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peggykelly95's review
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It took a while for me to care about the characters - Paul and Sophie, but I did enjoy getting to know them and JW Wells company. A fun read.
rui_leite's review
3.0
Well... it’s a good book. Not brilliant, not ground breaking, not exactly mind-blowing but, I’ll give it this, quite funny and with a nice concept that was more or less well achieved.
If you want to have a general idea of how this feels think “The Office” meets “Harry Potter”. To expound this idea, imagine a bunch of “The Office” characters working and living in a Potterverse firm and you might begin getting the general vibe of this.
The passing might not be everyone’s cup of tea, as we slip slowly from the very mundane (the first two chapters are very much a step by step description of every job interview ever made and every “first-day-on-the-job” ever experienced, without anything more magical than the mystery of the long stapler) to the very odd (the last chapters involve enough love potions shenanigans to put Shakespeare to shame, solving magic riddles, a wizard battle of sorts, and the complexities of a goblin\Human relationship, amongst many other things), but the progression makes sense in a weird and twisted sort of way.
Paul is…an interesting choice of a protagonist. To put it bluntly he would make Arthur Dent look like an intrepid hero and Rincewind like a self-confident man with a sunny outlook in life. Even though that does make him endearing to a point sometimes it may get a bit tiresome as you just want him to learn something or grow a bit of backbone and it takes time before he shows signs of that, (and even then reluctantly…) but, all things considered, I must say, I liked him more often than not.
Sophie, on the other hand, was much more consistently fun to read, at least when she was not involved in that romantic cloud of Paul’s imagination. She is weird but self-reliant, strong in her own way, intelligent, a bit intimidating and just awkward enough for me to understand exactly what Paul saw in her. I really kind of liked her (and now that I think of it I sort of wished the whole thing had been written from her point of view instead… that might have been an improvement…)
There are a few issues I have with their “love story”, though, which ultimately is the driving force of the plot, but also, maybe, it’s greatest weakness. Yes, you should never have a character think he’s “in love” with someone just after two almost meaningless encounters, and you should most definitely never have a character think “she’s the love of my life” about eighty pages before he even knows her name. But it is also well established, early on, that is due to Paul’s weaknesses, not a particularly appreciable or admirable trait, and it can be easily forgiven if you begin considering that, yep, that would be very much the way someone as needy and lonely as Paul would view the prospect of a relationship.
All in all I do not give my time reading this for wasted; it is a decent effort in what I like to think of as “mundane fantasy” and it really made me wonder what else might Mr Holt be capable of. This one gets three stars... and maybe a tip of an arm of a fourth star... but just a wee bit.
If you want to have a general idea of how this feels think “The Office” meets “Harry Potter”. To expound this idea, imagine a bunch of “The Office” characters working and living in a Potterverse firm and you might begin getting the general vibe of this.
The passing might not be everyone’s cup of tea, as we slip slowly from the very mundane (the first two chapters are very much a step by step description of every job interview ever made and every “first-day-on-the-job” ever experienced, without anything more magical than the mystery of the long stapler) to the very odd (the last chapters involve enough love potions shenanigans to put Shakespeare to shame, solving magic riddles, a wizard battle of sorts, and the complexities of a goblin\Human relationship, amongst many other things), but the progression makes sense in a weird and twisted sort of way.
Paul is…an interesting choice of a protagonist. To put it bluntly he would make Arthur Dent look like an intrepid hero and Rincewind like a self-confident man with a sunny outlook in life. Even though that does make him endearing to a point sometimes it may get a bit tiresome as you just want him to learn something or grow a bit of backbone and it takes time before he shows signs of that, (and even then reluctantly…) but, all things considered, I must say, I liked him more often than not.
Sophie, on the other hand, was much more consistently fun to read, at least when she was not involved in that romantic cloud of Paul’s imagination. She is weird but self-reliant, strong in her own way, intelligent, a bit intimidating and just awkward enough for me to understand exactly what Paul saw in her. I really kind of liked her (and now that I think of it I sort of wished the whole thing had been written from her point of view instead… that might have been an improvement…)
There are a few issues I have with their “love story”, though, which ultimately is the driving force of the plot, but also, maybe, it’s greatest weakness. Yes, you should never have a character think he’s “in love” with someone just after two almost meaningless encounters, and you should most definitely never have a character think “she’s the love of my life” about eighty pages before he even knows her name. But it is also well established, early on, that is due to Paul’s weaknesses, not a particularly appreciable or admirable trait, and it can be easily forgiven if you begin considering that, yep, that would be very much the way someone as needy and lonely as Paul would view the prospect of a relationship.
All in all I do not give my time reading this for wasted; it is a decent effort in what I like to think of as “mundane fantasy” and it really made me wonder what else might Mr Holt be capable of. This one gets three stars... and maybe a tip of an arm of a fourth star... but just a wee bit.
soapythebum's review
2.0
It felt like the start of a series. I plan on reading the next book in the series at some point.
bookworm605's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The main character, Paul, is very likeable. His financial situation is not good and he just needs a job. Much to his surprise, he is hired after being interviewed by several characters who are less than forthcoming regarding the details of the job. As the book progresses, Paul learns that he is special and he really doesn't know what he has got himself into. There is also a romantic angle.
diannetea's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sophietica's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
emmarowlands's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
5.0
spitzig's review
2.0
Weak.
Just weird(you aren't even sure it's magical) stuff happens for a LONG time. The "Portable Door" isn't found for probably 3/4 of the book.
The main character was a whiny guy. Most of the book is him whining about women(especially one woman).
The "action" doesn't take place until the end.
The book is supposed to be funny. I guess some people find it funny. It's the kind of "bad thing happens, guy who kind of expects it whines" funny. I laughed VERY FEW times throughout this book.
Just weird(you aren't even sure it's magical) stuff happens for a LONG time. The "Portable Door" isn't found for probably 3/4 of the book.
The main character was a whiny guy. Most of the book is him whining about women(especially one woman).
The "action" doesn't take place until the end.
The book is supposed to be funny. I guess some people find it funny. It's the kind of "bad thing happens, guy who kind of expects it whines" funny. I laughed VERY FEW times throughout this book.