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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took a bit of time to adjust to the slow paced, deliberate writing style, but once I did I really enjoyed this book. Easy to keep track of the cast of weird and wonderful characters and the plot advances in an interesting and unpredictable way. The Hall of Spiders scene was fantastically disgusting! Looking forward to finding out what happens in the series and what else Steerpike has up his sleeve!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
What characters! Peake has so masterfully woven a set of characters that the lack of a real plot isn't even noticeable. I wish I had the second book downloaded so could listen to it right away.
And if ever there was a book made to be an audiobook, this is it. The narrator brought to life each in every character gloriously.
And if ever there was a book made to be an audiobook, this is it. The narrator brought to life each in every character gloriously.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoy this series, having first read it as a teenager, but I can understand it's an acquired taste. I love the dark, gothic setting and the extraordinary, grotesque and twisted characters - but it's definitely not an easy read, and maybe not for you if you like books that have lots of action where good triumphs over evil in a predictable way.
The prose is delicious (I also really enjoyed the audiobook this time) but it's more like an artwork in some ways than a typical novel. It feels more like an experience, where you're dropped in a detailed painting and it can feel like you're drowning in the weightiness of the description - as the characters are trapped by the weight of fate and tradition.
If it's a book you enjoy it's one that will stay with you for years.
The prose is delicious (I also really enjoyed the audiobook this time) but it's more like an artwork in some ways than a typical novel. It feels more like an experience, where you're dropped in a detailed painting and it can feel like you're drowning in the weightiness of the description - as the characters are trapped by the weight of fate and tradition.
If it's a book you enjoy it's one that will stay with you for years.
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
You never have nor will ever again read anything like this great fortress of a book.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-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
Gothic, wild descriptive passages; a work of impressive imaginative power. If you're the sort of person who conflates plot with action this isn't for you, but if you enjoy the grotesque and compelling characters it definitely is.
I stuck with it for a quarter, but I realized I just wasn't enjoying it at all. I can appreciate the beautiful, evocative, atmospheric writing, where each scene reads like a painting (you can tell the author was an accomplished illustrator), but I didn't think the absence of a plot would bother me this much. It's not for me, but I would recommend it to someone who isn't bothered by reaaally slow books.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes