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drewins's review against another edition
4.0
I can’t remember the last time I was so confounded by a book. I couldn’t stop reading, I was sucked in immediately. Great stories and characters. Marlon James thoroughly created a whole new universe. However the style of writing takes some getting used to as it’s a story within a story, sometimes within another story.
The biggest drawback in my opinion was the far too numerous depictions of sexual violence throughout the book. I actually got to a point towards the end where I was just like, is this really necessary?!
The book has so much to offer besides those moments, which while numerous were thankfully brief. I still recommend it, just want everyone to know what they’re getting in to.
The biggest drawback in my opinion was the far too numerous depictions of sexual violence throughout the book. I actually got to a point towards the end where I was just like, is this really necessary?!
The book has so much to offer besides those moments, which while numerous were thankfully brief. I still recommend it, just want everyone to know what they’re getting in to.
schmunka's review against another edition
2.0
This book just isn’t for me right now. I may come back to it later, and try to dig into it more.
bmoraller's review against another edition
5.0
It's violent, confusing, dense, difficult and brilliant.
whitcam430's review against another edition
4.0
I read a review that said this book was like a maze in a labyrinth and I must say that I have to agree. It was beautiful story writing and definitely one you need to pay attention to. It is not a light read. I would give it a five but I am not the biggest fan of reading so much violence for the sake of violence especially when that violence includes rape. There was much of that in this book. It was intense but a good read.
coraciiformes23's review against another edition
1.0
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who could barely make it through this clusterf***. It took all I had, and that’s difficult since by page 10 I was uninterested. And as someone who reviewed earlier said, be wary before you read, this one really does need a trigger warning at the beginning.
tuckermeijer's review against another edition
4.0
Almost DNFd this one after the first 120 pages, but I'm ultimately glad I stuck with it. It really draws you in once you get a feel for the style and is surprisingly moving at times. It's not always a pleasant reading experience; the descriptions of violence (particularly sexual violence) are gratuitous and, at times, don't move the plot forward. It's a dense book that I feel like people will either like or hate – I found myself in the former category.
vanessaamber53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's difficult for me to put into words what my thoughts are on this book, they're about as confusing as the unreliable narration in the beginning. I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to the media that I consume, I either like something or I don't. This book was decidedly not an easy or lazy read, it's one you have to actively read or you will miss crucial pieces of the puzzle. I felt a little bit frustrated with the first 75 pages and the last 75 pages, it felt confusing, disorienting, and disjointed. The narration style felt like a big adjustment at the beginning and it took me a while to really get into the flow of the writing. I didn't really like how the story jumped in the final section, and the ending felt slightly disjointed and rushed.
Having said that, the sections of the book between those first and last 75 pages was largely an enjoyable read for me. The vulgar and explicit writing style, the characterization of all of the fantasy characters, and the world building as the story progressed really kept me in the mind frame that was necessary for this read. I was engaged, interested, and after the first 75, I really fell into the flow of the narration and writing style. Once I was locked in, I found it difficult to put this book down. It was super exciting for me to enter such a fully fleshed out and well-written new fantasy world.
I would give this book a 4 out of 5, I would read it again, and I'd be willing to recommend it to others even. After reading a lot of reviews, I will say I don't know if I see the comparison to Tolkein’s writing style. About the only similarity I see is that there was a dysfunctional fellowship with a mission. The warning I would give is to take pretty much every review (yes even mine) with a grain of salt. This is such a decisive work that it's something you'd have to read for yourself to know if you'd like it or not.
Having said that, the sections of the book between those first and last 75 pages was largely an enjoyable read for me. The vulgar and explicit writing style, the characterization of all of the fantasy characters, and the world building as the story progressed really kept me in the mind frame that was necessary for this read. I was engaged, interested, and after the first 75, I really fell into the flow of the narration and writing style. Once I was locked in, I found it difficult to put this book down. It was super exciting for me to enter such a fully fleshed out and well-written new fantasy world.
I would give this book a 4 out of 5, I would read it again, and I'd be willing to recommend it to others even. After reading a lot of reviews, I will say I don't know if I see the comparison to Tolkein’s writing style. About the only similarity I see is that there was a dysfunctional fellowship with a mission. The warning I would give is to take pretty much every review (yes even mine) with a grain of salt. This is such a decisive work that it's something you'd have to read for yourself to know if you'd like it or not.
toast_is_me's review against another edition
got bored, it felt like the main story was finished. not overly invested in the characters.