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All The Whys Of Delilah's Demise
A future Seattle where popularity is everything. The mysterious death of the #1. And an elusive killer.
A rocky year into adulthood and lacking a personal brand, Scottie is skidding toward the bottom spot on the People List—which brings a short ride out of the Dome of New Seattle and into the deadly cold. When a brand finally falls into her lap, it’s a disastrous one: Scottie is accused of causing the death of the longtime #1, a charismatic stage actress named Delilah.
Aided by her “Watson,” the companion her brain chip provides, Scottie scrambles to uncover the person who framed her—and who killed Delilah. Motives in the circle Delilah frequented—a tight group of the town’s social stars—abound. What Scottie unearths will shake the very foundation of her world…and place her squarely in the crosshairs of a shadowy killer intent on clearing a path to #1.
ALL THE WHYS OF DELILAH’S DEMISE: a whodunit set in an all-too-possible future where brand is everything.
A rocky year into adulthood and lacking a personal brand, Scottie is skidding toward the bottom spot on the People List—which brings a short ride out of the Dome of New Seattle and into the deadly cold. When a brand finally falls into her lap, it’s a disastrous one: Scottie is accused of causing the death of the longtime #1, a charismatic stage actress named Delilah.
Aided by her “Watson,” the companion her brain chip provides, Scottie scrambles to uncover the person who framed her—and who killed Delilah. Motives in the circle Delilah frequented—a tight group of the town’s social stars—abound. What Scottie unearths will shake the very foundation of her world…and place her squarely in the crosshairs of a shadowy killer intent on clearing a path to #1.
ALL THE WHYS OF DELILAH’S DEMISE: a whodunit set in an all-too-possible future where brand is everything.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2021
About the author
Neve Maslakovic
10 books104 followersNeve Maslakovic writes stories set in the corner where mystery meets science fiction. She is the author of five novels, including Regarding Ducks and Universes (“Inventive… a delight.” — Booklist). Her life journey took her from Belgrade, Serbia to a PhD at Stanford University’s STAR Lab to her dream job as a writer. She lives with her husband, son, and very energetic goldendoodle in the Twin Cities.
Find out more at www.nevemaslakovic.com
Find out more at www.nevemaslakovic.com
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Want to Read
April 8, 2024I literally just saw this is going to be a part of the Narratess Indie Sale from the 13th to the 15th, WE WILL BE GETTING!!! I gotta support my fellow Serbs writing scifi mhm.
April 6, 2021
Be warned, you may find a bunch of pop-cultural references throughout this review 🙂
Reading this novel, it was really hard to shake off all the similarities with some of the popular movies, books, and TV shows preceding this novel- such as Black Mirror, Stephen King's Under the Dome, The Hunger Games... Despite all the given similarities, this novel held its uniqueness with the setting which I loved.
Given today's society, I know it's not so hard, but just try to imagine: What if your whole life- and by the whole, I mean literary everything: social status, employment, money, reputation- everything is valued through the colorful gems you receive from the other members of the society which are, for most people, likes on today's social media. Based on those gems, you have a rank in the society, and those on the bottom of the food chain are easily kicked out every single week. Those on the top of the food chain are glorified and have everything at their disposal. But, staying on top might cost a few lives.
I was simply drawn in by the idea, the fragments, the thought of where this story is going... BUT!
Almost everything in between felt like a bunch of hot mess. A lot of characters were thrown into the plot of this novel and for many of them, I simply wasn't sure what was even the purpose of their existence, let alone the path they're taking. A lot of fragments of the story were simply hard to get attached to, were hard to track. This resulting in the fact that I almost gave up reading a couple of times. Stubborn as I am, I managed to finish reading the novel, but I had my struggles.
Another pop culture reference coming your way: this novel left me with the same feeling the Game of Thrones series finale left me with. I love the idea, I love the concept, I love the setting, I love some of the characters. But the path from beginning to the very end a lot of times was just a bunch of hot mess and I didn't like most of the path that was taken from start to finish.
