredibly overweight man and most of the time spent as this character describes his weight is pretty harming descriptions. Now, as someone who is plus size and has struggled with my weight, I'm not excusing these depictions. I do just want to point out that many overweight people have the weight gradually add on and have time to become accustomed to it. For Adien, he woke up in this body, with no time to become accustomed to it, and the author was trying to describe the jarring experience. I acknowledge that the descriptions are definitely harmful, though I'm not sure if the author could accurately describe the sensation of waking up in the various bodies without including some of these descriptions. It's something that readers should definitely be aware of going into the book, though for me, it didn't affect my reading experience. 

“We are never more ourselves than when we think people aren’t watching.”

Final Thoughts:

Evelyn Hardcastle is a fun, unique take on the whodunnit story. though it did definitely drag in the middle. If the concept intrigues you, you may want to check it out, knowing that there are definitely flaws with this book. This is a book where I enjoyed the journey more than the final destination, though I don't feel like my time was wasted by reading it. It's not a new favorite, but it was an intriguing read for a slow weekend.

The concept of the storyline was very interesting.

This one day continuously repeats itself and each time Evelyn Hardcastle is killed. In order to break the cycle Aiden, one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party, must solve her murder. The twist is that Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest each time the day restarts.

I will admit it was a little confusing and difficult to keep up with but I started to pick up on more and more details. I found myself trying to solve the mystery myself as I was reading along. The ending was clever!

Evelyn Hardcastle dies over and over and over again in Stuart Turton's The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. There is a party gathered on the anniversary of Evelyn's young brother's death and it will also be the date of her own death unless someone can uncover her murderer.

This book was very slow at the beginning and I almost gave up on it. It starts off with so much confusion that it was a little frustrating. I try to avoid as many spoilers as possible when I read a book, so I hadn't even read the back cover. If I had, I would have had a clue where we were going, but I feel like that shouldn't be neccessary. I don't mind letting go a little, going along for the ride for a few chapters, but we were 9% into the book before we ever even heard the name Evelyn Hardcastle. It just took too long for the story to get going. Once it did, however, it was a heck of a ride! It is a mystery of the best kind and it requires paying attention for clues that will surely be useful in later chapters. I wish I could tell you more but I don't want to ruin it for you, either. I am so happy I didn't give up on this book. Put on your waders to get through the first several chapters, submit to the chaos of not knowing what is going on, and get ready for a very exciting tale.

As much as I wanted to like this book I did not enjoy the writing style at all, it just wasn't for me.

Reading this mystery was challenging, but in a way that I found deeply refreshing. After I was able to orient myself in regards to the changing of perspectives, trying to unravel the secrets of this place was deeply interesting. The list of characters in the front of the work was very helpful to keep track of who was who within the story as well as the different lives and bodies that were being inhabited. The reveals at the of the story were very satisfying to the whole picture and the way that it was wrapped up felt satisfying. If you are in the market for a very interesting mystery that has a lot of different elements, I would highly recommend picking up this one. Cannot give this a high enough rating.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a book that is most confusing because of its name. Being so similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and also being named The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle before publishers trying to make a bigger difference between the two confused the book community for quite some time. So much so that I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading it.

I would like to point out that I didn’t know there was a fantasy element to this book at all! So it was a nice little surprise for a fantasy lover. First and foremost though, this book is a murder mystery needing to be solved. I could compare it to a game of Cluedo, except our main character gets to see through the eyes of those in the house and get up close and personal with our suspects. It’s definitely best to go into this book with as little information as possible – as it gives you the best reading experience as parts of the puzzle keep falling into place.

Whilst this uses many of the tropes seen in murder mysteries (of which I am familiar with mostly from Mum’s avid watching of Poirot whilst I was growing up), I felt that the added twist of fantasy and time loops increased the tension, and gave an edge to The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I adored the nostalgic feel of the Blackheath – of being reminded of many an old country home where a rich heiress is killed under mysterious circumstances.

I adored the multiple characters we interacted with throughout the book. They each had their own backstories and motivations – the story being set with characters that had known each other for years had a great set up as everyone had different opinions about different people. These perceptions also led to our main character being an unreliable narrator for most of the book, as he knows so little about what is happening and must rely on those around him.

The writing style was absolutely gripping. I was so invested from the start even though the actual pace was extremely slow as it set up Blackheath and the characters. The twists and turns had me keep turning every page because I just had to find out what was happening. We also get to go backwards and forwards in time, which was an amazing way to allow the reader to keep looking for additional clues in each scene.

Most importantly is that I didn’t guess the end. I always like mystery books that are set up to be understandable once you know what has happened, but that I can’t guess because it’s been so well written. Although I think maybe more avid mystery readers may have been able to guess. I had so many questions throughout the book, and this book tied up the answers neatly into a good ending too.

Thinking about it, I really would love a reread to pick up on the hints throughout that I must have missed. It was a fantastic mystery book, and it was so hard to write this review without spoilers because of it!

Positives
Fantasy element
Characters
Writing style
Negatives
Sometimes slow paced

THE 7½ DEATHS OF EVELYN HARDCASTLE is an intriguing story of mystery, danger, and romance with a scifi twist. Recommended to mystery fans who are looking for something a little different.

