liesthemoontells's review

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A wonderfully creepy fictional account of a mad scientist at the turn of the 20th century. 

The first part of the book is a tragic biography, exploring the relationship between science, power, and madness through one man's personal, professional, and mental rise and descent. It is an excellent imitation of a real historical biography, both in terms of style and narrative - much of the story is gleaned from the gaps between "evidence" left behind.

The second half of the book was a bit disappointing - I was hoping for longer, more fantastic descriptions of animals and I found the scientific illustrations a bit underwhelming and repetitive.

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ichor_tears's review

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is not a book for people who cannot handle animal cruelty and or experiments performed on animals and humans a like. The story is interesting and hard to put down, deeply disturbing, and does not have many traditionally "good" characters. I liked it, and the second half of the book was fascinating and read much more easily due to it's scientific nature. Do not go into this book without reading the potential trigger warning.

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