Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Book of the Most Precious Substance

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran

11 reviews

smolfrog's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I was really vibing with this and getting into the mystery up until the 25% mark or so, but after that it basically devolved into The Da Vinci Code but with sex and magic. You see the similarities in how the main characters basically jet around the world following leads/talking to interesting characters and you have to suspend your disbelief a lot (

why is everyone who wants the book so eager to talk to them when they repeatedly tell people that THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE A COPY YET? why would the Accountant give them a $100k advance when they haven't shown any promise in actually getting the book?

), especially in terms of how other characters speak (very exposition-heavy) and just give up their knowledge surrounding this supposedly very secretive book so easily.

There are a few interesting nuggets around the theme of living with grief after unimaginable loss, but it kind of gets buried under the "shocking" sex magic of it all.

The twist with

Lucas' character

was foreseeable but fine. I did enjoy the

morally ambiguous full-circle

ending

with the protagonist getting everything she wanted but with a classic monkey's paw twist

. She isn't likeable but is sympathetic in the way she talks about

missing her husband

(except at the end when she

calls him a "moaning, drooling mess", yikes)

. I didn't like the scene in France with

the dominatrix/witches assaulting the protagonist as a way to "will her back to life"

- it essentially excuses

sexual assault because it does spiritual good

.

I like stories about a lost, mysterious or "cursed" film/book with dark knowledge, but this one failed to totally live up to the premise. It's a decent thriller though.

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thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was a wild ride from start to finish. You think it's going to start slow and draw you in, but then BANG! A murder and a mysterious book to be found! Lily is a protagonist you never really like, but you come to understand is doing the best she can given a pretty awful set of life circumstances. So when this adventure of a lifetime literally drops into her lap and promises the possibility to end her string of shit luck, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity? At every phase of her journey to find the titular The Book of the Most Precious Substance, you as a reader can understand why she's doing everything.

First, for the money. Then for the adventure. Finally, for the chance to get her husband back. Every challenge along the way adds a new layer of wild mystery to the mythos and lore of this sacred and accursed book. The culmination of the hint for the book felt completely inevitable but also still managed to catch me a bit by surprise, which was just a delight. And the "magic always comes with a price" result felt apropos while still bittersweet.

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pagesofash's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

When I brought this book I thought I was buying a book about a book (something I'm a sucker for), turns out it's a book about a sex book. What followed was a cross over between a book about a book, a thriller and a smut read (3.5/5 for spice rating). So I have no idea where it's going to end up on my shelves. I'm giving this one three stars because while I liked parts of it I have no idea how I feel about it over all, which is fucking frustrating, but I'm going to try and break it down.

Our FMC, Lily one time author and part time book seller, is a bit of a wet blanket personality wise, as in she doesn't really have a one beyond self pity and longing. Lucas, our MMC, isn't much better beyond being good a dresser and decent in the sack. Together they're a slightly terrible, horny couple. Perhaps I'm judging them a bit too harshly. Lets call them morally grey two dimensional characters and leave it there.

I found myself both curious and bored while reading. Curious about the book our MCs were hunting, its history, its abilities, but bored with the predictability of everything, and I hated the ending.

There were moments when I read a sentence that resonated with me and made me think and then there were paragraphs that had me asking how the editor had let that one slip through. I'm talking about the kind of nonsense stuff student's write to fill word counts in assignments where they don't really say anything, because they don't really know what they're talking about, and yet say the same thing three times in a row. So it's safe to say I found the writing fairly inconsistent and sometimes too contrived. Lily and Lucas waltz in and out of strangers homes, across the States and through Europe without difficulty. How am I suppose to believe that all these rich, famous, powerful people freely open their doors and show off their most prized and expensive possessions to two strangers just for the asking?

So there's character development but I wouldn't call it strong. I didn't dislike our MCs but I didn't like them either. I appreciated the discussion about grief and the ideas surrounding healing. I loved the openness of all the side characters, each one was wholly and unapologetically themselves and I enjoyed the exploration of magic and the idea that old friends, no matter how many years apart, are just a phone call away. So I'm treating this book like a piecemeal Christian and picking and choosing which parts to take away with me and which parts to leave.

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archaicrobin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Lily is a depressed book dealer living solely to care for her husband with Alzheimer’s and dementia. She used to be a famous writer, living luxuriously with the love of her life but now she’s sold everything and struggles to make ends meet for her severely ill husband. Gran does an amazing job of setting the scene for Lily and honestly it was hard to read, her sadness and struggles are too real and I couldn’t even imagine having to live with that tragedy everyday.

Despite her hardships Lily is devoted to her husband and finding a way to help him. So when she’s offered over a million dollars for a rare occult book on sex magic, she teams up with a colleague and friend, Lucas, to find the book. What unfolds is a journey across the country to locate the book and find herself.

This book is very slow paced so if you start it, know it’s a crawl and it’s also very disturbing at times. As Lily continues searching for the book her and Lucas begin attempting it’s magic as well, which leads them to many dark and weird places. Hedonist mansions, sec magic, disgustingly rich men, it’s all pretty out there and unsettling but I loved it.

This book is not for everyone, it’s not fast paced or super exciting, it’s an atmospheric and tragic love story with elements of horror that weave together themes of loss, grief, devotion, and finding a reason to live once yours is gone. If you’re up for that, I highly recommend!

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davidamarion's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Lily had been a promising author with a life close to perfection when her partner's mysterious early on-set dementia narrowed it to eking out a living as a rare bookseller to help pay for his round-the-clock care. A search to find a mysterious book that promises unlimited power to the owner breathes life back into her. As she follows the thread, we wonder along with Lily if she's willing to pay the ultimate cost for that power, and if she does, what that might do to her.

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thecatconstellation's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book is well-written and interesting, but I didn’t warm to any of the characters. It is a book about sex magic and books, so if that sounds up your alley, I would give it a try.

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