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emilywrayburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
4.0
My first buddy read! Yay!
I've been meaning to read this book for years and I'm glad I finally did. It is much slower than most books I enjoy, and it's also lacking in female characters. There was also the issue of every time something interesting happened, we'd be given a five page flash back of something that didn't always seem relevant at the time. Though I possibly did do a bit of an "ahh, he said the thing!" towards the end when "I don't need to beat you. I just need to keep you here until Jean arrives" had its pay-off.
There was so much plotting and scheming going on, multiple characters had multi-level plots or cons planned out - every time I thought the stakes couldn't get any higher, they did, though the plot often didn't go in the direction I was expecting. The writing is very good. A lot of my "issues" were really just down to personal preference.
I wasn't sure whether I would read the second book but I think I will try to at some point.
I've been meaning to read this book for years and I'm glad I finally did. It is much slower than most books I enjoy, and it's also lacking in female characters. There was also the issue of every time something interesting happened, we'd be given a five page flash back of something that didn't always seem relevant at the time. Though I possibly did do a bit of an "ahh, he said the thing!" towards the end when "I don't need to beat you. I just need to keep you here until Jean arrives" had its pay-off.
There was so much plotting and scheming going on, multiple characters had multi-level plots or cons planned out - every time I thought the stakes couldn't get any higher, they did, though the plot often didn't go in the direction I was expecting. The writing is very good. A lot of my "issues" were really just down to personal preference.
I wasn't sure whether I would read the second book but I think I will try to at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Blood, and Death
alexxxx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Violence, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
nicoley3's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Violence, Cursing, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Alcoholism, and Vomit
feilyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Gore
Minor: Death of parent and Sexual content
grayscale08's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Murder, Child death, Blood, Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Cursing, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug use, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Animal death, Excrement, Fatphobia, and Vomit
corvicore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
I'm mad i read this book so early in the year cause i honestly don't think anything i read for next 10 months will top it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Excrement, Alcohol, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Trafficking, Slavery, and Fatphobia
randanopterix's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Murder, Child death, Cursing, Alcohol, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Trafficking, and Slavery
Minor: Abandonment, Classism, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, War, and Drug abuse
siannas_second_library's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, and Vomit
lotten4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The dialogue was very funny and the plot changed directions a lot but still made sense. The characters and their relationships were perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Gore, Kidnapping, Child death, Grief, Blood, Death, Vomit, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Genocide and Trafficking
e_flah's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
When I first read The Lies of Locke Lamora in 2014, it was a solid 5-star read for me. I was shocked to find that it just didn't hold up as well for me on a reread, which led me to lower my rating to 2 stars. Some of this change is likely due to my shifting preferences as a reader but there were also elements of the book that I just wasn't dazzled as much by this time around.
To start with, the structure of The Lies of Locke Lamora is very repetitive. There will be some sort of daring con or step in Locke's plan followed by a behind-the-scenes look at how the action was pulled off then some kind of a flashback. The flashback and explanation sometimes flipped places but this "see something cool" + "see how they did cool thing" + "see hint of cool things to come" continued over and over for 500 pages. This got really boring as I knew exactly what was coming next even if some of the details were left up in the air.
If the repetitive structure had been paired with really three-dimensional characters, I think it wouldn't have bothered me so much. Locke seems like a cool guy with a truly incredible knack for schemes but I just never felt like I knew him beyond the surface level. The rest of the Gentlemen Bastards were the same. I honestly couldn't tell you the difference between Calo and Galdo Sanza, which is wild as they were some of the characters we meet earliest in the book.
I also found the lack of strong world-building frustrating. This is definitely a book that can't see the forest for the trees. We get <i>so many</i> details about everything from the market scene to the gods in the Twelve Gods pantheon that initially distracted me from the fact that there isn't much substantial world-building. How does Camorr operate outside its crime scene? No clue. Is it its own city-state? How does the city interact with other countries/city-states? No clue. Names and places and tidbits burst from the pages but fail to coalesce into something with a strong sense of setting. I don't mind a detail-heavy book if it feels like those details are adding something to the story, which wasn't the case here.
Perhaps the best thing I have to say about The Lies of Locke Lamora is that I thought of it relatively often in the 5-year span between my first read and this reread. As someone who reads a ton, particularly fantasy, and then immediately forgets it, this is no mean feat. All said and done, though, I'm not sure I'll be continuing on with this series.
To start with, the structure of The Lies of Locke Lamora is very repetitive. There will be some sort of daring con or step in Locke's plan followed by a behind-the-scenes look at how the action was pulled off then some kind of a flashback. The flashback and explanation sometimes flipped places but this "see something cool" + "see how they did cool thing" + "see hint of cool things to come" continued over and over for 500 pages. This got really boring as I knew exactly what was coming next even if some of the details were left up in the air.
If the repetitive structure had been paired with really three-dimensional characters, I think it wouldn't have bothered me so much. Locke seems like a cool guy with a truly incredible knack for schemes but I just never felt like I knew him beyond the surface level. The rest of the Gentlemen Bastards were the same. I honestly couldn't tell you the difference between Calo and Galdo Sanza, which is wild as they were some of the characters we meet earliest in the book.
I also found the lack of strong world-building frustrating. This is definitely a book that can't see the forest for the trees. We get <i>so many</i> details about everything from the market scene to the gods in the Twelve Gods pantheon that initially distracted me from the fact that there isn't much substantial world-building. How does Camorr operate outside its crime scene? No clue. Is it its own city-state? How does the city interact with other countries/city-states? No clue. Names and places and tidbits burst from the pages but fail to coalesce into something with a strong sense of setting. I don't mind a detail-heavy book if it feels like those details are adding something to the story, which wasn't the case here.
Perhaps the best thing I have to say about The Lies of Locke Lamora is that I thought of it relatively often in the 5-year span between my first read and this reread. As someone who reads a ton, particularly fantasy, and then immediately forgets it, this is no mean feat. All said and done, though, I'm not sure I'll be continuing on with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Gore
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, and Child death