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4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
What a ride, lost me me a bit at the end, but was a horrifying and disgusting look into a cult and the aftermath after leaving it was genuinely amazing and unexpected. Strike had a lot of character development since the last book and it made me very happy. His and Robins "will they won't they" shenanigans got pretty old by now, even if it got a new twist. Besides that, Intriguing and exciting as always.
Page turner, I'm sad to say goodbye to these characters again! I was dreading the will they won't they tension, which unspoken feelings hang in the air between the partners but not for long. Robin goes undercover into a cult for a case, where treatment was...not good and would be traumatic. Explores the world of cults and how people find a way to justify outrageous actions and how fear can control. Business goes on while Robin is away with cases and unsavory characters. Looking forward to the next book and where this takes our friends.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have come to love these characters so much. They have evolved so much, as have their story lines. This one was the most complicated of all. And I want more
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Zase ďalšia skvelá detektívka. Komplikovaná voľba prostredia, ale páčilo sa mi spracovanie.
Neustále som sa strachovala o Robin. Záver bol veľmi pekný.
Som veľmi spokojná s originálnym príbehom každého prípadu.
Neustále som sa strachovala o Robin. Záver bol veľmi pekný.
Som veľmi spokojná s originálnym príbehom každého prípadu.
Honestly, quite a disappointment. I've given it two stars only because I liked the cult setting, and I think some descriptions were well written, but the rest of the book was just really annoying. Rowling's characterisations are awfully stereotypical, as she's often blamed for, but clearly the criticisms don't affect her. The dialog, especially when she's trying to emulate accents is downright unreadable. Strike is like a wannabe Harry Hole. The book, the characters everything was just weak. I've really enjoyed some of the earlier Strike books, (except the one right before this, that was completely unreadable), but this was a complete disappointment. Would not recommend
Compared to the previous installment in the Strike series, it's a definite improvement; compared to the first three books, The Running Grave still badly needs editing. It feels as if Rowling doesn't let any proper editor get their hands on her novels, which results in them being unreadable at times. There are multiple chapters in The Running Grave that don't have any tangible purpose except inflating the volume of the book. All the main issues with the series are ever-present: any other contracts Strike and Robin have are useless, time- and space-consuming endeavors, totally unrelated to the main story; romantic storyline is as awkward and tedious as ever with burdening details and repetitions; you can't escape Rowling's proneness to excruciatingly long preambles when it gets to setting a scene as if the story will not move on unless she gives yet another elaborate description of a pub and character's menu for the day. It seems a miracle that the first three installments were so concise and stuck predominantly to the investigations, which made them so fun to read.
Yet, the detective part, in and of itself, is not that bad, at least it's better than in The Ink-Black Heart. It's a nice take on cults ad indoctrination with the focus on how they (cults) do it and not really on what they do: how do sane people lose themselves? why can't they see what's going on? why is it so difficult to set yourself free once you've been trapped? Rowling's point of view is not insightful in any way, but it brings some much-needed fresh air to the series, the dynamics between Strike and Robin in particular. Unfortunately, there are still loopholes and lame explanations for some plot twists, multiple guns hanging on the wall that never fire a single shot and appallingly poor pacing by the end of the novel. However, it's entertaining enough, which at this point is a notable achievement for the series.
Yet, the detective part, in and of itself, is not that bad, at least it's better than in The Ink-Black Heart. It's a nice take on cults ad indoctrination with the focus on how they (cults) do it and not really on what they do: how do sane people lose themselves? why can't they see what's going on? why is it so difficult to set yourself free once you've been trapped? Rowling's point of view is not insightful in any way, but it brings some much-needed fresh air to the series, the dynamics between Strike and Robin in particular. Unfortunately, there are still loopholes and lame explanations for some plot twists, multiple guns hanging on the wall that never fire a single shot and appallingly poor pacing by the end of the novel. However, it's entertaining enough, which at this point is a notable achievement for the series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Slow slow start but could be one of the best in the series. But dang it’s twisted and creepy!