Reviews with content warning for Murder - L'età del male

A rollercoaster with a slow, cliffhanger finish. I just found out that this is supposed to be a trilogy so I am excited to see where the story goes. I definitely am glad I did the audio route because I feel if I did the physical version, I may not have been able to keep up. The speed is kind of like a loopy di-loop type of novel - we experience the trials and tribulations of Ajay then veer toward Sunny (who I honestly could have done without but his voice was also essential but my least favorite) Then we do a complete 180 to Sunny's love interest Neda who is a journalist who is way over her head when getting close to Sunny. High paced in the beginning, slow in the middle and picks right back up towards the end. I reccomend this to anyone who is a fan of The Sopranos, heavily character driven, slower paced novels set in diverse places such as India.

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elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

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zoeelizaking's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Age of Vice is a searing examination of wealth, corruption, privilege, poverty and politics in Delhi. Spanning multiple narrative styles and voices, this is a fast-paced thrilling book that’ll remain with you. Polemical without being overly didactic, it’s a staggering eye-opener into the real “power” of power, family and money. Be warned it is action packed with lots of graphic, unsettling content; but if you can see past that, it is a stunning read!

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cc_shelflove's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Oh, Ajay. Sweet, complacent Ajay. What have you done?

Can we just talk about the fact that I finished this beast in 36 hours? Who am I? Kapoor’s writing makes it so easy for the reader to picture everything in his or her head so vividly. I was flying through pages because I felt like I was literally watching everything unfold before my eyes. You can imagine my excitement, then, when I heard this was already selected by FX to be a television series. There will also be two more books in the saga… sign me up! In short, Age of Vice is like Sons of Anarchy without the motorcycles (but maybe there are just a few motorcycles sprinkled in…).

I started getting serious Anakin vibes about a quarter of the way through the novel. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you know what I mean. The reader faces a man who will go to any means to get his revenge. Actually, several of these men. These people are pretty fucked up.

If I had to pick one thing that made this book stand out to me, it would be the multiple points of view. Instead of alternating chapters between characters as is typical of this writing style, Kapoor writes the same events through different eyes. Very interesting!

Another book I likely never would have read if not for Book of the Month. A juicy delight.

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meganwhitis's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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katiemack's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This leans more postmodern than I was expecting, but that lends itself to the absurdity of the excess, crime, and corruption of the Wadia family and their associates. I would have been perfectly happy to read a book written entirely in Ajay's POV, as he's the most compelling (and, to be fair, the best-intentioned and least corrupt) character, but including Neda to act as Sunny's foil is an inspired and refreshing choice.

It's an impressive epic that falls apart a bit at the end but is a thrilling ride nonetheless. If you like reading about terrible people doing terrible things and want to learn more about India's socio-cultural landscape, don't let the 500+ page count intimidate you.

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