In the end, I just want to thank NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for the ARC of this novel.
Reading this novel, it was really hard to shake off all the similarities with some of the popular movies, books, and TV shows preceding this novel- such as Black Mirror, Stephen King's Under the Dome, The Hunger Games... Despite all the given similarities, this novel held its uniqueness with the setting which I loved.
Given today's society, I know it's not so hard, but just try to imagine: What if your whole life- and by the whole, I mean literary everything: social status, employment, money, reputation- everything is valued through the colorful gems you receive from the other members of the society which are, for most people, likes on today's social media. Based on those gems, you have a rank in the society, and those on the bottom of the food chain are easily kicked out every single week. Those on the top of the food chain are glorified and have everything at their disposal. But, staying on top might cost a few lives.
I was simply drawn in by the idea, the fragments, the thought of where this story is going... BUT!
Almost everything in between felt like a bunch of hot mess. A lot of characters were thrown into the plot of this novel and for many of them, I simply wasn't sure what was even the purpose of their existence, let alone the path they're taking. A lot of fragments of the story were simply hard to get attached to, were hard to track. This resulting in the fact that I almost gave up reading a couple of times. Stubborn as I am, I managed to finish reading the novel, but I had my struggles.
Another pop culture reference coming your way: this novel left me with the same feeling the Game of Thrones series finale left me with. I love the idea, I love the concept, I love the setting, I love some of the characters. But the path from beginning to the very end a lot of times was just a bunch of hot mess and I didn't like most of the path that was taken from start to finish.
In the end, I just want to thank NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for the ARC of this novel.
May 1, 2024
Thrilling mystery Dystopian
I was captivated the entire time. Loved the concept of this dystopian world and I kind of want to see short stories of all the other domed cities with their unique forms of government.
I was captivated the entire time. Loved the concept of this dystopian world and I kind of want to see short stories of all the other domed cities with their unique forms of government.
Want to Read
March 18, 2021Won in a Goodreads giveaway! I can't wait to read it!
March 29, 2022
Read for SPSFC Semifinalists!
Overall Thoughts
This was a fun murder mystery in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian setting, and it’s one where the upbeat writing and interesting characters mask the real situation behind the scenes. We’re mostly in the POV of Scottie, who may or may not have been charged with the murder of the most important person in the domed town of New Seattle—the one at the top of the People List. The story unfolds from there, so let me dig in a bit…
Plot
This follows a lot of the plot clichés of murder mysteries: the multiple kills, the suspicious innocents, the plot twists, and does a good job following through on all the threads woven in the story. I’m not going to go in much detail here as things get pretty spoilery quickly, but I will say the reason this book rates lower than some of the others is that I thought the first third dragged a little, and there was a later plot twist that seemed almost out of place, considering how quickly it came about. There is some evidence beforehand, but the twist was not at all what I expected, and I think could have been telegraphed just a little better by one or two hints earlier in the book to make it seem more connected with the rest of the plot.
Setting
The setting was what made this story a sci-fi murder mystery, and although we spend nearly all the time inside the domed city, protected from the artificial freeze that’s happened outside, there’s a lot to learn about the world. Society has gotten cut into little pockets. Dystopian measures to control the population and ensure cooperation makes the characters almost childlike in the ways they don’t understand the old world. The reader gets to find out all the interesting ins and outs of the top people in the town as the mystery progresses, learning some of what really happened and how control is kept over the city. This also has to do with that last twist, as I feel there could have been a little more detail concerning the origins of what happened, and it would tie the twist in a lot better.
Character
Characters are the biggest part of this story, as with all murder mysteries. “All the Whys,” as the title states. Scottie is freshly into adulthood, which gives us a great open perspective to learn about this society. She’s also got her PALs—socially approved friends—although many forms of love and relationships are forbidden. We are occasionally in another character’s head for a chapter, and the first time this threw me a bit, as I had assumed the book would be from one POV, but often the chapter serves to increase our knowledge of Scottie. Overall, I felt like she might have been searching for too many things, like her own “brand,” along with potential love, the murderer, and information about her family. It diluted the core story a bit for me, but this was still a fairly light and fun read.
Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
A dystopian murder mystery where navigating society is a killer! Not as focused as it could be in places, and the final twist wasn’t supported well enough for me, but quite an enjoyable read, overall. 8/10.
Overall Thoughts
This was a fun murder mystery in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian setting, and it’s one where the upbeat writing and interesting characters mask the real situation behind the scenes. We’re mostly in the POV of Scottie, who may or may not have been charged with the murder of the most important person in the domed town of New Seattle—the one at the top of the People List. The story unfolds from there, so let me dig in a bit…
Plot
This follows a lot of the plot clichés of murder mysteries: the multiple kills, the suspicious innocents, the plot twists, and does a good job following through on all the threads woven in the story. I’m not going to go in much detail here as things get pretty spoilery quickly, but I will say the reason this book rates lower than some of the others is that I thought the first third dragged a little, and there was a later plot twist that seemed almost out of place, considering how quickly it came about. There is some evidence beforehand, but the twist was not at all what I expected, and I think could have been telegraphed just a little better by one or two hints earlier in the book to make it seem more connected with the rest of the plot.
Setting
The setting was what made this story a sci-fi murder mystery, and although we spend nearly all the time inside the domed city, protected from the artificial freeze that’s happened outside, there’s a lot to learn about the world. Society has gotten cut into little pockets. Dystopian measures to control the population and ensure cooperation makes the characters almost childlike in the ways they don’t understand the old world. The reader gets to find out all the interesting ins and outs of the top people in the town as the mystery progresses, learning some of what really happened and how control is kept over the city. This also has to do with that last twist, as I feel there could have been a little more detail concerning the origins of what happened, and it would tie the twist in a lot better.
Character
Characters are the biggest part of this story, as with all murder mysteries. “All the Whys,” as the title states. Scottie is freshly into adulthood, which gives us a great open perspective to learn about this society. She’s also got her PALs—socially approved friends—although many forms of love and relationships are forbidden. We are occasionally in another character’s head for a chapter, and the first time this threw me a bit, as I had assumed the book would be from one POV, but often the chapter serves to increase our knowledge of Scottie. Overall, I felt like she might have been searching for too many things, like her own “brand,” along with potential love, the murderer, and information about her family. It diluted the core story a bit for me, but this was still a fairly light and fun read.
Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
A dystopian murder mystery where navigating society is a killer! Not as focused as it could be in places, and the final twist wasn’t supported well enough for me, but quite an enjoyable read, overall. 8/10.
March 4, 2021
When I first started reading, it was hard to shake the SIMS game visuals, but after a few pages, the story settled into a jaunty mystery that kept me turning the pages. I couldn't put it down. There's an interesting juxtaposition of lighthearted murder mystery and deadly dystopia. I don't know that I've read anything quite like it, and I enjoyed the slow awakening that Scottie experiences. While this is a common true-to-life journey for many young people as they step outside what they've been told and assumed, Maslakovic takes this maturation to a whole other speculative level, and the ending was a dark surprise. I enjoyed this one a lot.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for the review copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for the review copy.
February 10, 2024
A year into adulthood and Scott’s place in New Seattle is in jeopardy due to her lack of a personal brand and her low, low place on the People List. When a fantastic chance to make something of herself lands in her lap it is almost immediately followed by disaster. Brilliant stage actress and long time number one on the People List has died, and Scott is accused of murdering her. Scott is determined to prove her innocence and find the real killer, even if it means risking what standing she has or putting herself in harms way. Relying on her CC, an AI companion chipped right into her brain, Sherlock Scottie is on the case of her life, one that will reveal far more than a single killer.
I do not know what to do with this book. Neve Maslakovic’s All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise is not badly written exactly, but it was difficult for me to meet it where it wanted to go. The setting was fascinating, but did not feel as thought out as it probably should have been. The characters had serious potential, but often felt a bit flat, and Scott felt both very like she had originally been much younger and like she did not really fit the setting. The plot itself felt more than a touch fragmented.
