A unique premise but ultimately confusing to follow along.
I received a digital copy of "The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" from NetGalley and SourceBooks, the publisher, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The novel is set at Blackheath House, an isolated country manor surrounded by a forest, the nearest village miles away. Lord Peter and Lady Helena Hardcastle, the owners of the mansion, planned a birthday party/reunion gala for their daughter, Evelyn, returning after 19 long years of being away. At precisely 11:00PM, she is to be murdered but it doesn't look like a murder, so it's up to Aiden Bishop to discover who the real killer is. The plot twist to this novel is that each and every night, Aiden Bishop wakes up in a different body of a guest who'd attended the gala, the whole thing on loop until the mystery is solved. He has until day 8 to solve the impending crime, otherwise he's forced to live on day 8 indefinitely.
Though the premise of the novel sounded intriguing, I was on the fence about this novel. Finally, after seeing the rave reviews nearly everywhere, I caved and was able to obtain an advanced reader's copy. I wish I could say I had a fantastic time reading it but I didn't. Ultimately, the book dragged on for me and I had a hard time getting invested in the characters or the plot. I credit the author for devising an intricate mystery and a unique premise but I think that at a certain point, it just became confusing to follow along every thread. At about the halfway mark, I shelved it, knowing I wasn't enjoying it.
The novel is set at Blackheath House, an isolated country manor surrounded by a forest, the nearest village miles away. Lord Peter and Lady Helena Hardcastle, the owners of the mansion, planned a birthday party/reunion gala for their daughter, Evelyn, returning after 19 long years of being away. At precisely 11:00PM, she is to be murdered but it doesn't look like a murder, so it's up to Aiden Bishop to discover who the real killer is. The plot twist to this novel is that each and every night, Aiden Bishop wakes up in a different body of a guest who'd attended the gala, the whole thing on loop until the mystery is solved. He has until day 8 to solve the impending crime, otherwise he's forced to live on day 8 indefinitely.
Though the premise of the novel sounded intriguing, I was on the fence about this novel. Finally, after seeing the rave reviews nearly everywhere, I caved and was able to obtain an advanced reader's copy. I wish I could say I had a fantastic time reading it but I didn't. Ultimately, the book dragged on for me and I had a hard time getting invested in the characters or the plot. I credit the author for devising an intricate mystery and a unique premise but I think that at a certain point, it just became confusing to follow along every thread. At about the halfway mark, I shelved it, knowing I wasn't enjoying it.