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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
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
I really really enjoyed this book, but I totally get why some others would find it slow and boring. At this point, I am a big Olivie Blake fan and I’ve read all her books so I have a pretty good idea what her writing style is like, and she really leans into a unique sort of writing with this book. She also plays lightly with magic which is both different and similar to her other books, depending on what you’ve read to get here if it wasn’t her entire back log. All this to say that nothing in this book felt out of left field to me, and I think that’s why I had so much fun with it.
It also helps that I love a character study, and this book is heavy on the character growth. There is very little plot driving this book forward, it’s mostly anger, manipulation, and greed. I kept thinking of Succession as I read this book, but with the faintest little background noise of magic added in. To say the story is slow moving is an understatement, and the pacing does feel a bit wonky at times, but if I’m eating a 5-star Michelin mean I am going to slow down and enjoy each flavor and bite and that’s what I did with this book. I enjoyed the writing, the banter, and the absolutely horrid characters for what they were and I ended up loving this book.
It also helps that I love a character study, and this book is heavy on the character growth. There is very little plot driving this book forward, it’s mostly anger, manipulation, and greed. I kept thinking of Succession as I read this book, but with the faintest little background noise of magic added in. To say the story is slow moving is an understatement, and the pacing does feel a bit wonky at times, but if I’m eating a 5-star Michelin mean I am going to slow down and enjoy each flavor and bite and that’s what I did with this book. I enjoyed the writing, the banter, and the absolutely horrid characters for what they were and I ended up loving this book.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The magic isnt as prominent in this book as I would have liked. It was more a story of three siblings learning to mourn than a fantasy novel.
tense
medium-paced
I liked this one, but it's definitely not for everyone. Olivie Blake has a distinct writing style that typically falls into that "You'll either love it or hate it" category, and I tend to enjoy her books. I wanted to devour this one in one sitting because the story was held my interest right from the start, but her prose just isn't built for that (plus it's 500+ pages, so...).
It felt like Succession but with magic - cutthroat power plays, morally bankrupt characters, siblings fighting over everything, and a lot of WTH moments. Almost every character was unlikeable (which I'm pretty sure was the point) and even Eilidh, who I liked at first, wore out her welcome by the end.
If you're into dense cerebral stories with a side of chaos and don't mind hating everyone involved, this might be your thing. But don't expect an easy read or magical fantasy escape, because that's not what this is.
It felt like Succession but with magic - cutthroat power plays, morally bankrupt characters, siblings fighting over everything, and a lot of WTH moments. Almost every character was unlikeable (which I'm pretty sure was the point) and even Eilidh, who I liked at first, wore out her welcome by the end.
If you're into dense cerebral stories with a side of chaos and don't mind hating everyone involved, this might be your thing. But don't expect an easy read or magical fantasy escape, because that's not what this is.
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I only finished this book because I was hopeful it would get better towards the end - but no. It got worse. I have several complaints about this so let's take them one at a time. First off - why on earth is there "magic" in the book? It was totally unnecessary. It felt like something the author added for spice and really all she did was add parsley. Useless. If you pulled out all the magic references - it would be the exact same book. Second - all of the characters are horrid. No one was redeemed at the end (even though Blake tried to show character growth). Let's focus on the 3 main characters: Meredith, Arthur, and Ayley (or however its spelled). Meredith is the WORST along with being a parody of Elizabeth Holms (of Theranos infamy). She's a total bitch to everyone, but especially Ayley and this never really gets explained. She's terrible. I kept hoping she'd die every other page. Arthur felt like an after thought. He was there to be a mopey baby and get forgiven at the end for being a clueless idiot. Ayley was probably my least hated of the 3 but for a character whose anger is supposed to be this allegorical living thing in her chest - she never seems to get angry when she actually needs to be. Then there are all of the side characters and yes they're all awful too. I'm just not sure what the author's goal was with this book. Here's all of these terrible people being terrible and so far up their own asses all the time. This was not my book.
slow-paced
I had to fight my way through the first 2/3, despite the story being enjoyable, the pace and story telling in the first 300 pages just wasn’t. Last 200 pages picked up, bringing character arcs from entirely unlikeable to relatably human
dark
funny
reflective
medium-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
I try reading atlas six, also by this author, and similarly found myself excited about the premise but disappointed with the execution. Some parts of the book I really enjoyed the writing and others felt it dragged on unnecessarily.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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