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tanilian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was a great debut novel. The characters were well written and the plot made sense, I don't remember any plot-holes by the end. And for a man writing, this was so refreshingly not in the least male-gazey. No insta-love (technically) too!
There are, however, a few things I found a bit tedious. First and foremost, why the hell do characters insist on monologuing in the fights 90% of the time? Make the first move instead of trash-talking your opponent, for my mentality's sake please.Also in the last confrontation scene, they decide to herd The Woman to the doorway to Nowhere <i>physically</i> instead of using the Book of Control, which was done absolutely to prolong the fight and find something for Izzy (so underused there) in the fight to do. The way the Woman became the evil villain, was a bit anticlimactic, but at least it was not because of rape like so many other male authors are wont to do. There were a few pacing issues as well, when the plot became boring to follow, but they were course-corrected fast so not that big of a deal.
There are, however, a few things I found a bit tedious. First and foremost, why the hell do characters insist on monologuing in the fights 90% of the time? Make the first move instead of trash-talking your opponent, for my mentality's sake please.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, and Dementia
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