The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle: Stuart Turton

We meet again!

It takes a LOT for me to decide that something I’m reading is a DNF. The reason behind this is that very often when I begin a book and start to think that it sounded better or wasn’t for me, it actually turns out to be something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Here we go :)

Brief Synopsis:

Aiden Bishop wakes up at Blackheath Manor one morning and has no recollection of who he is. He can’t remember his own name, where he is, what’s happening, or much else. He only knows two things for sure: the name ‘Anna’ on his lips, and the fact that he’s not in his own body.

What happens after this is something that is truly made for fairytales.

Believing that he’s witnessed Anna’s murder, he runs to the manor with guidance from the would-be killer, telling everyone that they must send for help right away. However, all that are residing within the manor have their own agendas, and Aiden has no idea who he can trust.

Soon, he comes to find out that he’s in a time loop. Each day for 8 days he’s doomed to wake up in the body of another that’s residing within the walls of the manor. Some know more than others, some’s bodies and stories are more accommodating than others for Bishop’s purpose, which he now thinks he knows what it is.

There’s a Plague Doctor that keeps visiting Bishop and telling him that he must solve the murder of the daughter of the home, Evelyn Hardcastle, before the night ends or he will continue to wake up in a new body, over and over. When it resets back to the first body, he won’t remember anything, just like the first time. There are some other catches, too: there are others that are stuck in the loop as well, seemingly competing against Bishop, and there’s someone called the footman that is after them all.

Though he tries to fight back against the plans that the doctor has set forth for him, Bishop quickly finds out that there really is no way through this but to play the game. Each day that passes, in each new body, he finds out more about the storyline, though not all of it is clarifying. For each new piece of viable information that he dredges up, there seems to be twice as much that works to confuse him further. The Hardcastle’s have a bleak history at the manor, and he quickly finds out that the party they were all invited to is a thinly-veiled memorial for Evelyn’s brother that was murdered there many years ago.

Time begins to quickly run out for Aiden and he still doesn’t feel like he’s any closer to solving who is blackmailing Evelyn into killing herself. Is it her mother? Is it someone that he hasn’t quite met yet, or is it someone that’s right under all of their noses?

Aiden finally ends up in the mind of a cop and it works really heavily to his advantage. He comes so very close to finally solving the mystery of who wants Evelyn dead that it’s really frustrating when this host also ultimately meets their demise. However, at this point, Aiden has two hosts left and he’s not about to back down anymore. In conferring with Anna, with the Plague Doctor, with Cunningham and anyone else that he thinks may know more of the truth than they let on, he may have finally discovered who the true villain in this story is.

Who actually murdered Thomas Hardcastle all those years ago? That seems to be the question that will set everyone free in the end, and the question that nobody actually has the answer to. Aiden and Anna end up in the very crutch of it all with literal seconds ticking down on the clock, when they come to a final realization: is Evelyn Hardcastle even who she seems to be?

My Rating:

10/10. This book freakin’ rocked my world. I really don’t know what else to say except it was confusing, exhilarating and frustrating. I recommend it wholly.

Favorite Quote(s):

“I imagine it would be rather splendid to wander away from myself for a little while.”

“If I’d known paradise was on the far side of a sunrise, I’d never have wasted a single night on sleep.”

“She’s the only real thing in a world of echoes.”

Devastation Rating:

Serious 9/10. This book takes you on such a rollercoaster over and over again, and you get to know so many of the characters. It’s so… much. In the best way.

Similar vibes:

I don’t have a book, I have a movie, though it may make no sense: Knives Out.

Check out my Goodreads (Traci Bishop) and/or my Storygraph (bookishmamabish) to see what I’m currently reading and to see a good chunk of the books I have already read. My Instagram can be found on the home page and I will share whenever a new post is up as well!

Until next time <3