Reviews

The Twelve Children of Paris by Tim Willocks

melamela's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

kylielace's review

4.0

I liked this book way more than the first in the series. It had more heart and soul, the characters were more likable, & it takes place over a couple of days instead of months.

Very gory and detailed. Also spoiler - the best character dies. And totally didn’t have to. That’s why the book isn’t 5 stars.

Sorry I suck at reviews, but I did enjoy this book a lot.

krismcd59's review

3.0

I'm really conflicted about this one. I loved The Religion, and this sequel has many of its good qualities -- a macabre sense of humor, memorable, surprising characters, and a keen sense of period values and morals. The premise -- that Mattias becomes increasingly encumbered by brave, precocious, endangered children in his quest to navigate the labyrinth of Paris and rescue his very pregnant wife -- is compelling, sometimes hilarious, and touching without being overly sentimental. The story is complex and fascinating, but by the halfway point of the novel, the presentation of Mattias as an unstoppable killing machine -- and the obsession with anatomically detailing each killing thrust and blow he delivers -- begins to feel like a first-person-shooter video game more than a novel. Willocks also quickly abandons his initial discussion of the political complexities of the religious power struggle in France, and the intersection of politics and religion was one of the things that made The Religion such a intelligent read. The fact that he has no real moral confrontation with his actual enemies and must chiefly overcome a series of confrontations with nameless armed companies (and the very occasional moment of self-loathing), also adds to the video-game feel of the novel's second half. The secondary characters are much more interesting, although they, too, behave in what feels like pretty programmed ways once they've committed themselves to Mattias's cause. I finished the novel more from a sense of duty -- and a curiosity about which characters would survive and which would not -- than from real enjoyment.

harper2301's review

4.0

Phew. This book is HEFTY. I'm not averse to a long read (though 754 pages did put the fear in me somewhat) but some parts of this book dragged heavier than the English, French, and Italian dictionary required to understand what the heck the author was trying to describe.

I struggled to start this one, but as soon as I got to Carla's first chapter, I was invested. There were chapters in this book that I absolutely flew through and absorbed every single morsel. There were also chapters that made me feel that I'd been reading this book for a month and I found myself skimming over entire pages to find the end of it. The end "section" was bloody brilliant though (pun intended) and I'm glad it ended the way it did as it felt like that was right for the story; no forced happy endings, just with the flow of the plot progression.

Overall, I have to say that I did thoroughly enjoy it. Specifically how the author brings you back after a big fight to highlight how skilled Tannhauser is and how little time it took him.

Oh, if you're in the slightest offended by violence and gore, this is absolutely NOT the book for you.