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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
The 2 story lines didn't interact enough thematically to have them in the same book, in my opinion. I would have preferred to do each story separately and flesh them out a bit more. Usually Lynch does well building side characters but not so much in this book, I'd argue because he was so rushed doing the 2 storylines.
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This certainly felt like a bridge book rather than a standalone. Plot points from book one and two finally started to come together only to be left free at the end. I can never enjoy a book as much when it’s clearly meant as a stepping stone instead of its own story. Not that the plot is bad, but that no real progress is made & just additional questions added on the open plot points.
Otherwise, The Republic of Thieves continues the tradition of daring plans and characters in over their heads, though with less daring and less immediate consequences. Like the second iteration, this book adds romance but whether it’s a tragedy or comedy is left undetermined.
The high points were the characters, as additional layers were pulled back and we learned more about previously unknown people. Maybe eventually we will get the fourth iteration of the sequence and we can get some closure.
Otherwise, The Republic of Thieves continues the tradition of daring plans and characters in over their heads, though with less daring and less immediate consequences. Like the second iteration, this book adds romance but whether it’s a tragedy or comedy is left undetermined.
The high points were the characters, as additional layers were pulled back and we learned more about previously unknown people. Maybe eventually we will get the fourth iteration of the sequence and we can get some closure.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
the best one, Sabetha carried this series even tho she wasn't present for two whole books lol
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spoilers below--- BE WARNED.
I'm so sorry. I wanted to rate this book a 5 and almost rated it a 4 but then thought about my reading experience and decided that 3 was correct. I am one of the legion of fans who has waited for years for the continuation of the Locke Lamora series, in love with the rich, detailed world and the devil-may-care thieves with a gift for just barely surviving. I thought a lot about this book after I was finished with it, and I have a theory as to what's up with me and my issues with this book.
If you're a fan, you're familiar with the author's long battle with anxiety, which kept him from finishing this book for years. I had a really nasty bout with anxiety myself within the past year, so I have sympathy and admiration for Mr. Lynch's courage in putting out a book with ridiculously unreal high expectations upon it, delayed to boot so that some fans might have been ready for blood. I think that the author has undergone a sort of sea change in his perspective and style and is trying to guide this series into a newer, more thoughtful writing style, more character-driven, less bloody-minded, and more introspective. This is like trying to haul a careening wagon out of the ruts that it's in by hauling on the reins of runaway horses. I haven't re-read LOLL for quite a while, but I suspect that if I did I'd see a drastic change in style. Unfortunately, I think this book suffers a bit for the attempt.
The book is split in half, one half flashback of Locke and Sabetha as children and teens, and one half current story. The parts are long enough that the split kills some of the tension each time you're taken into a different storyline.
Flashback: it's kind of weird to see Locke and Sabetha interacting, since none of the previous books had a whisper of them together, but they apparently spent years learning the trade with Chains. I wonder if it might have been better to avoid that part altogether. We're working toward an epic love story here, but the bones may not have needed to be seen.
About Sabetha: don't listen to anyone who says she's a bitch. She's brilliant, conflicted, trying to break into a leadership role when a more natural leader has come along to usurp her. She's afraid of being vulnerable. She's also a con. She may sometimes act like a good girl, but she's not. Locke's not a nice guy either- he is not a helpless victim here! I think playing up Sabetha's grittiness might have been helpful, because we spend most of the book looking at her through Locke's love-blinded eyes. He definitely set her up as a paragon, as someone he wouldn't dare to insult or push. He almost emasculates himself for her. But I don't think she asks him to. He's just so obsessed that he loses his normal personality around her.
Sabetha, however, does not seem to be a person as much as a collection of traits. We don't see her joking with her friends. In fact, I'm not sure she actually has any friends. Sure, Jean and the Sanzas are there, but they don't seem to interact with her on her own as a person. Sabetha seems utterly lonely. No one can take her for herself and just be her friend. And, unfortunately, I don't see the chemistry between her and Locke. They don't seem to be a good fit. Locke can't be his best (or worst) self with her, and she can't be her best self with him.
The current storyline is about fixing an election. It didn't seem like the heart of the author was behind this storyline, though. We see tactics often at a remove, are never really sure where we are in the political race, and it generally felt distant. The heart of the current day storyline was Locke and Sabetha deciding if they can trust each other again.
Again, this book is making the transition to being character-driven as opposed to plot driven, and the complicated nature of politics and intrigue demanded a more plot-driven book.
I think the series might gain something if it went back to Camorr. That city was so richly realized- I loved the setting. Now, with each subsequent book we're in an entirely different city, and each has grown progressively less interesting. There's so much left to mine in Camorr, it's a shame to change settings so thoroughly.
