315 reviews for:

Gormenghast

Mervyn Peake

4.15 AVERAGE

adventurous dark hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous dark tense slow-paced
adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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
adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I found some bits of this book less interesting than the first, but it maintained the impressively oppressive aura of the first book and really pulled me in as it snowballed through the latter half. I also appreciated the very light touch of magic in this sequel. 

However, the inner (nearly violent) misogyny of a couple of characters really got to me, particularly
at the event that is supposed to be the most important lesson/turning point in Titus’ young life


In the end, good atmosphere, engaging mystery, but the arc of
the supposed protagonist
was very disappointing. 
slow-paced
adventurous dark funny slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
slow-paced
dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Loved this even more than the first one, it's a big delicious trifle of all the tropes of Gothic literature. Sublime and overpowering nature, death, murder, intrigue, vivid and strange characters, a dilapidated castle, and then some. Made me laugh, nearly made me cry, tense ending and points where I had to put the book down and take a minute. 
This book felt a lot darker than its predecessor. My only gripe is that there are two characters we spent a lot of time with in the last book, who make quite the pivot in this book, but we don't really spend any time with them directly. I'd have loved to have seen that character growth from their POV, however with what happens to them, perhaps it's for the best...