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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I loved this book. The atmosphere and the mystery are fantastic. Inspired by a Herman Hesse book which is going straight to my tbr list.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Probably nearer a 3.5. I liked the idea of this but the vagaries of the ‘grand jeu’ made it hard for me to get excited about the game which was pretty much everything to the central characters. I enjoyed all the perspectives even if I didn’t particularly like them (especially Léo). Yes I preferred The Binding, but could see similarities in the layering of the character storylines and the twists and turns. The story flowed along well and kept me interested.
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
phenomenal book. gorgeous gorgeous book. so so amazing in every way. and the way the author writes about love ? Yeah.
3.5 I enjoyed most of this but at times it felt too long and like it was trying too hard to be clever. The idea of the grand jeu was interesting but not tangible. The writing was lovely but I couldn't picture what was happening at times because the ideas were so abstract.
Atmospheric and other worldly. The mystery within and the deaths all combined with the Grande Jeu game make for an interesting dimension. Struggled with reading the novel and switched to audio in order to complete it.
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
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this a lot more than The Binding by the same author, which I read a couple of years ago and found underwhelming. I connected a lot more with the plot of this book and really enjoyed the setting, although I feel a bit odd shelving it as fantasy when it's fantasy really in the lightest sense of the term (there's no magic involved whatsoever). The writing and worldbuilding are often very abstract and atmospheric, which I really loved though I can see how other readers might not appreciate how much is left mysterious or to the imagination. While this might not be a book for everyone, it's one that really worked for me!
its bizarre but in a good way. i don't really understand all that happened in this book, and the most vaguely likeable character is a rat?? but i had a fun time reading and guess i got to pick up herman hesse's the glass bead game now