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justwanna2read's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
processpending's review
I really wanted to like this book. The plot seemed fascinating but the writing style left much to be desired. From an overly detailed description in Livira's chapters to swaths of descriptions that seems like we know more than we do in Evar's I'm DNF'ing. Evar's situation and siblings are interesting but I'm so lost on what's going on that it's not worth the struggle of continuing.
darnfeinbookthoughts's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
2.5
ungoliant1234's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Where this novel shines most is its world- both at the micro level with the library and at the macro with the sci-fi overarching setting. The writing is also great with several wonderfully crafted phrases- although I did find several lines (primarily of dialogue) to be unnecessarily repetitive.
The plot is great and the twist is wonderful. The characterisation, while decent for the main characters (and that is being generous) is severely lacking for all the side characters. Even amongst the main characters, Liviria felt like a very conventional YA ‘spunky genius’ female lead. The romance is serviceable, but does feel rushed and not particularly authentic. A friendship would, in my option, have sufficed and worked better.
I also did not like how the book is paced. The beginning and ending are great as are individual sequences throughout. The entire middle however feels like a patchwork of different scenes (that often feel repetitive) and the two perspectives in this section did not feel well balanced. When juxtaposed against the action packed finale, the book seems even worse paced.
The plot is great and the twist is wonderful. The characterisation, while decent for the main characters (and that is being generous) is severely lacking for all the side characters. Even amongst the main characters, Liviria felt like a very conventional YA ‘spunky genius’ female lead. The romance is serviceable, but does feel rushed and not particularly authentic. A friendship would, in my option, have sufficed and worked better.
I also did not like how the book is paced. The beginning and ending are great as are individual sequences throughout. The entire middle however feels like a patchwork of different scenes (that often feel repetitive) and the two perspectives in this section did not feel well balanced. When juxtaposed against the action packed finale, the book seems even worse paced.
shelfcontroladjacent's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jasmine_ahl's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lovecraphtian's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
pachomacho's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nikkit_nzl's review against another edition
3.0
I did like it. I just felt so confused throughout - kind of like when watching inception. I won’t bother with the rest of the series as by the end I was struggling to follow the timelines - but I did enjoy it overall!
amenon07's review against another edition
5.0
INCREDIBLE. What a breathtaking adventure that Mark Lawrence takes you on from the moment you flip to the first page. I recommend going into the book as blindly as possible - that’s what I did, and that made the twists that much more satisfying. I certainly agree with other reviews stating that the pacing of the book is off at times (especially towards the end), and while that is something that I’d usually knock at least a star off for, I can pardon this book because nearly everything else about it is so masterful. This is my first book by Mark Lawrence, and I can’t wait to read the rest of his works.
One of my favorite things about this book was how haunting and magical the library (the main setting) was. Lawrence does a pretty good job with world building inside this one location- he makes it feel so expansive, as if it’s a world in its own, rather than the single (albeit massive) building it is. As someone who grew up (and is still) constantly in libraries, this was especially beautiful to me and a large part of why the book felt so enjoyable. There’s also plenty of food for thought about the role books, different types of fiction/non-fiction, and knowledge play in the cycles of development and destruction we finds ourselves in.
If you love libraries, magic, history, and a little bit of mystery: I can’t guarantee that you’ll love this book, but at the very least I doubt you’ll regret reading it.
One of my favorite things about this book was how haunting and magical the library (the main setting) was. Lawrence does a pretty good job with world building inside this one location- he makes it feel so expansive, as if it’s a world in its own, rather than the single (albeit massive) building it is. As someone who grew up (and is still) constantly in libraries, this was especially beautiful to me and a large part of why the book felt so enjoyable. There’s also plenty of food for thought about the role books, different types of fiction/non-fiction, and knowledge play in the cycles of development and destruction we finds ourselves in.
If you love libraries, magic, history, and a little bit of mystery: I can’t guarantee that you’ll love this book, but at the very least I doubt you’ll regret reading it.