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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
this book took me a very long time to finally get into and finish! definitely a slow burn. it wasn’t until probably the last 40 or so pages that i felt intrigued by the mystery and “on the edge of my seat” so to speak. the character development was great though sometimes a bit difficult to follow. there are LOTS of characters in this book, and right from the start i wasn’t really sure who would be main and who would be supporting.
set in the 1860s in boston, there are a lot of quirky and accurately dated expressions that all characters overused in my opinion. to the point that it was cheesy and kitschy. maybe the author was going for irony? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ many many MANY uses of “my dear [insert last name name]” when one character addresses another, and expressions reused and recycled throughout the book. it just got old after a while to me!
set in the 1860s in boston, there are a lot of quirky and accurately dated expressions that all characters overused in my opinion. to the point that it was cheesy and kitschy. maybe the author was going for irony? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ many many MANY uses of “my dear [insert last name name]” when one character addresses another, and expressions reused and recycled throughout the book. it just got old after a while to me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Stalking, Alcohol, War
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
A great read if you have the patience to wade through some lofty 1800s inspired language. It was hard for me to get into it at the beginning, but once I got to the real action of the book, it became much easier.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War
Minor: Gun violence, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma
Too dense and boring for me at this time. Perhaps I’ll try again in the fall.
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fun read for those who like historical mysteries and Dan Brown-esque fiction. I'm a lover of Dante, so I really got into it.
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
It could have been interesting. It should have, in fact, with the wealth of possibilities. However, the author clearly thinks incredibly highly of his own writing. The death knell (ahem) for me disliking the book was that after identifying a murderer, there were still about 75 pages left, filled with--you guessed it--75 pages of explanations for WHY the murderer did it, when either it could have been incorporated better into the story or summarized in a page or two.
I enjoyed this intelligent literary mystery. The characterizations of the poets are delightful and the commentary on Dante's Inferno actually inspired me to read it at the same time. It is well written and the plot is interesting.