We have this version of the world twenty minutes into the future where this massive event rendered most of the world unlivable and most technology nonfunctional. So, bubble cities were built to allow humanity to survive. But each city can only support so many people, leaving vast swaths of the population to die out for the sake of those lucky, valued few who made it in. In New Seattle, that means that the population is capped at ten thousand people and that people need to be regularly transferred to either a life of labor in the greenhouses that support the city or sent out into the wilderness to make their way as best they can or die. This is a brilliant concept and so much could be done with it, there is space to dig in a million different directions. New Seattle chooses who leaves via an ongoing social media popularity contest between everyone in the city because the city founders decided that they wanted to keep only the people who did the most for their community. Again, brilliant concept, this could be an absolutely cutting critique of social media culture and how it affects people’s well-being. The idea of a person’s social media standing deciding where they can live and the kinds of jobs they can get and how much they make is terrifying, but we see surprisingly little of it. Scott is clearly poor but it never feels like she is actually in danger of winding up sleeping on a mat in the hallway. The setting is rather deliberately unkind but also curiously unwilling to delve into that unkindness.
Which brings us to the characters, mostly to Scott herself. In a city where everyone is custom built from genetic material from New Seattle’s founders and raised in a group setting, Scott is desperate to learn who her parents were because, even though it is forbidden to access that information and she has already been punished for trying, she wants something that no one can take away from her. As with many things in All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise, this could have been brilliant. What does it say about Scott that she has grasped on to something that she does not have, because no one has it, as the thing that cannot be taken from her? This could almost have been the core of the story to begin with, but it feels like it barely got dug into much less resolved. Similarly, Scott knows that her standing on the People List marks the difference between living in society or being kicked out. She knows that her low standing puts her in a precarious position but just kind of does nothing about it until she picks a dumb fight and gets dropped to the bottom. All despite the fact that her two PALs are both in the top five hundred and she could probably just talk to them and be fine. This is one of the bigger places where I just cannot get to where the book wants me to go, I had no faith that Maslakovic would actually kick Scott out of New Seattle and so all the tension of her being at the very bottom of the People List was lost.
Scott frustrates me because she is at the center of all these really interesting ideas that just sort of veer off mark. Contrast the other characters who are only frustrating because they all feel flat. Scott’s very popular PALs the hot boy next door athlete and the fabulous hard-working chef who is dedicated to her boyfriend are both just developed enough to play off of Scott a little, but no further. The top ten, the most popular, standout people in the city, felt flat, not quite like stock characters but close. Like they were filling space rather than moving things forward. So many characters could have just been swapped around and I am unsure that I would have noticed.
The mystery that drives everything forward suffers a similar fate to the secondary characters. What caused Delilah, the number one of the People List, to take that fall from her apartment balcony? Given the setting, that is a legitimately solid mystery to dig into with a fair few options on what might have happened. The continued attacks build into that, bringing up questions of who would want to kill the number one and how could they manage it. It feels almost like it could be a curse, with a couple of really cool scenes that were legitimately creepy. But then we also get the five minutes or so of a forbidden romance between Scott and one of her PALs. We get the reveal of Scott’s parentage and what feels like a complete lack of consequence. Scott trying to figure out who might be behind the murders is interesting but also feels inconsequential. It is all a bit of a mess in a way that left me with several notes that were some variation on “why this though”, especially once the actual antagonist showed up from what felt like out of left field.
And that is sort of where I live with All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise, it is a rough mix of solid ideas and brilliant concepts that just fail to land. It wants for more focus on some plot points and deeper thought on others. It frustrates, not because the writing is bad but because it is so close to good that it feels worse than just poor writing would. I feel like Maslakovic has the potential to be a really fantastic author, perhaps she already is. I want to check out some of her other stuff despite this one not working for me. All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise gets a two out of five.
This book was provided to me by netGalley for honest review. Review has previously been posted at https://tympestbooks.wordpress.com/20...
