Hooked on Books discussion

Hi fellow readers!!! Let me know when you have your books. My library has copies available via Libby & Hoopla in ebook and audiobook format, so I'm good whenever you guys are.

I have mine!

Let's go ahead. While my library copy is still in transit, I, too, can go the hoopla route.

I'm looking forward to reading this with you both!

So, due the weather and associated accidents, my driev to work was 30 minutes longer than usual today, so I got some extra listening in.

First Impressions:
The whole 'golden age mystery' connection (ie big house party, isolation, etc.) is obvious, but I also got flashes of the rather sophisticated horror movie The Others - confusion, tension, things not being what they seemed. and, I suspected, (view spoiler)[the inability to leave the wider premises, which was confirmed a bit later (hide spoiler)]. While I don't usually like horror movies, I think The Others was fabulous, so the similarity in vibe is a plus, as far as I'm concerned.

On the downside, I sometimes felt I was reading a role playing game - talk to this person, look at this item, check out this room. That feeling eased up as I kept reading,

You mentioned, Erica, that you'd tried reading it before - I can understand how you might have come to give up on it. It's not bad, but I'm not sure I actually care all that much about our protagonist or about what's going on. I feel oddly disinterested.

I can't wait to learn what you both think of it!

I'm not working today, so I've had some reading/listening time. I'm up to Chapter 49, which puts me at 67% complete per hoopla (I'm listening to it on the audio version free to Audible members.)

Hmmm...I'm not entirely certain what to say at this point. Things are becoming clearer - and some things I suspected have turned out to be correct. I certainly do understand why some people say this book is confusing - if I lose focus for even a moment when I'm listening I have to backtrack to be sure of who/what/where/when I am in the story.

Hello!! :> I saw that you were fine with other readers joining in, so I'm hopping in. I'll be starting this book tomorrow.

Eunice wrote: "Hello!! :> I saw that you were fine with other readers joining in, so I'm hopping in. I'll be starting this book tomorrow."

Welcome!

I'm about to start now. I may be too excited

So I've finished, and while I'll continue this post under a spoiler, I'd encourage folks to keep reading - it gets better.

(view spoiler)[
While reading this book, I kept thinking that it was incredibly clever - but that the cleverness came by the sacrifice of heart and soul. I eventually became more invested in what was happening, but I can't say I ever really loved it.

The revelation that Blackheath House is a combination prison / punishment / rehabilitation op isn't that much of a surprise by the time it comes around. It's not pleasant to learn that Anna (as her former self Annabelle) was some sort of violent terrorist, but learning that Aiden has spent decades enacting his revenge on Anna (torture and rape are alluded to) until he's lost the memories of his life before, is seriously disturbing. He's referred to as 'innocent' - sorry, I'm not buying that. He may not have committed a crime that resulted in his (virtual?) incarceration at Blackheath House, but once he's there he may (and does) enact crimes at will.

So Aiden comes to Blackheath house as an 'innocent', becomes criminal, and can only find his way out again once he forgets himself and evolves as a blank slate. No wonder he's hard to connect with.

I also can't get over the brutal beating of the butler - success and escape are only possible by beating an apparently harmless individual?

Ugh. No, I didn't really like it. I thought at one point I'd end up giving it two stars. It ended up interesting enough that I gave it three, but that was a bit of a stretch, in all honesty.

*****There seem to be some readers who saw a romantic relationship between Anna and Aiden. I didn't see that at all. For me, it was friendship. What did everyone else pick up?
(hide spoiler)]

I'm looking forward to everyone's comments!

I just read Chapters 1 -8 and started 9.

Once I started 9 (I meant to stop and 8 and come her and post anyway) I had to stop and come here.

So, in the beginning I kept thinking: (view spoiler)[ How in the world did Sebastian lose his memory? Who is Ana? Where is Evelyn? (hide spoiler)] When is something going to happen?

I did stop for a bit and then went back to it, and finally things started looking up. (view spoiler)[Sebastian & Evelyn found some blood, then the dead rabbit (hide spoiler)]

I think it was interesting getting this pov from this person that doesn't know anything about themselves or the people they are around, so he gets to learn info right along with the reader. And yet, he's still determined to figure some things out without knowing if he can trust anyone in his presence.

