Review: The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (Spoiler-Free)
If you've read the book, or don't plan on it, check out my SPOILERY review of it here on GoodReads! If you haven't read the book yet, keep reading for a SPOILER-FREE version. Whenever you see a (view spoiler) button, all it means is that if you click on it, you will be brought to my spoilery review. If you're still here, I hope you're ready to hear my SPOILER-FREE thoughts!
I'm gonna try a new book rating system and see how it goes! 44/50= 88% Enjoyment- 8 Overall, I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. The plot was incredibly addicting, and the narrator, among other characters, had some hilarious, but also important, dialogue that made me giggle at every page. (view spoiler) The only ways in which I did not enjoy this book were a bit of confusion at times because the plot is so complex, and also some chapters were a bit slower-paced. But, all in all, I had a great time reading. Plot- 10 The plot of this book was incredible- almost too much so. I will admit, there were times in this book where the plot was so complicated I had trouble following along, but by the end, everything made sense. Over the course of this book, the plot changes many times as the reader, and the narrator, learn more about the truths of Blackheath. I have no idea how one man could possibly come up with this crazy scheme, and I also cannot believe how that same man could weave it into a story with eight different perspectives with (partially) free will. Characters- 10 Okay, so characters are gonna be a bit hard to talk about. The narrator takes the body of eight different people in this book, but his personality is not necessarily separate from theirs. He can use aspects of different hosts to his advantage, and for this reason the narrator is basically nine different characters in the course of one book. Another reason that I can't fully explain my great rating for characters is because quite a lot of them are not who they initially say they are. I'll leave it at that, and you can go read the book for yourself to find out what that means. I will say though, one thing that this book did really well was have incredibly unlikable characters, but they didn't make the story any less enjoyable. They are supposed to be unlikable because they are bad people. Also, the females in this book had some quite iconic moments. "I won't leave without you, I promise." "I know that too." And that's when she slaps me. "That's for murdering me," she says. Logic-6 I wish there was a bit more background provided by this book, because what we are given is very broad. (view spoiler) Also, the system of switching hosts/the way that time is manipulated in this book is never fully explained, and neither is the extent at which the day can be changed. For the most part, I was impressed with this very interesting version of "time travel" in a Groundhog Day style, but there were some holes in my knowledge on how it worked. Setting- 10 Blackheath felt like something straight out of an Agatha Christie book, and the characters felt like people straight out of Doctor Who. The combination made this setting quite great. I loved the vibes I was getting with the big scary mansion, the expansive reflecting pool, and the mysterious stables and boat houses. A lot can go down on a large plot of land. If this isn't hell, the devil is surely taking notes.
Song I was reminded of while reading: Places We Won't Walk