The best part of the book- the bond-mages are back. They are pitting Locke and Sabetha against each other, and they definitely have their own agenda. I'm all about seeing what happens next with this storyline. The bondmages may have become slightly more morally grey, but it's a very dark grey and they are great adversaries for Locke. There's a revelation in this book that makes any further show-downs between Locke and the bond-mages even more intriguing!
This may be a series that the author needs to finish, and then start something else which is more conducive to exploring his new style. Or, heck, write a different book simultaneously! I don't care, and I'm certainly not going to object to being able to read more by Scott Lynch. Locke's a devil-may-care character with a knife-sharp survival instinct, but a romantic hero he is not. Let's see him and Sabetha team up against the bad guys.
I'm so sorry. I wanted to rate this book a 5 and almost rated it a 4 but then thought about my reading experience and decided that 3 was correct. I am one of the legion of fans who has waited for years for the continuation of the Locke Lamora series, in love with the rich, detailed world and the devil-may-care thieves with a gift for just barely surviving. I thought a lot about this book after I was finished with it, and I have a theory as to what's up with me and my issues with this book.
If you're a fan, you're familiar with the author's long battle with anxiety, which kept him from finishing this book for years. I had a really nasty bout with anxiety myself within the past year, so I have sympathy and admiration for Mr. Lynch's courage in putting out a book with ridiculously unreal high expectations upon it, delayed to boot so that some fans might have been ready for blood. I think that the author has undergone a sort of sea change in his perspective and style and is trying to guide this series into a newer, more thoughtful writing style, more character-driven, less bloody-minded, and more introspective. This is like trying to haul a careening wagon out of the ruts that it's in by hauling on the reins of runaway horses. I haven't re-read LOLL for quite a while, but I suspect that if I did I'd see a drastic change in style. Unfortunately, I think this book suffers a bit for the attempt.
The book is split in half, one half flashback of Locke and Sabetha as children and teens, and one half current story. The parts are long enough that the split kills some of the tension each time you're taken into a different storyline.
Flashback: it's kind of weird to see Locke and Sabetha interacting, since none of the previous books had a whisper of them together, but they apparently spent years learning the trade with Chains. I wonder if it might have been better to avoid that part altogether. We're working toward an epic love story here, but the bones may not have needed to be seen.
About Sabetha: don't listen to anyone who says she's a bitch. She's brilliant, conflicted, trying to break into a leadership role when a more natural leader has come along to usurp her. She's afraid of being vulnerable. She's also a con. She may sometimes act like a good girl, but she's not. Locke's not a nice guy either- he is not a helpless victim here! I think playing up Sabetha's grittiness might have been helpful, because we spend most of the book looking at her through Locke's love-blinded eyes. He definitely set her up as a paragon, as someone he wouldn't dare to insult or push. He almost emasculates himself for her. But I don't think she asks him to. He's just so obsessed that he loses his normal personality around her.
Sabetha, however, does not seem to be a person as much as a collection of traits. We don't see her joking with her friends. In fact, I'm not sure she actually has any friends. Sure, Jean and the Sanzas are there, but they don't seem to interact with her on her own as a person. Sabetha seems utterly lonely. No one can take her for herself and just be her friend. And, unfortunately, I don't see the chemistry between her and Locke. They don't seem to be a good fit. Locke can't be his best (or worst) self with her, and she can't be her best self with him.
The current storyline is about fixing an election. It didn't seem like the heart of the author was behind this storyline, though. We see tactics often at a remove, are never really sure where we are in the political race, and it generally felt distant. The heart of the current day storyline was Locke and Sabetha deciding if they can trust each other again.
Again, this book is making the transition to being character-driven as opposed to plot driven, and the complicated nature of politics and intrigue demanded a more plot-driven book.
I think the series might gain something if it went back to Camorr. That city was so richly realized- I loved the setting. Now, with each subsequent book we're in an entirely different city, and each has grown progressively less interesting. There's so much left to mine in Camorr, it's a shame to change settings so thoroughly.
The best part of the book- the bond-mages are back. They are pitting Locke and Sabetha against each other, and they definitely have their own agenda. I'm all about seeing what happens next with this storyline. The bondmages may have become slightly more morally grey, but it's a very dark grey and they are great adversaries for Locke. There's a revelation in this book that makes any further show-downs between Locke and the bond-mages even more intriguing!
This may be a series that the author needs to finish, and then start something else which is more conducive to exploring his new style. Or, heck, write a different book simultaneously! I don't care, and I'm certainly not going to object to being able to read more by Scott Lynch. Locke's a devil-may-care character with a knife-sharp survival instinct, but a romantic hero he is not. Let's see him and Sabetha team up against the bad guys.