In my previous post, you might’ve read that The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was one of the books I read in December. I actually think it might be my favorite of the month, so I decided to review it!
Short summary
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle starts with our main character, Aiden Bishop (although he doesn’t know that yet), waking up in a body that does not belong to him. Soon, he finds out that he must solve a murder that does not look like a murder, and has eight days to do it. Each day, he will inhabit a different witness, that all have their own personalities and ways of approaching things. Some hosts are therefore a lot more helpful than others.
What I thought
Within the first two chapters I already had a billion questions, and most of them started with “who, what, how?” We are just as confused as Aiden is, but thankfully the situation becomes clear pretty soon in the book.
What I really enjoyed about this book is that everyone’s actions throughout the day are connected, even though they might not appear to be at first glance. There isn’t really any character in the book you could trust either.
This truly is the kind of book that keeps you guessing until the last moment. The overall pacing of the book is good, and it hardly ever gets boring. Any time you think you’re close to getting answers, something happens and you’re just as far off. It’s like each chapter ends in a mini cliffhanger, and I really enjoyed that.
I loved the ending, too. It’s very unexpected. Somewhere deep inside you know that the story is likely to end well. But how? I did not see this conclusion coming at all.
The verdict
Overall, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a great read that’ll keep you on your toes. The only reason why I won’t give it five stars is because sometimes it’s just too confusing. Or maybe my brain just can’t keep up. Either way, I picked it up because I wanted to step away from fantasy for a moment. This book is great for that because even though it’s usually shelved under fiction, there are still fantastical elements present.
★★★★☆
Have you read this book yet? What did you think of it? Did the events turn out as you expected?
