Reviews

The first third was a bit slow, a lot of set up for the main inciting incident, which is explained in the blurb for the book, to finally happen. Once that happened, though, the book picked up speed and was a lot more fun. The resolution to the central mystery wasn't bad, but it also didn't feel super intentional, it felt more hand-wavy than plotted out. That is fine, if the story forces you to complete other things, such as identity and understanding oneself... However, while those were always implicit concerns there wasn't anything that felt incredibly thought-provoking or novel, and that left the mystery's resolution a little underwhelming. All said, still a fun time.

quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition

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3.5

Book Summary:

Dr. Tamsin Rivers is arguably a genius—one of the most intelligent people in her generation. Over the years, she’s been tasked with many creative challenges. Most recently, she’s been tasked with discovering why San Siroco’s sinking.

Unfortunately, the reason is likely related to her latest experiences. She should shut down the project until she’s certain, but instead, Dr. Rivers starts bringing more and more of it home with her—until one day, a door opens up that cannot be shut.

My Review:

Whew. Okay. I’ll admit, Last to Leave the Room took me longer to read than I would like to admit. There’s a reason for it! From the moment the cat was introduced (yes, the cat, not any of the other characters - forgive me), I was soooo on edge. (Spoiler warning: I was right to be on edge).

Last to Leave the Room is a slow-burn type of horror novel. The kind of book where you know right away that something is wrong, so you’re stuck screaming at the characters, begging them to notice and save themselves.

Sorry, was that oddly specific? That’s because I really did feel like screaming at Dr. Rivers. Most people would run from that sort of situation. Then again, most people would pretty much do anything to avoid getting into a horror scenario.

I do think that Last to Leave the Room was a little bit rambling at times. It could have afforded to lose a few chapters. That would have kicked up the punch rather than reducing it.

Highlights:
Science Fiction & Horror
Twisting Tale
Unreliable Narrator

Trigger Warnings:
Graphic Injuries
Mental Illness
Animal Death
Suicidal Thoughts

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aliciaf's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

bleepbloop's review

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tense

3.75

LOTS of eye injury detail

Content Warnings

rileyreadsalatte's review against another edition

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2.0

I so wanted to love this book, but it just fell a bit flat for me. While there were definitely elements that I enjoyed, and parts of the story that had me interested, it just didn’t give me the horror element that I really wanted from it. I did enjoy the writing though, so I plan to check out more from this author soon!

kabexy's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

dllman05's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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