Book Review: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

 

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton - 4 to 4.5 Stars 

WOW - what a WILD ride with this CRAZY story! I am so glad I pushed through and finished it! This was one I had to really sit with and think about as I read it and I took notes for the first part of it, at least the 1st 8 chapters. This is a very complex story and hard to explain but I am going to try! I had the best time sharing my thoughts with my friends Holly, Chrissie and Lindsay too!

Quick takes:
- Blackheath Manor is our location.

-  You spend each day in the body of a different character from another's POV - so it's like a "repeat the days events each day but in the body of someone else each day" kind of thing to see all the events that occurred from the other characters POV.

- When I first started this, I wasn't sure exactly who the character was or what was happening but by chapter 8 I realized and things start to get explained.

- The synopsis basically tells you about the host occupying thing anyway but I had not read that when I started so I wasn't exactly sure until around chapter 8-9 haha.

- The story is all surrounding how Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered and you have to figure out who killed her by the end of it. We are at an event that is a memorial for her brother who was murdered 19 years ago to the day of the event basically. There are so many twists and characters - so be prepared to read slowly and pay attention to the POVs you are in. 

- Each day you see how things came together from each "hosts" you are occupying and their POV to try and piece together and learn about the deaths.

- There is this evil character called "the footman" and he continues to try and kill your host characters each day and then we have a Plague Doctor who it basically like the "tour guide" if you will of the entire situation. He explains the rules and how everything works etc..

SO that's the details of the plot, story and things I felt like I could share. It was a bit too long for me so that's why it's more of a 4 to 4.5 star but I was so interested in the story - I kept on going! I had to know what happened and who the killer was etc.

I feel like the audiobook is great but I needed to physically look at the pages many times too and refer to the character list in the front of the book several times to keep people straight. 

Content: This is a secular book so there is mild language, odd descriptions of male anatomy and his body when a character occupies one of their "hosts", discussions of sexual assault, murder scenes, mention of suicide, torture and substance abuse. Those are some triggers I noticed and others I found from other reviewers that I may have missed.

If you like a whodunit with a twist - this may be for you!

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5839894667
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sNTgN3
YouTube Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw_MGwskxR4&t=

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