Gemma

This is my first Discworld novel, and indeed the first book I've read by Terry Pratchett. I have had my eye on the Long Earth series as well which I will hopefully get to one day.

I found the writing and plot of this book delightfully reminiscent of reading Hitchhiker's Guide. It was a light and witty book that I flew through. I found I enjoyed it even more than Hitchhiker's because it was set in a fantasy world which is something I'm more familiar with than scifi. It was such a peculiar and amazing feeling to be reading the description of the discworld for myself, as I only knew of it through hearing references and other people describe it.

Rincewind and Death are my two favourite characters from this book, and I genuinely can't wait to see who pops up in the next book.

I apparently read this book over the course of seven days, but in reality I read it in two long sittings and a final 30 minute stint. And right up until that last 15%, the last 30 minutes, this book was a five star read for me.

To begin with, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mystery novel like none before it. Aiden Bishop lives the same day in eight different perspectives on repeat; challenged to solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle so he may earn his freedom from the loop. I think the mystery was well crafted as it was difficult to figure clues out as you went and prevented me from “solving” the book before the end. In fact, I didn't come close to it. I'm not sure anyone would. The reveal of different perspectives, their limitations and strengths, and their unique relationship to the cast of characters was an incredible strong point for me in this novel and has me ready to add this book to my favourites of the year.

However, I found the last 15% to be a significant decrease in quality. The twist was unexpected and could have been good, but as it was relegated to such a small portion of the book it came across as a rushed decision. I thought it read like the author decided he wanted a twist and wrote it into the book in the forty minutes before submission. I personally feel if the twist had been introduced more gradually, the book would have been a strong five star read. I recommend this book to anyone who is bored with the thrillers and mysteries they've read recently, because this was a shock to the system and deeply addicting.

This was a short entry in the final half of this series, which followed on from a disappointing book. Like the previous story, I did not enjoy this book.

I did enjoy the plot relevant reveals, and can't wait to get to the next book which I hope will surprise me.

The first thing that jumped out to me as I started Anna is how creepy and visceral the book was. The book was excellent at building terror as we moved through the story and I thought it was remarkably well done. This was probably one of the strongest aspects of the book. It really elevated the first and third part of the book but during the middle where the character was in a relatively stable environment it meant that the novel dragged a little. As the book is written from Anna???a point of view, it???s her emotions that really help to build the tension and atmosphere so when she gets any form of safety it means the atmosphere falls flat.

Unfortunately, the plot didn???t add to the reading experience. I don???t think it was a negative aspect but it was fairly predictable and a plot line I think I???ve seen before in similar settings. The characters did exactly what I thought they would, so as the plot wore on I enjoyed it less. I think if there???d been a bit more to the plot, maybe subverting some of my expectations it could have been a really solid read.

I thought Anna was a good read, a definite page turner as the first part hooks you in deep. I enjoyed soaking in the suspense and atmosphere the author built and I really think it stands apart from other books in how well the tension was built.

I loved this.

The author drops you straight into the plot when you wake up with one sister, who has amnesia on a deserted island and all she can remember is her desperate need to get back to her sister. Her sister lives in one of the eco cities their parents helped build due to Earth being ravaged by the consequences of climate change. This book is a dystopia, a mystery, and a bit of a thriller all rolled into one.

I loved reading about both sisters, especially Kay. She was so dear to me, from the start, and following along with her journey was one of my favourite parts of the book.

I was so focused on aspects of the story that I missed others unfolding until they were right in front of me. That???s something I think most straight thrillers don???t manage that often. There were so many moments where a twist happened, and I was gripped by the intense urge to keep on reading despite struggling to keep my eyes open.

I really loved this book. I believe I have recently picked up a copy of the author's first book and I can???t wait to get to it now.