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jazjoyner91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, and Violence
dogearedbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping and Gaslighting
Moderate: Murder and Gun violence
thequeerestbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
yokai_garden's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death and Kidnapping
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Gaslighting
Minor: Mental illness and Addiction
kmmckeen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death
Minor: Excrement and Sexual assault
hellsjerome's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Kidnapping
bluebellfallen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The main character (known to the audience as Piranesi) keeps a written log of his life and his discoveries within the (labyrinthine) House / World he resides in.
The book is made up of Piranesi's journal entries, and as time goes on, the audience starts to see a much darker story at work.
Piranesi is an unreliable narrator (we only see what he deems important enough to write about after all), but the structure of the book makes this a very intimate reading experience. I cannot provide much detail without spoiling the book, but it is absolutely and without a doubt my current favorite book I've ever read - and I haven't chosen a new one of those in literal years.
The only place this book fell a little short for me was the final transitional entries between Piranesi's interactions with the 16th, and his final entry about the House before the book ends - that section felt a bit long to me, like I was just *waiting* for that final entry that I knew was coming and would be so satisfying. And it was! ... when we finally got there. And I get why that section is there and feels like that - Piranesi is continuing to accurately log his experiences as best he can, and quite some time passed between that interaction with the 16th and the final entry - but even knowing why and agreeing that yes, it should in fact be there, it was my least favorite part of the book.
Other than that one, very minor issue? Absolutely, without a doubt, 100% a masterpiece.
Moderate: Mental illness and Kidnapping
kitkathw871's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Gaslighting, Confinement, and Kidnapping
ang44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
At times, I struggled to actually focus on some of the more technical descriptions of the house and just hoped that the really important details would be clear from doing a good skim (which they were!).
Overall, it was well-written, I found many of the twists very unexpected, the main character was Good and Right and Kind and loveable, and it really made me feel good at the end of it!
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, and Gaslighting
ursa_arlo's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Because, while Piranesi is a good book with an interesting format and mystery, I have read similar books that are similar in subject that hit a little harder and push the boundaries a little further. (A personal favourite is Beneath the world, a sea.) So ultimately I was a bit disappointed by the end.
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Minor: Blood