I am going to start out with my rating, something I don't believe I have ever started a review with. I give this book 3 stars. I think I am the minority when it came to loving this book. Let me explain why...
This is one of the most confusing books I have ever read. There are so many characters, and each chapter is told first-person from a new character. Somehow I was supposed to remember each character from the previous chapter while starting a new chapter. Oh, and it also switches between past and present. It was just too much.
The murder mystery aspect and weird layout of how the story is told did keep me reading though. I needed to find out what the heck was going on. I had to find out. I'm getting ahead of myself. Here is the description of the novel:
At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one are quite what they seem. ~taken from Goodreads
It sounds like an amazing book, right? I fell in love with the premise and was really excited when I was granted access to the early read by Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark. The first few chapters had me hooked! Then, I just got so confused that I got frustrated. I then lost interest and simply read so that I could make it to the end.
Speaking of the ending, it was just "MEH". I remember shaking my head and thinking "I put myself though all this just for it to end like that?". I wasn't fulfilled and actually wished this book that seemed to last forever was actually a bit longer so I could get a full resolution.
I have to give credit to the author. He is obviously brilliant to write this type of a plot in the way he did. It's a very complex set up. I hate to say it, but because there were so many things going on, it might click better in my mind if there were a movie and I could see it all play out.
All that said, I might actually give this another chance and read it again. One of the things that really kept me confused was the main character's back story. Had that been told near the beginning, I could have focused less on "what is happening" and more on getting to know each character and where they fit in the overall story.
Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for allowing me an advanced ecopy to read and give my honest review.
"The 7 1/2 Death Of Evelyn Hardcastle" is due to be released here in the U.S. on Sept. 18, 2018. It is available now for pre-order.
Happy Reading!
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