Review: The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ebook and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

I mainly listened to the audiobook version, however it was extremely helpful to have the ebook handy while reading this book as there are a lot of characters to keep track of as this story unfolds.  I found myself referring to the print version often to keep track of relationships.  The narrator was good for the most part, however he did a very high pitched voice for one of the female characters.  It was almost whiny, which I didn't enjoy, the other characters were fine.

As for the plot, I found the first half of the book to be very engaging.  We get the first major plot twist around the halfway point, then the remainder of the book seemed to drag after that major reveal.  The plot is fairly convoluted as one of the main characters is found murdered, and an investigation ensues to find out what really happened.  The investigation takes a round about approach to get to the bottom of what is going on, mainly because the inhabitants of the island can't remember what happened the night before.  With only hours left to save everyone on the island before a deadly fog covers the island, Emory and Clara must solve the murder and uncover the secrets of the island itself.

This is a really hard book to review without giving spoilers.  The twist in the middle of the book was great, then it went down hill for me from there.  The murder investigation itself, was more procedural than suspenseful.  If you have read Turton's previous books you will get that same high concept storytelling that takes a complex path to get to the end.  The author often wants the reader to stay in the dark until the very end to prevent the reveal of whodunit, however I often found myself losing interest as I wasn't connected to the characters or the world.  The concept of this dystopian, science fiction society was really interesting.  As I mentioned, I really enjoyed the first half, but the author lost me in the second half as the investigation lacked action and thrilling moments to keep me engaged.

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Review: The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this via netgalley, however I opted to listen to the finished version of the audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but this kind of fell flat for me. I think what didn't work was the length and repetitiveness of the book. The concept and mystery part was fine, it just took far too long to get to it. The information about the "devil" aka Old Tom was repeated several times throughout without revealing anything new, we are also reminding multiple times how cruel and violent the Governor General is to his wife. The pacing was very slow, and for a book over 400 pages (the audio is just over 17 hours) you need a fast paced, action packed story to keep you turning the pages. I didn't find that to be the case here. I think there were too many characters to keep track of, I think this was to keep you guessing as to who the culprit was, but I ultimately lost track of who was who other than Arent and Sara. I also quickly lost track of what was happening with the plot. Evelyn Hardcastle was a fairly long book but it kept me turning the pages to find out what was going on.

I will say that the reveal at the end was good. The concept of Old Tom and the Eighth Landten kept me interested and I kept reading to find out what was really going on. I will say Turton gives you just enough spooky events to keep you wondering if something paranormal is going on during this sea voyage and just enough information to make you speculate about what is really going on.

Overall, I think this had a very interesting concept, but for me it was far to long and slow paced for my taste. There seem to be fairly polarized reviews of this book, so take this review with a grain of salt. Many people loved this book, but I found it lacking the suspenseful feel I need to stay interested in a mystery.

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September Wrap Up

September got off to a rough start.  I've been kind of in a reading slump.  I've been really busy with work, back to school, and fall activities, so I haven't had much time to read.  When I finally get time to read I'm either too tired or just not focused.  Nothing I've read lately really gripped me.  I'm starting to get behind on reviews so that just stresses me out more and I don't want to read because then it feels like work and it's just not fun.  I started this blog because I love reading and I actaully enjoy reviewing books.  When it starts to feel like work, I just don't want to do it.  I think I'm coming out of it as we have started to get into a groove with fall sports and I've read some stuff I actually like.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• Review
•  I really loved Mask of Shadows but Ruin of Stars fell short for me.  There wasn't enough action and it was just too slow.  It wasn't terrible it just wasn't as good as the first one.
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett
• Review
• I really enjoyed this YA Fantasy.  It came out this month.  It was a pretty quick read and while it wasn't the most complex, I liked it and am looking forward to the next one. 
• The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• Review
• I've had this for a while now and its about time to get to it.  This came out on September 18th.  This was so unique and I really enjoyed it.  It takes place over the course of 8 days as our main character relives the same day in a different person to solve a murder.  He has to take what he learns each day before the murder happens to solve the crime.  It kept me on my toes.  I recommend it if you like mysteries and groundhog day types of books.
• Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver
• Review
• I've read a bunch of Lauren Oliver's other books and I really like her thriller/mysteries.  This one is no different. I loved every minute of this book.  This comes out October 2nd.  
• Scattered Plume by J.M. Miller
• Review
• I loved the first book in this series, Fallen Flame.  It was really well done and I loved the mythology aspect of it, the 2nd book is no different.  This took me a while to get into because I had to remember what was going on, but once I got into the story I really enjoyed it.  This was released on September 27th.

Audiobooks

I think I had a pretty good audio month.  A few of these were pretty long, and most of them were really good.

• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• I didn't really care for this one.  I liked 2 of the stories and didn't like the other 2.  For a short story collection I think that's not unreasonable.  I read this for a Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt for a book I saw a stranger reading.  I have a couple more Joe Hill books on my TBR.  
• Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
• I love this series.  I found a couple parts of this problematic, but it wasn't enough to deter me from the series.  I'm impatiently waiting for the next book.  I also love January Lavoy as a narrator, she is by far one of the most talentend audiobook narrators I have ever had the pleasure of listening to!
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• I love mythology and you don't often hear the story of Circe retold.  You always here the hero's tales told over and over again.  I really enjoyed this.  I read several negative reviews about this being long and boring and I think reading this in book format would have been a bit of a task but I recommend it on audio.
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• This is excellent.  It lives up to all of the hype.  The story is so unique.  I love all of the mythology and the magic.  I love the characters.  My only complaint was the unnecessary romance between Zelie and Inan.  Bahni Turpin is a wonderful narrator, she does an amazing job with this.
• Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
• I really enjoy this series, and the audio books are great.  I didn't love the ending of this installment, but overall the book was great.  It was dark, full of plotting, and you still have no idea what's going to happen with the sisters in the end.  I'm very much looking forward to the next book.

Review: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  This was released on September 18th, 2018.  I know my review is up a little late.  I've had this ARC for quite a while, but I'm so glad I read it.  If you like who-dun-its, or groundhog day type mysteries I highly recommend it.  It is a unique take on a mystery and I really enjoyed it.

This follows our main character Aiden over the course of 8 days as he tries to unravel a murder that hasn't happened yet. He finds himself at Blackheath, an old rundown estate, trapped in the body of someone else. He is looking for someone named Anna who he believes is dead. Aiden comes to find out that Anna is not dead, and that he is at a party, he is on a mission to solve a murder that hasn't happened yet, and his life is also in danger. He is assisted by Anna and the mysterious Plague Doctor who give him clues throughout the course of the investigation. Each day Aiden wakes up in the body of a different person who has a different perspective on the murder Evelyn Hardcastle, one of the party's hosts, if he fails to solve the murder he wakes up in the body of someone new the next. He remembers all of the knowledge he gained from his previous hosts in order to string together what he's learned by the 8th day in order to solve the unsolvable puzzle of Evelyn Hardcastle.

I really loved this. It was such a unique concept and I really enjoyed the twists and turns. Every time I thought I knew what was going on something else happened to prove my theory wrong. I loved that I didn't know "who-dun-it" the entire book.

There is a lot going on in this book, and it is fairly long. It doesn't feel like it though, the author does a great job keeping you engaged in the mystery and helping you keep all of the characters straight. It isn't fast paced, but it isn't slow either. The pacing was just right for the writing and story. I think that was quite a feat given the nature of the book. With the timeline and character switching this had the potential to be very confusing, and I always felt that I knew which character we were following and where we were in the story. Given the fact that the main character jumps characters several times and the timeline shifts several times the characters and side characters are fairly well developed for having so many. I really enjoyed this writing style and I'll be looking to read more of Turton's work in the future.


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September TBR

Well the kids are back in school, and fall activities have started back up with a vengeance.  That means everyday after work I have to be somewhere and there is little time for reading after feeding the hungry hoard.  Thank goodness for audiobooks.  Between commuting and the chaos of life I would never get to read, so I listen.  Now if only I had time to post all of the reviews I meant to write.  I'm still feeling like I'm in a bit of a reading slump, I've got a ton of books I want to read but I can't stay focused.  I read for 5 minutes then I go do something else.  I'm still reading everyday so I'll break out of it eventually.  It isn't the book either they are all good so far, I think I'm getting run down by life and I took on too many ARCs in August.  Here's to September being a little better.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• This is out already and I'm way overdue with my review.  I'm hoping to finish this over the holiday weekend and get my review up.  So far its action packed and picks up with Sal still wanting to exact revenge on those who wronged her and her country in the past.  
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett
• This comes out on September 11th.  This is supposed to be a Three Dark Crowns meets Pretty Little Liars.  Now I know nothing about PLL but I liked Three Dark Crowns so I thought I'd give it a go.  
• Lies by TM Logan
• I already started this and its a perfect family thriller.  I haven't gotten very far but its good.  This comes out on September 11th.
• The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• I've had this for a while now and its about time to get to it.  This comes out on September 18th.  I believe it is out in other countries though and I've seen good reviews.  It promises a murder mystery and a kind of weird groundhog day plot line.  Sounds really interesting.
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
• This comes out in October, and is another YA thriller/horror novel.  The plot reminded me of my beloved R.L. Stine books that I adored in elementary school.  I couldn't get enough of them.  This sounds perfect for fall.  
• Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver
• I've read a bunch of Lauren Oliver's other books and I really like her thriller/mysteries.  I'm really looking forward to getting to this especially as we get into the fall.  This come out in October as well.

Audiobooks

I've got a ton of stuff on hold at the library so I'm not even going to mention them.  I never know what's going to happen audio-wise and most of them are repeat mentions from the past.  I do have 2 currently checked out so I will mention those.  Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake comes out on the 4th, and I'm looking forward to continuing The Three Dark Crowns Series on audio.

• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• I haven't read anything by Joe Hill.  I love Stephen King so I'm anxious to see how his son's books compare.  I'm reading this for a challenge prompt as a book I saw a stranger reading.  There is always a gentleman sitting outside of my office building reading every morning before I got into work and he was reading this one day.  I just started it and it's interesting so far.
• Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
• I'm loving The Diviners series.  I love the historical aspect of the series and the paranormal happenings.  I really love the characters and the audio books are so gripping.  I already have this checked out and as soon as I finish Strange Weather I'm starting this.