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vittorioseg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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
4.0
I honestly liked it. I didn't expect to do it and I think it was mostly because the narrator Michael Page was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Be aware, that none of the characters can be considered heroes and the main point is between a bunch of selfish assholes against mass murderers. The world of Camorr is brutal, short and it doesn't forgive anybody. The moral of these characters (beside the core group) is reprehensible, but you get the idea that its part of the world, that is not made to be shocking but as a natural consequence of the type of world and level of technology the people live in.
The plot were very well crafted, the story polished and the action tense and so very vivid. Its truly a heist story with mastermind against mastermind for the right of life and vengeance.
The plot were very well crafted, the story polished and the action tense and so very vivid. Its truly a heist story with mastermind against mastermind for the right of life and vengeance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Gore, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
The story its has some strong white american misoginy on its background. I think only two female characters where not reduced in a sexual way or sexualized inapropiely and one of them was a 70 year old. Its not in your face and it seems at face value to be quite egalitarian, until your realize that 99% of the women presented are: dumb muscle, whore, seductress and/or tragic victim. But its not graphic and I think its mostly unseen by the author in his type of writing, like say Asimov (but without being a piece of shit in real life) or say Marvel directors. Besides that, it can be a little hard the sheer spike it gets into the dark side of murder, betrayal and torture that it get in the second half.jupitermond's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Child death
pitythechild's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
the fact that i’ve already seen all the oceans 11/12/13 movies (and the sting, of course) made me want another heist of that proportion. well, i got that here. and it was high fucking fantasy. locke lamora is a detestable (but charming) man and i love him so much. him and his gentleman bastards are probably the best characters i’ve seen in a while. i loved this book so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Blood, Death, Violence, Gore, and Cursing
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, and Excrement
hurlyburlybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
e_flah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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? Yes
2.0
When I first read The Lies of Locke Lamora in 2014, it was a solid 5-star read for me. I was shocked to find that it just didn't hold up as well for me on a reread, which led me to lower my rating to 2 stars. Some of this change is likely due to my shifting preferences as a reader but there were also elements of the book that I just wasn't dazzled as much by this time around.
To start with, the structure of The Lies of Locke Lamora is very repetitive. There will be some sort of daring con or step in Locke's plan followed by a behind-the-scenes look at how the action was pulled off then some kind of a flashback. The flashback and explanation sometimes flipped places but this "see something cool" + "see how they did cool thing" + "see hint of cool things to come" continued over and over for 500 pages. This got really boring as I knew exactly what was coming next even if some of the details were left up in the air.
If the repetitive structure had been paired with really three-dimensional characters, I think it wouldn't have bothered me so much. Locke seems like a cool guy with a truly incredible knack for schemes but I just never felt like I knew him beyond the surface level. The rest of the Gentlemen Bastards were the same. I honestly couldn't tell you the difference between Calo and Galdo Sanza, which is wild as they were some of the characters we meet earliest in the book.
I also found the lack of strong world-building frustrating. This is definitely a book that can't see the forest for the trees. We get <i>so many</i> details about everything from the market scene to the gods in the Twelve Gods pantheon that initially distracted me from the fact that there isn't much substantial world-building. How does Camorr operate outside its crime scene? No clue. Is it its own city-state? How does the city interact with other countries/city-states? No clue. Names and places and tidbits burst from the pages but fail to coalesce into something with a strong sense of setting. I don't mind a detail-heavy book if it feels like those details are adding something to the story, which wasn't the case here.
Perhaps the best thing I have to say about The Lies of Locke Lamora is that I thought of it relatively often in the 5-year span between my first read and this reread. As someone who reads a ton, particularly fantasy, and then immediately forgets it, this is no mean feat. All said and done, though, I'm not sure I'll be continuing on with this series.
To start with, the structure of The Lies of Locke Lamora is very repetitive. There will be some sort of daring con or step in Locke's plan followed by a behind-the-scenes look at how the action was pulled off then some kind of a flashback. The flashback and explanation sometimes flipped places but this "see something cool" + "see how they did cool thing" + "see hint of cool things to come" continued over and over for 500 pages. This got really boring as I knew exactly what was coming next even if some of the details were left up in the air.
If the repetitive structure had been paired with really three-dimensional characters, I think it wouldn't have bothered me so much. Locke seems like a cool guy with a truly incredible knack for schemes but I just never felt like I knew him beyond the surface level. The rest of the Gentlemen Bastards were the same. I honestly couldn't tell you the difference between Calo and Galdo Sanza, which is wild as they were some of the characters we meet earliest in the book.
I also found the lack of strong world-building frustrating. This is definitely a book that can't see the forest for the trees. We get <i>so many</i> details about everything from the market scene to the gods in the Twelve Gods pantheon that initially distracted me from the fact that there isn't much substantial world-building. How does Camorr operate outside its crime scene? No clue. Is it its own city-state? How does the city interact with other countries/city-states? No clue. Names and places and tidbits burst from the pages but fail to coalesce into something with a strong sense of setting. I don't mind a detail-heavy book if it feels like those details are adding something to the story, which wasn't the case here.
Perhaps the best thing I have to say about The Lies of Locke Lamora is that I thought of it relatively often in the 5-year span between my first read and this reread. As someone who reads a ton, particularly fantasy, and then immediately forgets it, this is no mean feat. All said and done, though, I'm not sure I'll be continuing on with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Gore
Moderate: Vomit, Violence, and Child death
mscalls's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
redthistle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely loved this book.