I do not know what to do with this book. Neve Maslakovic’s All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise is not badly written exactly, but it was difficult for me to meet it where it wanted to go. The setting was fascinating, but did not feel as thought out as it probably should have been. The characters had serious potential, but often felt a bit flat, and Scott felt both very like she had originally been much younger and like she did not really fit the setting. The plot itself felt more than a touch fragmented.
We have this version of the world twenty minutes into the future where this massive event rendered most of the world unlivable and most technology nonfunctional. So, bubble cities were built to allow humanity to survive. But each city can only support so many people, leaving vast swaths of the population to die out for the sake of those lucky, valued few who made it in. In New Seattle, that means that the population is capped at ten thousand people and that people need to be regularly transferred to either a life of labor in the greenhouses that support the city or sent out into the wilderness to make their way as best they can or die. This is a brilliant concept and so much could be done with it, there is space to dig in a million different directions. New Seattle chooses who leaves via an ongoing social media popularity contest between everyone in the city because the city founders decided that they wanted to keep only the people who did the most for their community. Again, brilliant concept, this could be an absolutely cutting critique of social media culture and how it affects people’s well-being. The idea of a person’s social media standing deciding where they can live and the kinds of jobs they can get and how much they make is terrifying, but we see surprisingly little of it. Scott is clearly poor but it never feels like she is actually in danger of winding up sleeping on a mat in the hallway. The setting is rather deliberately unkind but also curiously unwilling to delve into that unkindness.
Which brings us to the characters, mostly to Scott herself. In a city where everyone is custom built from genetic material from New Seattle’s founders and raised in a group setting, Scott is desperate to learn who her parents were because, even though it is forbidden to access that information and she has already been punished for trying, she wants something that no one can take away from her. As with many things in All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise, this could have been brilliant. What does it say about Scott that she has grasped on to something that she does not have, because no one has it, as the thing that cannot be taken from her? This could almost have been the core of the story to begin with, but it feels like it barely got dug into much less resolved. Similarly, Scott knows that her standing on the People List marks the difference between living in society or being kicked out. She knows that her low standing puts her in a precarious position but just kind of does nothing about it until she picks a dumb fight and gets dropped to the bottom. All despite the fact that her two PALs are both in the top five hundred and she could probably just talk to them and be fine. This is one of the bigger places where I just cannot get to where the book wants me to go, I had no faith that Maslakovic would actually kick Scott out of New Seattle and so all the tension of her being at the very bottom of the People List was lost.
Scott frustrates me because she is at the center of all these really interesting ideas that just sort of veer off mark. Contrast the other characters who are only frustrating because they all feel flat. Scott’s very popular PALs the hot boy next door athlete and the fabulous hard-working chef who is dedicated to her boyfriend are both just developed enough to play off of Scott a little, but no further. The top ten, the most popular, standout people in the city, felt flat, not quite like stock characters but close. Like they were filling space rather than moving things forward. So many characters could have just been swapped around and I am unsure that I would have noticed.
The mystery that drives everything forward suffers a similar fate to the secondary characters. What caused Delilah, the number one of the People List, to take that fall from her apartment balcony? Given the setting, that is a legitimately solid mystery to dig into with a fair few options on what might have happened. The continued attacks build into that, bringing up questions of who would want to kill the number one and how could they manage it. It feels almost like it could be a curse, with a couple of really cool scenes that were legitimately creepy. But then we also get the five minutes or so of a forbidden romance between Scott and one of her PALs. We get the reveal of Scott’s parentage and what feels like a complete lack of consequence. Scott trying to figure out who might be behind the murders is interesting but also feels inconsequential. It is all a bit of a mess in a way that left me with several notes that were some variation on “why this though”, especially once the actual antagonist showed up from what felt like out of left field.
And that is sort of where I live with All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise, it is a rough mix of solid ideas and brilliant concepts that just fail to land. It wants for more focus on some plot points and deeper thought on others. It frustrates, not because the writing is bad but because it is so close to good that it feels worse than just poor writing would. I feel like Maslakovic has the potential to be a really fantastic author, perhaps she already is. I want to check out some of her other stuff despite this one not working for me. All the Whys of Delilah’s Demise gets a two out of five.
