Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

The main character is blander then a cracker and I would have Droped the book if it wasn't for the efact the world building was interesting and the side characters were interesting.

Merlin was awesome and was non-binary (not that Susan cared or acknowledge this fact, all Susan cared about was that Merlin was hot and looks like a play boy to her. What playboys do you know are debating about changing their physical body's from a male presentation one to a female presentation one Susan. Tell me.) I wish he (the character uses male pronouns in the book, and hasn't decided to switch yet) was the main character as everything about him was more compelling, such as the fact that Merlin was trying to investigate the murder of his MOTHER, while Y/N was looking for her daddy 🥺. I don't think Susan is a good love interest for Merlin, and they need someone who will acknowledge their gender identity, not just place their own expectations onto him. Susan likes Merlin because she thinks he's hot and a playboy, and no other reason and it's depressing. Like Susan, Merlin is a humana being. Treat him like one.

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mandkips's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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jessamine864's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

This is a fun, fast paced book set within an ever shifting alternative London and UK where the creatures of folklore, myth and legend are policed by "the booksellers". The story follows a girl Susan come London to find her father and her quest gets mixed up with that of the booksellers. It's whimsical and funny and was fun to read. Perhaps parts of the storyline could have been more fleshed out or explained, it did at times feel like the author just threw every British mythological thing at it and made modern art with the mess 😅, but it was also fun to recognise certain creatures and objects in it all. I read this in audio book style and it's the first audio book I've listened to. It had pleasant voices to listen to and not read too fast which was good.

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charlottebreads's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.75

CW/TW: Injury/injury detail, gun violence, kidnapping, murder, blood
Age Rating: 13+

- I loved Merlin. He was the best character and I thought he carried most of the book. He was so chaotic and unique, and I loved everything about him. He also had a CRAZY wardrobe, which was fantastic.

- Susan was a nice main character. She made good life decisions.

- Vivien was also good, but I think she needed a few more things to separate her from Merlin. Her and Merlin's sibling relationship was fantastic though. I also kept calling her Viven for some reason.

- I though the romance was sidelined too much. It was brought up a few times via some half-hearted flirting/pining, but not enough for an actual relationship. It could have been improved with more pining, more angst, and more cute moments together.

Like, Susan was kidnapped ten billion times, Merlin could have at least a bit more protective over her afterwards. And SUSAN, MERLIN BROKE BOTH HIS LEGS AND YOU JUST KISSED HIM AND WENT! WE COULD HAVE HAD A BIT MORE FROM YOU!

- The magic system was really interesting. I liked that the left-handed and right-handed had different abilities, and that they used modern things as well as magical. There were also lots of interesting mythical creatures that I hadn't read about before. However, I thought that they could have used the hatpins more, because they were cool.

- I thought the villain twist was pretty good, however, I thought they needed a bit more motivation. We may find out more later (*hint hint, nudge nudge*), or maybe I missed something while reading.

- Obviously this book includes booksellers who love books, and books about books/booksellers/bookshops are always good.

- They mentioned lots of songs and story titles, so that was nice.

- Overall, I loved it. Nice balance of chaotic shenanigans and important stuff.

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