The Last Murder at the End of the World - Stuart Turton

Title: The Last Murder at the End of the World
Author: Stuart Turton
Genre: Dystopian, Suspense
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 330
Date read: May 2024

Solve the murder to save what's left of the world.

Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.


I really liked it, but it didn't blow me away the way "The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" did.

It was a fascinating concept though, and I got more and more intrigued as the chapters went by and I felt like I had more questions than answers. Every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, some new twist occurred and I was left trying to puzzle it all out again.

At the end of the day, I think the mystery was more interesting than its solution, but it was a feasible solution and not too far fetched, so the book ended up really working for me, and I'm amazed that an author can write two books as different in style and yet both complete page-turners!

I'll have to pick up his third book now, and see if that can live up to the others.

Delayed Admission - Heather Renee

Title: Delayed Admission
Author: Heather Renee
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 3/5
# pages: Audiobook ~6hrs
Date read: May 2024

To Raegan Keyes, she's the only one of her kind but has no idea what she is. Until one night, when she finds out her unexplainable abilities aren't the only thing she needs to worry about, and her world becomes much bigger than she ever could have dreamed.

When a mysterious man named Enzo arrives, too striking to be human, Raegan learns she's not as alone as she believed. As more secrets are revealed, she's swept off to an academy for others like her thousands of miles away from home by a complete stranger whom she'd rather stab than travel with.

As tension builds between Raegan and Enzo, she begins to find her purpose as she settles into her new existence. With a group of new friends, she's finally feeling alive again. That is until something sinister comes along, once more throwing her life into mayhem.


This could have been an amazing book, but unfortunately the author couldn't quite deliver. There were some pacing issues along the way, and the ending was a lot more open than the story warranted.

Which is a shame, because the world building and character building was really well done! I very much enjoyed reading about life at Shadow Veil Academy, I loved the friendship between Raegan and Gemma, and was very pleased that the "mean girls" weren't irredeemably so (shades of Viv in "Legally Blonde).

At the end of the day I enjoyed the book, but due to its flaws I can't rate it higher than 3 stars. Especially as I didn't find the villain interesting enough for me to immediately reach for the second book in the series.