Truitt, I agree with you about the similarity to The Others. I haven't seen it in years and now I want to do a rewatch.

When I got to chapter 9 I thought I knew who/what I was dealing with and then BOOM! it wasn't what I was expecting, because I completely forgot what the blurb said except for Evelyn was going to be murdered. I stopped after a few paragraphs, reread them and came here. I am going to start the chapter again when I go back to it.

This is starting to look like one of those books where you have to pay real close attention not to get lost, because if you get distracted confusion will be your friend. So Truitt I agree with you there also. I actually have the audio and kindle version going, this is the first time I've done that, but when I got to where I am I wanted to see the words instead of just hearing them.

I will say that I'm glad I went into this blind (forgetting what the book was about besides Evelyn's murder & not reading any reviews) because I was able to be surprised. That surprise is helping me want to continue reading this book instead of having to force it. So, we'll see how the next few chapters go.

Shan ~A~ wrote: "I just read Chapters 1 -8 and started 9.

Once I started 9 (I meant to stop and 8 and come her and post anyway) I had to stop and come here.

So, in the beginning I kept thinking: [spoilers remov..."

I often have an audio and a print or e-version of a book going at the same time. It mostly works - but sometimes I really need to read something, not listen. I find that's especially true if the work has the potential to be confusing. In that case, starting the book by reading, so as to get the characters established) often helps me.

I think you're enjoying the beginning of the book more that I did, Shan. Actually, it wasn't that I disliked the early parts of the book, I just wasn't deeply invested. I became much more interested later....

I am finally far enough into this (Chapter 16) that it has some momentum. I paid a lot closer attention to character names using the cast of characters at the front - so I didn't get lost until the plot itself forced that.
I am not a big movie watcher and definitely not horror, so I'll have to take a pass on The Others. The book is chilling enough as it is. I am not liking the Plague Doctor. I don't even like imagining him in my mind.
I have never before read a book where the MC has amnesia. This book takes the situation to a WHOLE other level though! I don't really have any theories about how this will all resolve - it's just too complicated. If any of you have ever read The Luminaries I would say this reminds me of that in a way. The same level of confusing intrigue going on. I'm happy to just observe and see where it goes.

Erica wrote: "I am finally far enough into this (Chapter 16) that it has some momentum. I paid a lot closer attention to character names using the cast of characters at the front - so I didn't get lost until the..."

I haven't read The Luminaries (although it sounds quite interesting - maybe I should), but I can think of other novels where I've felt dumped into the action and scrambled to figure out what's going on. I think I expected to feel I had a grip on things a little more quickly with The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle than I did.

As for The Others, I have to say that I'm not a horror fan either, but it's really, really good - frightning, but not in a gory, slasher way.

I made it to Chapter 29 before I started work this morning. I have been going back and forth to the book just to highlight things I wanted to be able to get to quickly in case something came up and I needed to see it again. Especially highlighting who the featured person is each time.

I think I should have taken a page from Erica's book by keeping the list of the guests where I can see them as a way of tracking who is who.

Truitt I was pulled in pretty quickly at the beginning. The whole idea of someone waking with a name of a person they don't pouring out of them, witnessing a possible murder, and not even knowing who they are or where they are, fascinated me. Then it started to ebb off until the end of chapter 8 and beginning of 9.

As we start to get more explanations as to what is going on, I feel like they just lead to more questions. All of these people were invited to this place for a reason. They seem to all have secrets and in my mind any of them could have wanted Evelyn dead.

What I find interesting is that (view spoiler)[ each person Aiden inhabits, he takes on some of their characteristics and I wonder if they will be affected after all is said and done by his having been there (hide spoiler)]

Although I'm enjoying the journey, what I really want to know (view spoiler)[ is who is Aiden, why did he voluntarily go to this party, who is the plague doctor, why is this happening really, who is in control of what is happening???? I've also been having this running thought in my head: What if Aiden is the culprit? Not sure how that would be, but I can't shake it yet. (hide spoiler)]

Erica, I haven't read The Luminaries, but after reading what it's about I may read it if they have it at my library. I was trying to check and see, but their network is still down, so I haven't been able to get on their website or use the app all day.