This book was provided to me by netGalley for honest review. Review has previously been posted at https://tympestbooks.wordpress.com/20...
March 8, 2021
All The Whys of Delilah's Demise gives me Black Mirror Vibes. (Almost rhyme, smug face) Set in the future in New Seattle, with 10,000 residents, popularity is everything and you don't want to find yourself in #10,000 spot. Coz if you do, seeya, you're off sledding out of the doors of the dome, into the very snowy outdoors where chances of frost bite and your nose falling off is, well, high. Gems are awarded between residents to determine popularity and a persons 'worth'. Delilah, number #1 however, has died, and recent graduate Scott (who's in the bottom 1000) wants to find out how, to give herself a brand, and rise up in the ranks to avoid seeing herself sledding out the doors. On starting this novel, I thought okay, I've read some books with similar concepts before (a popularity screen to show all residents where they rank, service being given to a resident depending on how popular they are) and so I was interested if this would follow a similar pattern or whether it would go somewhere different, hold interest and become a novel hard for me to put down. The bonus for this novel, compared to those others I have read is that I really enjoyed the characters, all unique despite most sharing the desire to be 'number #1'. Always a sucker for the 'forbidden' love trope and the overall objective to hunt and find the killer. I definitely found myself wanting to read more and getting more attached to the characters the further I progressed through the novel. 4 ruby gems from me! Thanks to NetGalley, Cosmic Tea Press and Neve Maslakovic for an eArc of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2021
Delilah's Demise is a delightful surprise. Oh hey, that rhymes!
An intriguing dystopian future blended with a murder mystery with some scifi style brain chip technology thrown in for good measure!
Scottie is a 19 year old trying to make her way under the Dome of New Seattle, where popularity is the key to success in life. The Tenners (top 10 on "The List" of the most popular Dome residents) govern the dome, not only having popularity but the best housing, food, money and many more perks.
Down the bottom of the list, Scottie struggles to get by with her few "gems", and a bad gem marrs her record. The dome is thrown into disarray when Delilah, the Number One of the Tenners, is found dead. After being hauled in for questioning following the incident, Scottie feels there is more to this than there appears, and this sets her on a path of discovery... About the dome, The Tenners... and herself.
I really enjoyed this book and the concept was great, I found Scottie an engaging lead character, and the other characters and relationships interesting. This was a really original story and it was great to read something different.
***Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.***
An intriguing dystopian future blended with a murder mystery with some scifi style brain chip technology thrown in for good measure!
Scottie is a 19 year old trying to make her way under the Dome of New Seattle, where popularity is the key to success in life. The Tenners (top 10 on "The List" of the most popular Dome residents) govern the dome, not only having popularity but the best housing, food, money and many more perks.
Down the bottom of the list, Scottie struggles to get by with her few "gems", and a bad gem marrs her record. The dome is thrown into disarray when Delilah, the Number One of the Tenners, is found dead. After being hauled in for questioning following the incident, Scottie feels there is more to this than there appears, and this sets her on a path of discovery... About the dome, The Tenners... and herself.
I really enjoyed this book and the concept was great, I found Scottie an engaging lead character, and the other characters and relationships interesting. This was a really original story and it was great to read something different.
***Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.***
March 15, 2021
This book is a great addition to the whole social media / dystopian / video game kind of genre. Whatever that is! Scottie is at the low end of the social strata and struggling to find herself in a world based on popularity. Think Hunger Games / Survivor but with a peer rating system that displays above your head. In some ways it reminded me of Super Sad True Love Story but in a dome and with people being kicked off. I loved the concept of PALs and thought the Code was an interesting way to re-frame society. The murder and story line about who it ended up being was my least favorite part of the story. It didn't hold up, in my opinion, to the well thought out and developed world around it. I understand the point, but it felt like a cheap way out. Needless to say, I enjoyed reading the whole book!
