Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Gli inganni di Locke Lamora

While I think it does rely a bit on the second book to give this story its full weight, The Lies of Locke Lamora is still such a great introduction to this series. Having failed to enjoy some other books that tried to go for a similar mood, I've come to appreciate all the things this novel gets right.

The world is cool and unique, with a strong atmosphere and tons of little cultural touches that bring it to life. Camorr is an unforgettable place. I'd hate to live there, but I feel like I could read a hundred books about this twisted, layered version of Venice. I love concepts like elderglass, the alchemical drinks, the strict social orders and the nuanced religions.

The characters are fun and lovable. Locke proves himself to be more heroic than I had expected, but even if he were as much as a 'bastard' as he claims to be, I think I'd still have fun reading about him. His charisma is magnetic. The others are great, too, and their interactions are pure gold.

The main plot takes a bit to kick in, but only because we first have to be treated to an absolutely beautiful scam by Locke's gang, in which they pretty much pull out a nobleman's wealth with one hand, while pushing it with the other. That is some Better Call Saul-grade chicanery, and I ate it up. The rest is a revenge-driven power struggle between Camorr's major players, with the surprising angle that Locke is not one of them. He and his gang are just pawns in a bigger game, which is one of my favourite things about the plot.

The regular flashback sequences took a bit for me to get used to, but the book is written that way for a reason. A lot of moments are given extra meaning in the context of Locke's childhood. It also works really well for setting up jokes.

I've never read a better 'thief fantasy' story, and I doubt I ever will. Not with this kind of imagination poured into it, at least.

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forsidious's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Was really impressed with this book - I had heard it was slow paced so was hesitant to read it, but so glad that didn't stop me. I'd say the first half is moderately paced, but relatively light hearted and thoroughly entertaining. I love every Gentleman Bastard and their personalities really shine as you're getting to know them. The 2nd half of the book is much faster paced and also much darker. Shit starts to go down and there are suddenly real stakes and mistakes matter beyond just not getting some coin.

Overall characters I think are where this book shines - even the side characters are great. One of my favorite characters is Sofia Salvara - she ends up being a badass and I overall love how Lynch writes his female characters. I think this is a book series that easily could have gone wrong in that department, but every female character we meet is a badass in their own right. I hope to see more female main characters in the future rather than them being sidelined.

My only complaints are the Falconer seemed too powerful at some points - I liked how it was resolved, but like...why are these guys not ruling the world? Also, Locke seems to have a bit of plot armor - he was in the cask a little too long to have survived. I think if the drama had been cut down a bit and they'd been able to get him out of it sooner then maybe...but it just feels like he's a bit *too* invincible

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bluejayreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was recommended to me by a friend (the same friend who recommended Circe, funnily enough). And like I do with most recommendations from friends, I didn’t really pay attention to what the book was about, just threw it on my to-read list and picked it up with no expectations and no real idea of what it was even supposed to be about.

I have to take a small detour here and talk about Leverage. Leverage is a TV show featuring a bunch of variously-skilled former criminals (and one insurance investigator) who use their various criminal skills in brilliant and elaborate plans to take down criminals that the law can’t or won’t touch. I adore the show. It’s hands-down my favorite show ever and the only show I’ve loved enough to enjoy fandom content. And if Leverage was on the more dubious side of morally gray, set in a Venice-flavored fantasy world, and led by a teenager who belongs in the definition of “confidence game,” you might get something like The Lies of Locke Lamora.

I don’t know how to write a review of this book except to say that it is really, spectacularly good. It is long, even for a fantasy book, but it needs every single word of that length because there is just so much going on always and constantly. That was the overwhelming feeling I got from reading – that everywhere I looked and even in the background, there was so much going on. The action never stops, it just swings back and forth among perspectives and times. The main story of Locke and company pulling their scam and running up against the Grey King is interspersed with bits from Locke’s past, from the history of the city and nation, and other things happening in Camorr at the same time. And it’s not just Locke against the Grey King, oh no – that would be far too simple for the audacity of this book. There are no less than five, and arguably up to eight, different factions fighting for their own goals for their own reasons (and two of them are Locke himself).

A large part of what makes this book so hard to review is that the details are revealed in layers. It starts out with a crew of talented thieves and grifters preparing to run an elaborate con on a pair of nobles. Okay, I thought, A fun and adventurous heist story. Cool. And then the story begins to peel back the layers to all the competing factions, all the factors at play in Camorr, all the plans set in motion and beginning to come to a head, and suddenly the highly entertaining and audacious heist is one of the least interesting parts of the story.

Everything is happening all the time and you’re constantly getting more information and nothing is ever what it seems. You may have gotten through three twists and finally think that you’re at the truth of something finally and you’re probably wrong. Very few solid answers are available to any but the most perceptive reader (definitely not me) until the very end. And I adored it. It was somehow both incredibly dark and a ton of fun, full of plot twists, overlapping schemes, audacious plans that somehow delightfully work, and steady slow reveals that felt like repeatedly handing me puzzle pieces and requiring me to figure out where they went while I was still receving more puzzle pieces.

I didn’t know going in that this was a series, but you’d better believe I’m reading the next book. And I very much hope that it’s more of the same.

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olityr's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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randanopterix's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-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

I have so much to say about this book it’s honesty impossible to say it all. As far as I’m concerned, it’s perfect. No book has made me laugh as often and few books have made me cry as hard. I have BIG FEELINGS about this book.

It’s heists are genius in their construction, the characters are insanely loveable, the dialogue is realistic and hilarious, and the relationships built between the cast are surprisingly heartwarming. Now, if you think the stakes are high 100 pages in, friend, I hope you’re ready to be stressed as FUCK because the stakes only get higher and higher.

I’m obsessed with this book, not much more to say past that.

Tagging the rest of this review as spoilers as it’s pretty much going to include notes from my annotations:

• Jean Tannen is a murderous, sensitive, smart, fat king and I hope he lives to be 200 and the rest of his life full of happiness and joy.

• Locke is a terrible little rat of a man who I desperately want to be happy. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, king.

• Calo and Galdo, real ones. Y’all didn’t deserve any of that.

• Bug absolutely fucking broke me. Heartbroken. The worst part was that I read up to Calo and Galdo’s death when I had to clock out from work. I had the whole ride home to be shattered about them and scheme about how Bug, Jean, and Locke were gonna take revenge before I finally got home to read the rest of the chapter….

• WHERE. IS. SABETHA.

• Bondsmagi OP, plz nerf /s

• Doña Vorchenza keeps taking those L’s.

• Let me preface this by saying that I LOVED the way women were written and portrayed in this book. Absolutely none of it was patronizing or unrealistic and they were all distinct characters capable of the same level of cunning and brutality as any of their male counterparts. THAT BEING SAID: Was a little disappointed that the two women characters who had potential to be a part of the main crew as it were (Nazca and Sabetha) were neatly folded up and put away for the majority of the novel. Hoping I get to know what the deal is w Sabetha in the next book because she didn’t even show up in the flashback portions of this one and it made her feel like she wasn’t even a part of the Bastards…

• The bank scene is genuinely one of the most insane, most clever, and most hilarious things I’ve ever read. POOR BENJAVIER.

• I was on the toilet during the scene where Locke speaks Bug’s true name and let me tell you, crying heartily about that while pooping was not my most dignified moment.

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anniereads221's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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