Reviews with content warning for Animal death - La biblioteca del Monte Char

This is a fantasy novel with a strong science fiction, metaphysical, multiple-universes bent (“there’s no such thing as magic”). Along the way it did feel rather weird and the storyline a little disjointed, but by the end it’s clear why that is. What worried me for quite a while was what appeared to be extreme, gratuitous violence, especially the violence against children. But the rationale for the violence was explained well and is integral to the novel. A novelty to me was having a demiurge as a pivotal character.

I found the characters were well portrayed, the MC relatable (despite getting pretty extreme psychologically), the dialogue flowed naturally and the plot moved along at a moderate pace without bogging down. There’s even some nicely pitched humour, particularly aimed against the foibles and excesses of Americans. The story is well-grounded, too, even though at various times the reader is confronted by a wide-sweeping, multiple-time-and-space viewpoint. I kept wanting to pick up the book again each time, which is a good sign.

Themes that for me lifted this novel above a simple “fun read”: the dark side of power, especially power over others’ welfare and lives; friendship and authentic love; true versus apparent strength; the search for meaning; the ultimate mystery of existence.

An impressive first novel by the author. I’d be keen to read any sequel, as the ending hinted there may be.

Content Warnings

epruta's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I’ve never read any book like this. The concept is fascinating and leaves much to be explored. The only thing keeping me from a 5 star review is that it’s disturbing. Pretty much every content warning you can think of is in here.

Content Warnings

jkauffman503's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

saroreen's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

rosienia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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jebowman123's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.25

It takes a long time for the plot to actually come together. There is a lot of perspective switching chapter to chapter. Something about the way this book is written feels vaguely sexist. I don’t like that we never get another perspective from a sibling and don’t even learn about all of them. I know it’s a fantasy book but there were a lot of liberties taken. For the first couple of chapters I couldn’t tell if this book was marketed to children or not and then later realized how much brutality it contained.

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