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leggup's review against another edition
2.0
If Rowling hadn't made such a public bigoted scene I would have rated this 3, maybe even a 4. Her transphobia absolutely shows itself in not just her obvious characters but in some subtle cringe-y ways. There was one incredible line from the first 1/4 or 1/3 (who can tell after page 944) in which Robin is like, "wow, it's crazy that the person is not bothered by this epically awful thing" (my paraphrasing) and Strike is like, "SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE TOO CLOSE TO A THING, IT BECOMES NORMAL TO THEM AND THEN THEY CAN'T SEE IT." It was Rowling's Self-Aware-Wolves Moment. Yes, I recognize that, Crossdressing Serial Killer is a trope. This was well beyond that. The book veered towards torture and rape porn. Yes, rape has been a theme throughout this series. Yes, I expect that characters are affected by this. Yes, it was horror for horror's sake. Her previous books handled this better, especially #2 in the series.
The book could have been better, also, if it was a 400-500 page tome. The filler was astounding. The addition of side cases barely moved along the main plot or character development. The main characters don't substantially grow. The main mystery in this plot was B-. The twist seemed incredibly urgent but it wasn't. The lack of urgency made it less interesting, but I guess that's the problem with the main plot being a cold case.
The book could have been better, also, if it was a 400-500 page tome. The filler was astounding. The addition of side cases barely moved along the main plot or character development. The main characters don't substantially grow. The main mystery in this plot was B-. The twist seemed incredibly urgent but it wasn't. The lack of urgency made it less interesting, but I guess that's the problem with the main plot being a cold case.
harthara13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
beththepotter15's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
jolka97's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
5.0
cpruskee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
lockleson's review against another edition
5.0
This one was my favorite so far, both in terms of mystery (a cold case) and character development.
As mentioned in my review of #4, some of the vocabulary continues to be crazy. I bookmarked the ones I had to look up this time for reference:
* exculpation
* intransigent
* misandry
* glaucous
* pusillanimous
* sybaritic
* opprobrium
Finally, my favorite quotes...
First, the imagery in this one: "I suppose," said Strike, with the fatalistic daring of a trapeze artist, swinging out into the spotlight, only black air beneath him, " Ilsa's been trying to matchmake your end, as well?"
And second, "And when it goes wrong, I'll lose you for good, and this thing we've built together, which is literally the only good part of my life, my vocation, my pride, my greatest achievement, will be forever fucked, because I won't find anyone I enjoy running things with, the way I enjoy running them with you, and everything afterward will be tainted by the memory of you."
As mentioned in my review of #4, some of the vocabulary continues to be crazy. I bookmarked the ones I had to look up this time for reference:
* exculpation
* intransigent
* misandry
* glaucous
* pusillanimous
* sybaritic
* opprobrium
Finally, my favorite quotes...
First, the imagery in this one: "I suppose," said Strike, with the fatalistic daring of a trapeze artist, swinging out into the spotlight, only black air beneath him, " Ilsa's been trying to matchmake your end, as well?"
And second, "And when it goes wrong, I'll lose you for good, and this thing we've built together, which is literally the only good part of my life, my vocation, my pride, my greatest achievement, will be forever fucked, because I won't find anyone I enjoy running things with, the way I enjoy running them with you, and everything afterward will be tainted by the memory of you."
sheeprustler's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
willan13's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25