3.29 AVERAGE

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

hannibal’s backstory was what I was most interested in learning when reading this series. I was surprised to find myself rooting for him with newfound empathy.

From what I've gathered, it seems as though Thomas Harris was kind of forced into writing this book and the screenplay for the film version. Dino de Laurentiis, the producer of most of the Hannibal Lecter-related films, said he was going to make a prequel with or without Harris's help. So, Harris rushed out this poorly written book that tells a nonsensical story about a young Hannibal Lecter's childhood and teenage years. Harris leaves too many gaps throughout the book, expecting the reader to figure out what happens. The problem is, it's hard to do that because the book is so brisk and little to no descriptive elaborations are present. What happened to the Thomas Harris of Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal? What happened to Hannibal Lecter? Nothing about this story feels right; it's damn near impossible to see how this Hannibal turns into the Hannibal Lecter of the previous three books. It's a slapdash book that should be cast into the fires of Hell, never to be thought of again.
challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The evolution of Hannibal from child to monster. I only wish there was more. This book ends when he is 18. I would love if there was another book from age 18 to the time he was arrested.
adventurous dark reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

very enjoyable book had it been about someone totally different. in fact it was about someone totally different 

snooze fest, definitely the worst of the series
dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes