Reviews

The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman

remib's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

2.75

samphope's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

with_book_and_stilettos's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

dreamsofgasoline's review

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

steph0611's review

dark medium-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

2.5

jessln23's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

skylarkblue1's review

3.0

Content Warnings: Dementia, slavery, kidnapping, animal death, animal endangerment, death

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really want to like this book, the premise was super interesting, the ending was gripping… But it felt like there was no plot? Barely anything happened until around 75% of the way through, and the finale - while great - I was very confused on why and especially how it happened.

Set in Elizabethan London (yes, not victorian as some reviews are seemingly saying

bookishmoonchild's review

"Today she would swap this sky and marsh for a wooden box in front of a stage and a world unfolding from a painted mouth."

The Ghost Theatre is a tale of wonder and tragedy. It follows a bird worshiper and a theatre performer as their story unfolds against the backdrop of Elizabethan London.
The author paints a vivid picture of the city during this era but the storyline is let down by a convulated plot and one-dimensional characters. I loved the concept and felt the atmosphere of the book but overall I felt it was lacking in depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

pixerina's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

Magnificent in every way. 

abookishtype's review

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

All the world’s a stage, said the bard, and the men are merely players. Most of us take this as a purely metaphorical (and metatextual, if you’re an English major) statement about the role humans play in our vast earthly drama. For Shay, an impoverished member of a clannish group of outsiders and our protagonist, the words of Shakespeare might have been better put to use as a warning to watch out for anyone who might fancy themselves a director. The Ghost Theatre, by Mat Osman, is a wild ride through early seventeenth-century England, the world of the theater, civil strife, and betrayal...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.