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jenabest's review
slow-paced
2.0
I feel a little bad giving this a low rating, but I just struggled and struggled and eventually skimmed just to find out what happens.
This book is LONG (which, in and of itself isn't bad, and I do enjoy a good door stop now and again), and it felt like every single one of its too many pages.
The combination of stream of consciousness (which I do not like) and absurdist style (which I only like occasionally) made this a pass for me. Which is sad, because I loved the blurb and some of the ideas were really cool. The teens were shitty, regular teens, which fine. But then all the supernatural beings are there to muddy the plot and every character says every single thing that pops into their head and it's just a lot. For 600+ pages.
I also could not get over one of the main characters having a dog named Fart. Fart! And a character being called Bowie because they had 2 different colored eyes when David Bowie DID NOT have two different colored eyes - just one permanently enlarged pupil.
This book is LONG (which, in and of itself isn't bad, and I do enjoy a good door stop now and again), and it felt like every single one of its too many pages.
The combination of stream of consciousness (which I do not like) and absurdist style (which I only like occasionally) made this a pass for me. Which is sad, because I loved the blurb and some of the ideas were really cool. The teens were shitty, regular teens, which fine. But then all the supernatural beings are there to muddy the plot and every character says every single thing that pops into their head and it's just a lot. For 600+ pages.
I also could not get over one of the main characters having a dog named Fart. Fart! And a character being called Bowie because they had 2 different colored eyes when David Bowie DID NOT have two different colored eyes - just one permanently enlarged pupil.
kford424's review
I fully intend to come back to this, I'm just prioritizing One Piece right now because I want to have read all 105 when 106 comes out in July. Basically I'm insane.
pixerina's review
4.5
Kelly Link!!! I love you girl. And I love your characters although I think you love them a bit too much for their own good.
Beautiful book that was a painful joy to read. As always, Link creates a vivid and magical dreamlike world, darkly whimsical but soft to the touch. Susannah, Daniel and Mo were fabulous wonderful characters I felt close to and deeply for. Laura kind of sucked.
In my opinion, the book could have really used some editing. That being said, I could tell how much Link loved these characters and the world she created for them, and I understand why she didn't want to pare it down. That love made some of the needless bloat on the story worth it.
I had some issues, see below:
I thought the ending was strange and rushed ... what, Susannah and Daniel are a-ok with not being able to look at each other and speak at the same time for god knows how long? Felt weirdly out of character to me. I also thought it was annoying that laura got to be a goddess and a rockstar after being such an annoying selfish brat for most of the book. Anyway. Rant over.
Beautiful book that was a painful joy to read. As always, Link creates a vivid and magical dreamlike world, darkly whimsical but soft to the touch. Susannah, Daniel and Mo were fabulous wonderful characters I felt close to and deeply for. Laura kind of sucked.
In my opinion, the book could have really used some editing. That being said, I could tell how much Link loved these characters and the world she created for them, and I understand why she didn't want to pare it down. That love made some of the needless bloat on the story worth it.
I had some issues, see below:
danielcasey's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
christianaxoxo's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
alisonburnis's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Last year, Laura, Daniel and Mo died mysteriously. Equally mysterious, they return from the dead, back to their small town, seemingly aided or endangered by who they thought was their music teacher in high school, and someone else. This is a spiralling dark tale about what happened, with shifting understandings of what is real and what isn’t, power, and magic.
I liked The Book of Love for the writing, which really carried the whole thing for me. Link is a gorgeous writer. However, the pacing of this story was rough, and it was very draggy for a good chunk of it, even with knowing things were being slowly revealed. The atmosphere was amazing. The characters sharp and well-done. But as a 600+ page book, there were things that didn’t need to be done and would have made for a tighter story. That said, I haven’t read a story quite like it, and the modern fantasy is very compelling.
I liked The Book of Love for the writing, which really carried the whole thing for me. Link is a gorgeous writer. However, the pacing of this story was rough, and it was very draggy for a good chunk of it, even with knowing things were being slowly revealed. The atmosphere was amazing. The characters sharp and well-done. But as a 600+ page book, there were things that didn’t need to be done and would have made for a tighter story. That said, I haven’t read a story quite like it, and the modern fantasy is very compelling.
bowden's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
pmatallana's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ldean1021's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5