It's a criminal underworld, con artist, swashbuckling, found family masterpiece. The characters are amazing and the plot kept me guessing. I absolutely fell in love with Locke and his band of Gentleman Bastards.
It's a criminal underworld, con artist, swashbuckling, found family masterpiece. The characters are amazing and the plot kept me guessing. I absolutely fell in love with Locke and his band of Gentleman Bastards.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
snowhite197's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Torture, and Violence
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yes. Yes. Yes!
This is a pretty hyped book and I was afraid to read it sooner. Which I now greatly regret.
It's a fantasy book about a thief. And I should have known this for 20 years by now but this is like one of my favourite things ever. There are roughy two timelines, one where the protagonist, Locke Lamora, is a child and learns everythig there is to know about thievery. And the recent timeline, where Locke is grown up and plotting an intricate scheme to relieve some rich merchant couple of their fortune. But then other thieves are being killed in mysterious ways in the city and Locke gets caught up in a much bigger plot.
First of all: How amazing is that world building?! It's probably one of the most fascinating worlds I've ever read about. It seems like a simple fantasy version of Venice at first but oh boy, I gaped at the pages once more details were revealed. The mysterious history of the world and the glass structures and how cool is falselight! The way you get to know this world is just done so cleverly with the specific structre of the book. You have one regular chapter with recent events and then an Interlude chapter with the past plotline, then a regular chapter and an Interlude chapter again and so on. In the Interlude chapters you don't only get to know the characters better as you follow them as children, but also the world they are living in. And the information you learn in these Interlude chapters is then important for the regular chapter that follows. This structure actually helped me through some slower parts of the plot at the beginning.
Second: The plot. Asdfghjk!!! It's SO good, so clever, so twisty, so funny and even emotional. It's perfectly constructed from the very first to the very last page. I'm in awe. A warning though: you jump a lot in this story, not only between past and present plots but there are also jumps within the timelines. And I loved how these are used to make you laugh or worry, sometimes both at once. The ending actually made me cry, not because it was so emotional (which it was to some degree), but mostly because all puzzle pieces fit perfectly.
And last but not least: The characters. I love them. All of them. Every single one. (Except the obvious ones). Love the kids, love the grown ups. Love the found family trope in the story, that one special friendship. Love how every single character has not only a back story, but also a unique personality. Even characters I thoght were just plot devices have a special place in my heart now. And although it's written by a man and most protagonists are male, there are some of the coolest female characters ever in the book. Actually, every single female character is exceptionally well written in my opinion. They are cool, they are intelligent, they are badass.
Bonus: There is no romance plot. There is only one hinted at a few times (and I could totally live without it in the future although I won't be that lucky I fear).
The only critique I have is how white and heteronormative this world is (so far?). And that gay (well, a more colourful expression of it) is used as a very popular slur/swearword.
This is a pretty hyped book and I was afraid to read it sooner. Which I now greatly regret.
It's a fantasy book about a thief. And I should have known this for 20 years by now but this is like one of my favourite things ever. There are roughy two timelines, one where the protagonist, Locke Lamora, is a child and learns everythig there is to know about thievery. And the recent timeline, where Locke is grown up and plotting an intricate scheme to relieve some rich merchant couple of their fortune. But then other thieves are being killed in mysterious ways in the city and Locke gets caught up in a much bigger plot.
First of all: How amazing is that world building?! It's probably one of the most fascinating worlds I've ever read about. It seems like a simple fantasy version of Venice at first but oh boy, I gaped at the pages once more details were revealed. The mysterious history of the world and the glass structures and how cool is falselight! The way you get to know this world is just done so cleverly with the specific structre of the book. You have one regular chapter with recent events and then an Interlude chapter with the past plotline, then a regular chapter and an Interlude chapter again and so on. In the Interlude chapters you don't only get to know the characters better as you follow them as children, but also the world they are living in. And the information you learn in these Interlude chapters is then important for the regular chapter that follows. This structure actually helped me through some slower parts of the plot at the beginning.
Second: The plot. Asdfghjk!!! It's SO good, so clever, so twisty, so funny and even emotional. It's perfectly constructed from the very first to the very last page. I'm in awe. A warning though: you jump a lot in this story, not only between past and present plots but there are also jumps within the timelines. And I loved how these are used to make you laugh or worry, sometimes both at once. The ending actually made me cry, not because it was so emotional (which it was to some degree), but mostly because all puzzle pieces fit perfectly.
And last but not least: The characters. I love them. All of them. Every single one. (Except the obvious ones). Love the kids, love the grown ups. Love the found family trope in the story, that one special friendship. Love how every single character has not only a back story, but also a unique personality. Even characters I thoght were just plot devices have a special place in my heart now. And although it's written by a man and most protagonists are male, there are some of the coolest female characters ever in the book. Actually, every single female character is exceptionally well written in my opinion. They are cool, they are intelligent, they are badass.
Bonus: There is no romance plot. There is only one hinted at a few times (and I could totally live without it in the future although I won't be that lucky I fear).
The only critique I have is how white and heteronormative this world is (so far?). And that gay (well, a more colourful expression of it) is used as a very popular slur/swearword.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
viorvix's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing