Reviews with content warning for Murder - S.

I enjoyed the story in the margins, the mystery, and the additions/feeling like I was a part of the characters world, but the underlying story (S's story) was a little too dark for me. It was a really odd story! I didn't fully understand the mystic connections, and I'm not a huge fan of dark stories.

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mdwsn27's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Not sure I fully understand it, but it was fun!

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leeyongjin's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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random19379's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny inspiring mysterious relaxing tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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diana_raquel's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

"What begins at the water shall end there, and what ends there shall once more begin.”

When I discover this book I immediately wanted to read it. It's a book with two stories that are linked and told by using mixed media. I found that concept to be interesting and immediately brought it! I was so excited that when I got the book in my hand, I started reading it almost immediately. And I don't do that very often.

I think my excitement may have been also the main culprit for the 3-star rating. I started reading the book, and I was really liking it. However, as my excitement started dying down, my enjoyment of the story also started to decrease. Don't get me wrong. This is a "me" problem and not a "book" problem. The story is really interesting, full of plot twists and surprising outcomes, and the mixed media is really interesting, as are the characters. However, the slow pacing and the dying of my excitement got the best of me, and that had an impact on my experience.

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cdt96's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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devin_raquel's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This story is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I’ve used the term “story-within-a-story” before, but no novel truly encapsulates this idea like S does.

The many storylines and non-linear presentation of these storylines kept my attention throughout the whole story, and I can confidently say this novel is anything but boring. A book that you absolutely HAVE to read a second (possibly a third) time to completely grasp all that’s going on in the text; and, of course, in the margins.

Abrams & Dorst give the readers information, while withholding just enough, just keep the ending shrouded in mystery and open to the readers interpretation. While the included notes, photos, maps, etc. make the readers feel like they’re helping uncover the mystery along with the characters. All the components of a mystery, fantasy and romance novel rolled into one.

As a literature major this book touched a special place in my heart with the annotations. While the majority of them where just notes between the two main characters, Jen & Eric, some of these notes have the potential to teach readers how to correctly annotate. Questions in the margins that cause the readers to think, different perspectives of thought, going beyond was literally written down.

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ghostams's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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