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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book had so many messages built into this and i really loved the main character aubry tourvel. Loved her spunk and sass and personality. Definitely would say this is a one time read that will stick with you for sometime.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Liked the story, didn’t understand the end. Some small geographical errors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Blood
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fantastical story of a life of constant movement and discovery, new connections and love, exploring the world and everything it contains. But Aubry’s life is also one without rest or continuity, with little comfort or ease. There is a mysterious magical element to this story, of course: the underground library labyrinth that swirls through space and time, sometimes delivering Aubry to the place she most needs to go, sometimes trapping her for years in their depths. And there is a mysterious force, traveling with her, living in her mind and soul, making her sick if she stays too long in one place or returns to a place she’s been. This enigmatic force has shaped and guided her life, showing her remarkable things but also keeping her from the people she loves the most.
I’m honestly not sure I fully understand what this book is trying to tell me. As much as Aubry witnessed in life, some of which we are told would not exist without her there to observe, her life has been full of near-constant loneliness and grief. Sure, she has days of happiness and love, sometimes even weeks, if she is lucky. One time she had a friend and traveling companion for a few years. But I feel like, even at the end of her life, when she’s set free and allowed to finally stop moving, in the mysterious forest where orphaned kids are sent to be cared for, if she could go back and choose a normal life, she would.
Because of the writing style, following Aubry’s perspective but at a distance, I never really felt like I knew her or understood her. I’m also not a fan of flashback-style narration - it’s yet another thing that keeps me at a distance from the storytelling, and I feel less attached and involved. Aubry’s life is full of wild adventure and magic, but I never felt the thrill of it, the joy and sorrow of it. And it’s unsatisfying that, even at the end, I don’t know what the sickness or creature guiding/torturing her is.
Dnf at 56% so I can put it in my read list. Where was this going? This was exhausting