Reviews with content warning for Lesbophobia - The Ink Black Heart

This book is 32 hours on audiobook and over 1,000 pages in hardcover. Large cast of characters set in the world of online gaming. Hard to follow in audiobook format. Ending anticlimactic. Overly long.

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april_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

This book. I'm not even sure where to start. First off, I borrowed a copy from my library. Next, it. Is. Long; that being said, after struggling with the few few chapters, I read the majority of the book in three days. It certainly dragged in some places, but on the whole, it kept me guessing and was certainly tense enough that I had to know what was going to happen. (Also, my loan was nearly up, and if I didn't want to wait six months to finish it, I had to rush through it.) It also covered some timely, important topics, which - unfortunately, the people who need the messages most will never see.

I did not see the twist coming; however, by the time we finally got to the climax, which felt overdue by at least three chapters, it felt a little... anticlimactic? Not that it wasn't super intense; it merely felt like the tension had been stretched too far, so when it came down to it, there was a sense of relief that it had finally arrived, if that makes sense.

Finally, as much as I enjoy the mysteries, because dang, can JKR really plot them, I'm mostly here for Strike and Robin. I really love them as characters, and I've very much enjoyed the progression of their relationship. But I genuinely expected them to move beyond the will-they, won't-they? nonsense we've been put through the last three? four? books; I get why they're so slow to move into a relationship, considering everything that's at stake if a relationship between them were to go badly. But it just seems like, considering that their relationship is really the driving force behind these books and how long they are, we should be beyond this point already. And to get to the end of this massive book and have

one failed kiss and separate realizations of feelings that they've been trying to repress feels like a bit of a cop out. Like, there's slow burn, and then there's 'let's see how long we can possibly string this out before everyone gives up out of sheer frustration.' And, unfortunately, this book felt like the latter. What is even more frustrating is that there is so much potential to create drama and conflict after they get into a relationship - they're not going to magically become new people, and I want to see that play out - instead, we're given a baby step forward at the beginning of the book, a massive step backwards, and then a teeny-tiny mini-step forwards at the very end. Because now that Strike is finally, maybe

ready to pursue a relationship with Robin, she's getting ready to go on a date with some other guy, which if it had come at any point during the book, would have been fine. Sure, make Strike jealous! Maybe it's his turn to pine?! (Except, he's clearly liked Robin since book one.) And, yay, now he finally sees her as an equal, so they can pursue a more balanced relationship. (But why has it taken so long??? He's recognized her worth since fairly early on in the series.) And now we have to wait another year or three before the next one, which leaves me with an overall feeling of not only disappointment with the book but also the feeling of 'did we make any progress?'

This was long and ranty/tangential (which is perhaps fitting for the book), and while the book did frustrate me, I enjoyed it. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. However, if by the end of the next book, we still haven't made progress with Robin and Strike, I might call it quits.

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maggies's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Another 4-star Cormoran Strike mystery for me! As usual, the mystery is a thickly woven web, incorporating pretty grotesque crimes. Definitely a page-turner.

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