Truitt is right about The Others it's more psychological horror (is that a thing?) than slasher movie horror. I didn't think I would like it, and only watched it originally because of Nicole Kidman, but it was great. I love horror movies, but it was always the ones from my youth: Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and such.

Oh - I didn't make a list of characters! My version of the book has a cast of characters at the very beginning, on the page before Chapter 1. Doesn't everyone have this? It has the Hardcastle Family at the top, then Notable Guests, then Principal Household Staff.

Erica wrote: "Oh - I didn't make a list of characters! My version of the book has a cast of characters at the very beginning, on the page before Chapter 1. Doesn't everyone have this? It has the Hardcastle Famil..."

Sorry, yes. I meant I should have kept that page open or took screenshot of it so I could refer to it constantly while reading.

I'm at Chapter 11. I went into this completely blind, so a few chapters in, I had to check the synopsis to know what to expect because essentially nothing has happened so far in the mystery aspect. It's basically just been introducing all the characters and the MC fumbling to understand this whole situation.

I can see why you weren't that invested at the beginning, Truitt.

Erica wrote: "I am finally far enough into this (Chapter 16) that it has some momentum. I paid a lot closer attention to character names using the cast of characters at the front - so I didn't get lost until the..."

I think giving the MC amnesia helped make him more relatable to the readers, as well as ease us readers into what's happening. Like us, he was basically just dropped in the middle of the action. And during the time he was trying to grasp his situation, we get to follow along too. I can't imagine how much more confusing it would be if the MC were aware of his situation. This is usually my problem with some of the scifi books I've tried to read; no explanations are given, so it's harder to get immersed in the world. On the downside, quite a slow start.

Aside from trying to find the killer, I'm very curious about how this situation came about(view spoiler)[ with the plague doctor and the competitors. Why and how were the MC and the others brought in to solve this murder? Who is the "we" in the synopsis? And how will the murder investigation progress with other players involved? (hide spoiler)] So many questions.

Ok you guys, I finally finished and for some reason by the time I got to the end I wasn't as invested. I also didn't like the way it ended.

However, I did get answers to my questions.

(view spoiler)[ Blackheath house is actually a rehab for people who have committed crimes, and Aiden goes there to get revenge on the person who murdered his sister. Ana or rather Annabelle.

I agree with Truitt's assessment about Aiden. He was no innocent, but you don't know that throughout the book, so it was easy to commiserate with him. Had I gone in knowing what he'd being doing prior to the events of this book I wouldn't have liked him at all, and the same goes for Ana. Eunice had it right when she said giving the MC amnesia helped to make him relatable.

Overall, this book held my interest, but it ended up not living up to my expectations. I think there was too much going on in some area and not enough in others, if that makes sense.

On the plus side I never suspected who the killer(s) were. I did have a feeling that one particular person that they had been looking for all day was most likely dead.

One thought I had by the end is that this would have probably been better as a movie. 🤣 I've only ever said that about two books and this is one of those.

And no, I didn't get any romance vibes between Aiden and Ana. I just got that these people were trying to help one another escape this loop that they were in. (hide spoiler)]

I haven't finished yet Shan ~A~ but I can see where you might be frustrated. I'm frankly getting a bit weary of our MC soul hopping to try to uncover some mystery. I will forge ahead but have a sense that I may wind up agreeing with you.

Erica wrote: "I haven't finished yet Shan ~A~ but I can see where you might be frustrated. I'm frankly getting a bit weary of our MC soul hopping to try to uncover some mystery. I will forge ahead but have a sen..."

I also thought that all the people at Blackheath were assholes. 🤣

I just finished chapter 45. I am frustrated. Too much, too hard to keep track of what's going on. The unending suspense of not knowing has lost its edge some time ago. I just want this to end.

Erica wrote: "I just finished chapter 45. I am frustrated. Too much, too hard to keep track of what's going on. The unending suspense of not knowing has lost its edge some time ago. I just want this to end."