Thanks to NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
May 28, 2024
This book was amazing. I knew it was going to be a great read from the first few pages. The world-building was incredible with the world being built based on people's popularity with the top ten having an untouchable status. The mystery kept my head spinning in a way that I couldn't stop reading.
My favorite part by far were the characters. Each character was full of life and intrigue and it felt like they were my friends or people I could relate to. Not to mention the forbidden love trope had me giddy. I was smiling so hard each time they interacted with each other. It's been so long since I've been so interested in a romantic side plot.
However, what made me rate this four stars was the ending. It was cut short on a cliffhanger and during my research the author claims this is a standalone. It felt like I was missing the last 30 pages or so of the book. It was really disappointing. Such a shame because the rest of the book was so good.
My favorite part by far were the characters. Each character was full of life and intrigue and it felt like they were my friends or people I could relate to. Not to mention the forbidden love trope had me giddy. I was smiling so hard each time they interacted with each other. It's been so long since I've been so interested in a romantic side plot.
However, what made me rate this four stars was the ending. It was cut short on a cliffhanger and during my research the author claims this is a standalone. It felt like I was missing the last 30 pages or so of the book. It was really disappointing. Such a shame because the rest of the book was so good.
March 27, 2021
I won a free Kindle copy of this in a Goodreads Giveaway.
I got intense Black Mirror (think the episode Nosedive) and Snowpiercer vibes from this book.
Wow! What an incredible and thought provoking story! Scott is a nobody in this ranked society living in a dome after the powers that be plunged the world into the second ice age. Born from skin and hair cells, she tries to figure out who her parents are and is instantly dropped into the bottom thousand for the violation. As the story goes on, the number one, Delilah, dies suddenly and they believe a curse has settled on the city. Scott (Scottie as she prefers to be called) decides to investigate, and let’s just say that things get crazy as this goes on.
The ending is awful, I needed to know more, and I’m just hoping for a sequel!
I got intense Black Mirror (think the episode Nosedive) and Snowpiercer vibes from this book.
Wow! What an incredible and thought provoking story! Scott is a nobody in this ranked society living in a dome after the powers that be plunged the world into the second ice age. Born from skin and hair cells, she tries to figure out who her parents are and is instantly dropped into the bottom thousand for the violation. As the story goes on, the number one, Delilah, dies suddenly and they believe a curse has settled on the city. Scott (Scottie as she prefers to be called) decides to investigate, and let’s just say that things get crazy as this goes on.
The ending is awful, I needed to know more, and I’m just hoping for a sequel!
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August 22, 2023The world that the author created was very vivid and credible. The story was engaging and the characters were well written. All in all it was an easy read and I wasn't just rushing to find out who the killer was - I enjoyed the journey. A Ruby Gem for sure! However, one of my BIG pet peeves is when I get near the end and realize it's going to be a "to be continued..." especially when there are no disclaimers on the cover or in the description. I do not like reading the first book in a series, particularly when no second book has been written. That means when (and if) the second book comes out, I have to go back and re-read the first to refresh my memory. Readers should be notified that the conclusion is incomplete. Otherwise, a strong and engaging story!
March 30, 2021
I can't resist the pull of a book set in the PNW, these days, especially SFF! When I saw that this one, "a whodunit set in an all-too-possible future where brand is everything," takes place in the dome city of "New Seattle," I made sure to sign up for the ARC (thank you NetGalley). Overall I really enjoyed it, especially the fun, unique blend of genres and the humorous narrative voice. Because it's part murder mystery, we get a look at the many different spaces, voices, and histories of the town, as Scottie investigates its residents with her best friend, Dax, and her AI chip, Cece. The town ranking system, AI neural implants, and post-apocalyptic Dome City setting are the key speculative fiction elements of the story, and while these are all somewhat familiar tropes by now, blended into the murder mystery it really makes for something fun and original. I'd recommend this one.
