I can’t even put into words how much I loved this book.
For the first time in over a decade, I picked up a book and was so utterly captivated, I finished it in one day.
The first thing I noticed, right from page one, is that the prose is genuinely beautiful, and I’m going to read everything this Author has ever written after this.
I also really appreciated how easy it was to keep track of Aiden’s experiences. When you hear he’s going to be living 8 different versions of the same day *Concurrently* oh, and it’s also out of order, you immediately think it’s going to be a headache to keep track of. It wasn’t though, not even once.
I also appreciated that I always had around the same amount of information Aiden did. I was trying to figure out the mystery just like he was, and failing for a lot of the same reasons he was.
The body swapping also *matters* quite a bit. The hosts have personalities, and those personalities have a massive effect on Aiden’s thinking.
The only disappointment was the ending.
They were basically all in a simulation? So does it even matter that Felicity got her revenge? Unless this somehow rewrote history, it sounds like the real Evelyn got away with it. Like, the case isn’t actually… solved. We just know all the answers.
It’s not just that it’s a bad explanation… There honestly didn’t even need to be one. You could’ve just had the plague doctor keep things vague, like the “mystical time travel guy” always does, and it would’ve been fine. I didn’t *need* to know how the magic worked. Anna and Aiden’s prior relationship doesn’t even end up mattering because he’s instantly over it and they don’t get their memories back at the end.
Also… I believe a mystery should be possible to solve early, and this one is not. There is no hint about Felicity’s identity, and no reason to question it. It is impossible to solve this murder before the twist is revealed, and while that doesn’t ruin it for me… Idk. It’s a little disappointing.
The journey so so fucking worth it though.
This, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, are currently my two favorite books.
by Oneforgettable