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chlo_23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
asperomari's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 46%
I truly admire Sera Gamble and John McNamara for making this absolute mess of a book into such an incredible tv series.
the only way I can describe this book is to say that it's a slog. it's so unbelievably slow and gets bogged down in so many small details that I have no clue how it even made it past an editor. there are five pages in which the protagonist Quentin is turned into a goose and flies from new york to the south pole. yes. you heard me. FIVE PAGES. it's overloaded with pointless world-building details that mean absolutely nothing.
And I doubt I need to point out that a novel written by a man features flat lifeless female characters who are only described by how big their tits are and whether or not they're hot.
I adored the tv series and really wanted to read the books to get more content from such an interesting story and wonderful characters—Especially after finding out the ending of season 4 didn't happen in the books—but I couldn't get invested in the story at all, the characters save for Eliot were insufferable, especially Quentin who I really related to in the show. The attempt to make Quentin a smart-ass, class clown, 'I think I'm the smartest person in the room at any moment' type of personality did not mesh well with his nerdier, more anxious side it felt like two completely different characters mushed into one. The only saving grace for me in this book was Eliot who sadly doesn't appear enough for me to continue reading for him.
I truly admire Sera Gamble and John McNamara for making this absolute mess of a book into such an incredible tv series.
the only way I can describe this book is to say that it's a slog. it's so unbelievably slow and gets bogged down in so many small details that I have no clue how it even made it past an editor. there are five pages in which the protagonist Quentin is turned into a goose and flies from new york to the south pole. yes. you heard me. FIVE PAGES. it's overloaded with pointless world-building details that mean absolutely nothing.
And I doubt I need to point out that a novel written by a man features flat lifeless female characters who are only described by how big their tits are and whether or not they're hot.
I adored the tv series and really wanted to read the books to get more content from such an interesting story and wonderful characters—Especially after finding out the ending of season 4 didn't happen in the books—but I couldn't get invested in the story at all, the characters save for Eliot were insufferable, especially Quentin who I really related to in the show. The attempt to make Quentin a smart-ass, class clown, 'I think I'm the smartest person in the room at any moment' type of personality did not mesh well with his nerdier, more anxious side it felt like two completely different characters mushed into one. The only saving grace for me in this book was Eliot who sadly doesn't appear enough for me to continue reading for him.
genuinedog's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
read this when i was in high school and thought it was alright. read it again after graduating college without any solid plans and now i really get it.
skynet666's review against another edition
3.0
This book was highly recommended to me, so that always gives the book a disadvantage. I really liked it, but I kept wondering if it was ok to write a story that so closely resembles Harry Potter for the first half and then something that reminds me of Chronicles of Narnia. Well, I love both of those series, so I liked this as well. I didn't love it like I loved those, but if I could give it 3.5 - I would. When are they going to let you give half stars!
notnoemi's review against another edition
3.5
what in the narnia fanfiction. i at no point did i know where this book was going.
tylersimo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bestbeefarm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jobryant's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sara11_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book but I can see why it has so many negative reviews. I might have rated it higher except for how relentlessly unlikeable the main character is. The concept and execution of the story is very well done.