April 23, 2024
I enjoyed the writing and ideas of this dystopian sci-fi mystery, but couldn't help but think there were so many themes running in the narrative I never felt sure of them all. I'd assumed it was YA (the character comes across as a plucky 16 year old even though she says she's older) and would have loved everything to come together at the end (is it a cliffhanger? Is there more from New Seattle Dome?) If you like social media frenzy and techno-centric themes in a dystopian package, this is an interesting YA look at how a society could flourish... Or not!
August 15, 2026
Many thanks to Ms. Maslakovic for the copy of the book from her giveaway. I started reading it the day it arrived and frankly, my mind was BLOWN 🤯 by the end.
I made a few connections as the story unfolded and the inhabitants of the domed city of New Seattle being the same as the ants was the major one but I guarantee that you won’t see the ‘why’s’ of Delilahs’ demise coming. Til it hits you like a Mack truck outta nowhere.
Highly recommend!
I made a few connections as the story unfolded and the inhabitants of the domed city of New Seattle being the same as the ants was the major one but I guarantee that you won’t see the ‘why’s’ of Delilahs’ demise coming. Til it hits you like a Mack truck outta nowhere.
Highly recommend!
March 14, 2021
This novel follows main character, Scott, in a futuristic world where everything is based on popularity and rank. After the number one ranked is found dead, Scott tries to unravel the mystery behind who the killer is, while putting herself and her friends in danger.
July 20, 2021
When I first started to read this book I was sure I wouldn’t like it. But very soon into the book I couldn’t stop reading it. The characters are very well written. The story moves along at a good pace. I couldn’t wait to find out who done it. The ending was very surprising.
March 12, 2025
It was a good book till the end. Just a lousy ending in my mind. While Character development is great you love the characters. It all makes sense till it does not. That all I can really say about this book. Fantastic story till the last bit. Then it ended all wrong in my mind.
April 21, 2021
One sitting
Read this in one setting (on vacation), lots of twists and turns. Interesting mix of genres, a bit of scifi, mystery, dystopia. Hoping for a sequel to this one.
Read this in one setting (on vacation), lots of twists and turns. Interesting mix of genres, a bit of scifi, mystery, dystopia. Hoping for a sequel to this one.
September 20, 2021
In my personal opinion the ending of the book made the rest of the book pointless. Because I enjoyed some of the characters I am rating this book a 2 out of 10.
November 19, 2021
I didn't love the premise of this book. It was well written but I didn't find it too entertaining.
I received a free ARC. This is my honest review.
I received a free ARC. This is my honest review.
March 16, 2022
I enjoyed it. It is rather topical and while the charaters and the world lack depth it was still a rather engrossing mystery
March 28, 2024
The background of social ratings is disconcerting. The investigation is a bumbling misadventure. There is a hint of a better outcome.
April 7, 2022
This had much potential. It’s starts very slow and once you get into the action, the killer is actually really disappointing. And don’t even get me started on the ending… even more disappointing.
March 11, 2021
I totally loved this book. The mystery was really captivating and witty and I loved Scottie's character. There was a really cute romance and the sci-fi element of the story was fascinating. As others have said, it had a bit of a Black Mirror vibe, but it was done in such a unique way. Scottie's search for a family was really endearing and I loved Dax and the idea of PALs. All of the characters were dynamic and interesting and I really enjoyed the narrative style. I was iffy about how the story ended, but the rest of the story totally made up for that. The world was interesting and it seemed very real. Overall, this book was a really fun blend of sci-fi and a classic whodunnit mystery that I hadn't really seen before and it was beyond enjoyable. I literally could not put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Cosmic Tea Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2021
I'm not finished. But i thought I'd give a quick update. The beginning so far i felt as if it was an easily forgettable read. But the story is definitely picking up.
December 11, 2021
Maslakovic has delivered a skilled indictment of the insidious nature of social media and the scramble to be liked. 'All the Whys of Delilah's Demise' is more than a sharp glimpse into the future. The plot leaps from dystopian to mystery, with an inept, social pariah detective to chase the twists and red herrings. Kept me guessing until the end.
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