It took me a few pages to figure out what was going on in this story. There are a couple of main characters, but the main one takes turns in different hosts as he tries to figure out the mystery and save a woman's life. It's a mystery he's spent years trying to solve, but doesn't realize that he's been on the same loop. It messes with your mind just a little. Some of the characters are more pleasant than the others, but the author did a fantastic job with these characters and writing the story in such a way that I felt everything the characters felt and tried to figured what was happening right along with him. The suspense is also well done, with a constant undertone of danger that intensifies towards the climatic end. A definite unique murder mystery and one that is not easy to forget.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was really well done. There was not a dull moment, and readers will find themselves flipping the pages as fast as they can towards the end. It's a mystery with some unique twists.

Content: Some crassness, innuendo, references to affairs, drug use, some swearing, and violence.
Source: I received a complimentary eARC from the publisher through NetGalley, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

Make sure you are ready to keep all of the details straight when you start to read this! There is a lot to keep track of, but it is very worth it. I found the character list very helpful!

I started this book but had to stop as soon as I hit about 25% because of the awful fat shaming within it. Could not read more.

***3.5***

The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a novel that keeps you at the edge of your seat. It has twists and turns at every corner that will make you question everything you think you know. The story follows a person -the reader doesn't know who he is- that relives the same day but with a catch; every time he wakes up in a different body. His goal is simple: find Evelyn Hardcastle's murderer. But is it as simple as that? Tangled in a web of lies and deceit, he is thrown headfirst in a situation that he knows nothing about; he doesn't know these people, he doesn't know why he is there and he doesn't know why he has to be the one to uncover the truth. On top of that, there is someone in the mansion doing everything in their power to stop him from finding out what happened. With all the odds against him will he be able to find out the truth about that night, and his purpose on the mansion?

I really liked the mystery aspect of the novel, and the whole atmosphere of it. It was spooky and had a very gothic feeling to it, what with the mansion setting and the murder mystery. It is a book that definitely keeps you on edge; and a book in which you have to pay attention to every detail if you want to have a sliver of a clue of what is going on. My objects with this one are simple: I felt like it could do with a less pages. To put it simple it dragged. And it was confusing. I honestly had no idea of what was going on half the time and I'm not saying this as a compliment. I really struggled with keeping up as there were so many plot points going on at the same time and the author didn't make it easy to follow them all.

All in all, the 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is for the most part an enjoyable murder mystery, with creative plotlines and a gothic atmosphere!

Well this book was entertaining from the get go! Starting in medias res you are automatically thrown in at the deep end with this story. I was hooked on the storyline, characters and I could not figure out the ending to this book until it happened! So many twists and turns, each character was filled out and became part of the story. I didn't feel like any of the characters were lacking in any way and they all had a part to play in this confusing yet amazing story!
It was a 4.5 for me and I cannot wait to read more from this author!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2504308689

Interesting setting, quite a complicated story, and pretty entertaining. However, half through I was getting a bit wary about all the (physical) pain our protagonist has to endure - and with the prospect that it will be getting worse as he is changing hosts.
Yet the curiosity how this will all evolve keeps the reader going, and the idea of trying to solve the murder from different points of view and collected knowledge through other eyes is mind blowing. Not an easy beach read, though. Sit back and enjoy some mind puzzles.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read the advance copy. I loved this book. I am a mystery fan. This book took the Agatha Christie mystery to the next level . I made sure that it was purchased. It had everything a mystery should have. A great storyline and interesting characters.

I was very interested in the premise of this book, and enjoyed the first third of it, but did not finish it in the end. The story became a bit difficult to follow, though it could have been that I just didn't pick this one up at the right time. I'm eager to give it another try in the future!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. Im sorry it took so long for me to read this...

So... this book is a cross between an Agatha Christie novel and an episode of black mirror (they had a similar episode like the book).

i get confused easily (i've mentioned before :P) i found the book a tad confusing in the beginning. But i eventually got it. It was intriguing but it took me a while to read it. It was an alright book, not as spectacular as i heard it was.

I tried so many times with this book. I even put it down for an extended time and picked it back up to try again. I just couldn’t get into the story. For me, it jumped around all over and I didn’t like any of the characters.

I loved this book a lot. I think it was a little rushed, but the idea and the concept were amazing.

it kinda reminded me or black mirror and source code (2011) but it also have the detective part, and everything is tangled up and messy and messes with your brain in the best way possible and i LOVED this so im gonna ignore a little underwhelming ending because I thoroughly enjoyed this

Well. That was a roller coaster. I think this one may require a re-read eventually just to try and put all the puzzle pieces together. So layered and well plotted. A great, but really weird, mystery. This might be considered a spoiler but it kind of reminded me more of The Cabin in the Woods just in some of the end stuff. Unlike some other mystery books, it really is jam packed with twists and turns. I liked how the writing was stylized but it can be awhile before you get into it if you like your mysteries either one way or the other. I would still recommend this!

Wow. This book is incredibly complex and clever- maybe even too clever? I was really impressed by the intricacy of the plot and the twists were as shocking! I found it to be surprisingly fast-paced for a fairly long read, there were very few moments for catching your breath and I was constantly on edge. I was initially hesitant at the comparison to Agatha Christie, but I caught glimpses of her inspiring characterisation throughout which I enjoyed.

My only issue is how complicated it got at points. Sometimes there were just too many characters and the names could all merge into each other. This meant that it was hard to keep up at some of the key plot twists, perhaps slightly affecting their impact. However, I found that by taking the time to reread pages I was able to catch up (at least a little bit!) meaning that I still felt absolutely captivated by this book.

I will definitely be recommending this to anyone looking to lose themselves in a intricate, tense book that will have them guessing until the last few pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy.