Didn't enjoy as much as I wanted to, but others will.
2.5 stars rounded down because I really enjoyed the middle but the beginning and end left me disappointed. I almost didn't finish this book because the beginning was too slow and the ending felt cliché and anticlimactic.
The concept of this book is very original but also confusing. For the first 30% of the book I didn't know I was in for an intricate, time travel mystery thriller and stopped being in the mood to read it. It was around the 40% mark that everything starts to make a bit more sense and pace of the plot quickens.
The plot follows an amnesic protagonist (Who we later find out is named Aiden Bishop) as he tries to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle with the added bonus that he has different people, called "host", to occupy as he does his investigations. As I said before, this concept and how he jumps from host to host is what I found confusing but around the middle it became clearer and even a bit thrilling.
It's around this time that Bishop finds out more about the people who are invited by the Hardcastles to this mysterious masquerade party they are hosting, and about the Hardcastles themselves. Trust me, there is plenty of drama to go around in this mansion. There are so many shocking discoveries made about everyone in this story but not too many where I was completely bored. During the middle, each time I picked the book up I didn't want to put it down, I just had to know what happened next. But I wasn't eager to the point that I got frustrated and skipped to the end or read spoilers (as I tend to do with most thrillers). So the pacing of that specific part of the book does a good job in regards to the investigating, kudos.
And now, time to talk about the disappointing ending. Discoveries are made that completely take the air of mystery out of the writing and rushes along the plot. The plot twist are very cliché and felt cheap. Backstories for characters are dropped left and right without any sense of urgency that would be expected of the scene because… ya know… the killer has a shot gun pointed at their heads!
Enough about plot, what about the writing and characters?
The writing is sooooo good! Along with the characters Aiden's hosts interact with and the hosts themselves. The book shows who these people really are through the eyes of the host the main character possesses. It's clear the author used the "show don't tell" advice and at first I didn't like, as at times it can be pretentious, but overtime I found it really refreshing.
For example:
"There's no response, just the fading echo of the pistol's report."
"…the rain has picked up and is hammering through the trees to bounce ankle high off the ground as I follow the compass."
"Darkness presses up against my bedroom window, its cold breath leaving frost on the glass."
See? Good stuff! It's for the characters and writing alone that I give this a two star and not a one.
I would recommend this for anyone wanting a "who-dun-it" historical thriller with a time travel and body swapping twist. I personally didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to but I know others will.
The concept of this book is very original but also confusing. For the first 30% of the book I didn't know I was in for an intricate, time travel mystery thriller and stopped being in the mood to read it. It was around the 40% mark that everything starts to make a bit more sense and pace of the plot quickens.
The plot follows an amnesic protagonist (Who we later find out is named Aiden Bishop) as he tries to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle with the added bonus that he has different people, called "host", to occupy as he does his investigations. As I said before, this concept and how he jumps from host to host is what I found confusing but around the middle it became clearer and even a bit thrilling.
It's around this time that Bishop finds out more about the people who are invited by the Hardcastles to this mysterious masquerade party they are hosting, and about the Hardcastles themselves. Trust me, there is plenty of drama to go around in this mansion. There are so many shocking discoveries made about everyone in this story but not too many where I was completely bored. During the middle, each time I picked the book up I didn't want to put it down, I just had to know what happened next. But I wasn't eager to the point that I got frustrated and skipped to the end or read spoilers (as I tend to do with most thrillers). So the pacing of that specific part of the book does a good job in regards to the investigating, kudos.
And now, time to talk about the disappointing ending. Discoveries are made that completely take the air of mystery out of the writing and rushes along the plot. The plot twist are very cliché and felt cheap. Backstories for characters are dropped left and right without any sense of urgency that would be expected of the scene because… ya know… the killer has a shot gun pointed at their heads!
Enough about plot, what about the writing and characters?
The writing is sooooo good! Along with the characters Aiden's hosts interact with and the hosts themselves. The book shows who these people really are through the eyes of the host the main character possesses. It's clear the author used the "show don't tell" advice and at first I didn't like, as at times it can be pretentious, but overtime I found it really refreshing.
For example:
"There's no response, just the fading echo of the pistol's report."
"…the rain has picked up and is hammering through the trees to bounce ankle high off the ground as I follow the compass."
"Darkness presses up against my bedroom window, its cold breath leaving frost on the glass."
See? Good stuff! It's for the characters and writing alone that I give this a two star and not a one.
I would recommend this for anyone wanting a "who-dun-it" historical thriller with a time travel and body swapping twist. I personally didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to but I know others will.