Yeah, I totally understand that!

Shan ~A~ wrote: "Erica wrote: "I haven't finished yet Shan ~A~ but I can see where you might be frustrated. I'm frankly getting a bit weary of our MC soul hopping to try to uncover some mystery. I will forge ahead ..."

I find it ironic that the more innocent-seeming a character is, the blacker they actually are.

Eunice that was especially true for Evelyn for me. When we first met her, I wanted the same thing Aiden did, but the more I saw her through the eyes of others I realized I didn't care what happened to her.

I think if we didn't meet Aiden the way we did, he would have been unlikable to, and that would have sucked to read a book about I person I just couldn't get on board with.

Finished the book last night, and liked it a lot. I was impressed by how cleverly crafted the mystery was, but the way things went for each of the hosts fit together so perfectly near the end, which made me a bit less engaged with the mystery. The plot armor is quite strong in this one.

I think I was able to follow the events amidst the time hopping for the most part, and there's a feeling of satisfaction seeing how his hosts were able to collaborate at times, but the timeline definitely became a lot more messed up toward the end (view spoiler)[because of Aiden changing things up from his usual actions. (hide spoiler)]

I agree with you about the butler, Truitt. Aiden talked about not wanting to stoop down to a lower level for the sake of achieving one's goals like Daniel did prior to that, so the fact that he still continued that felt somewhat hypocritical. Maybe he thinks it necessary because the butler's beating is one of the foundations of his time loop this time, or maybe because he needs Gold to still be strung up in the room beside the butler. Maybe he thinks it doesn't count because he's one of the hosts. See, this is one of Aiden's actions that I think went too well and made me go, did he really plan that ahead of time? Plot armor? I'm talking about (view spoiler)[how he went back to the butler and was able to kill the footman early, which I'm guessing is something Aiden hasn't done before, considering that the footman used to be alive for the whole day. This is one of those moments where the simultaneous timelines gets a little iffy for me. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Also, in the final reveal, there seem to be some blank spots in Aiden's investigation that the narration didn't tell us because I do not remember when Aiden investigated some of the pieces of evidence that he used to prove that Madeleine is actually Evelyn. For how long this book felt, the ending seemed somewhat rushed. (hide spoiler)]

Shan ~A~ wrote: "Eunice that was especially true for Evelyn for me. When we first met her, I wanted the same thing Aiden did, but the more I saw her through the eyes of others I realized I didn't care what happened..."

Yes, I was especially pertaining to Evelyn XD. But in general, I was thinking about Aiden, Daniel, and Evelyn. I personally never cared about Evelyn. As Bell, we could see that she was only nice to a very select few. Though, she was actually a lot worse of a person than we initially thought.

About Aiden... I mean, the current Aiden doesn't like past Aiden too.

Finally finished this one. Eunice, I agree with you - after all the build up the ending did feel a bit rushed. I thought the author's writing style was very strong. But the number of plot twists and interweaving of timelines left me with a lot of confusion. The author tied in reminders of past actions to help guide you through it all but still - just a bit much for me. I was surprised at the ending but glad the suspense is finally over.

It's interesting that we all seemed to have similar feelings about the book.

What I'm wondering, is do I try any more Stuart Turton books? This really was clever (perhaps too much so) - do I give him another shot?

The Devil and the Dark Water is available on KU, and he has a new one - The Last Murder at the End of the World out in May.

How do you all feel on the subject?

It's as though you read my mind! I thought his prose was very nicely done - better than many, frankly. But I nearly got whiplash trying to follow the storyline despite his constant bits of reminders to help readers along. I think maybe I'll try one more because his writing is enjoyable. But if I get that confused and lost again I think I'll have to call it quits. There's so much out there to read. Gotta make your choices!

I plan to read his other books. They all sound interesting. This book was written and executed pretty well despite the fact that he utilized such a confusing premise, and it makes me want to read his other books to see if he has any other interesting twists up his sleeve because this one really tops the cake.

I plan to give him at least one more go before deciding if he will be for me or not. Hopefully the others won't be as confusing to follow.

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