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jenny_hedberg's review against another edition
3.0
When my curious crew members on the sailing boat asked me what I was reading and what I thought of it, I struggled to answer. How do you describe a book that is equal parts mystery, fantasy and dark academia? Add to this a dash of Pratchett-like quirkiness. In theory, Rotherweird sounds like the book for me, but in reality it was difficult to come to grips with. It wasn’t until the beginning of the end of the story that I felt like I knew what the story was about. I was surprised to learn that it was set in the year 2017 since there was a distinct lack of mobile phones, social media and computers… In fact, during the first 250 pages I was fumbling in the dark, just following the whims of the author. Sometimes, this kind of “exploratory” reading can be fun and part of the storytelling but now I felt like it was more down to this being the author’s first attempt at a novel. Some of the workarounds to keep the reader in the blind in regard to the mystery of the story were a little too obvious (in the style of “he thought of the secret thing he was going to do, then did the secret thing and finally celebrated that he had succeeded with his secret mission”). But hey! These are only the reasons this book isn’t getting a five star review from ME, it’s still worth a read if the blurb sounds interesting to you. It’s imaginative, ambitious, playful and there are several characters I would have liked to get to know better.
jen_k's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
fyre_flies's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Murder and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
bibliotheca_draconum's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
chumbuswumbus's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
2.0
elliepeake's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
matt357's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good story, with somme decent characters and twists, but it spends too long trying to make sure you know how smart it is. At least half the characters are named for an aspect of their personality in some way, so when the reasons for some of those who aren't clearly that are revealed, it comes as no surprise.
smudgedpage's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kleonard's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this clever and knowing Gothic-and-supernatural tale. Travel to the small English town of Rotherweird, where no one is allowed to know the town's history or ask about the origins of its inhabitants. There you'll find scheming villains, society snobs, a nocturnal acrobat, a man with a mysterious past, and a newly-arrived teacher for the local school, who, with a little help from his predecessor, sets into motion a fun and quirky ride into another dimension, a vast catalogue of secrets, and a little romance.
victoria80's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent read
4.5 really enjoyed this book. The writing was excellent with bold use of language. The characters are fantastically bizarre and well developed and the story just kept on rolling. About to purchase the sequel.
4.5 really enjoyed this book. The writing was excellent with bold use of language. The characters are fantastically bizarre and well developed and the story just kept on rolling. About to purchase the sequel.