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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Sovereign. Deadly. Perfect.
This book jumped to many places while I was reading. One day it’d be 3 stars, then 4 and then 5. The beginning really caught my attention, after the first 20%, the rest was an effort until the last 25%. So around 45% of this book is a 4.5 star rating for me.
But this book is SO LONG. Especially for people like me who don’t really have time to read. When you think about more than half of the things that happens in this book, it’s insane. The plot could’ve been condensed. Also, in terms of the plot: why was everyone just telling Scott, Hopper and Nora EVERYTHING?!
Also what was with the italics all over the page? It really started frying my brain and I’m wondering if Pessl had access to a team of editors.
Scott’s character seemed pretty cardboard cut to me until the last 25% because of the complete grey area Pessl lays out for you in terms of plot. It’s pretty understandable why this ending made readers mad or content. If I had to tell you the ending of this book I wouldn’t be able to.
So what type of ending do you want? Logical, provable and one that helps you sleep at night? Or the magic, myth and mayhem that comes for you in the dark?
scared the shit out of me, genuinely. i really liked this, idk if it's really 5 stars but i had such a fun time so idc. main character was really interested and the side characters were so precious, loved the overall vibes
3.5 stars
One of the books that has been on my tbr for the longest time, finally did it
One of the books that has been on my tbr for the longest time, finally did it
An interesting mystery/suspense novel. I liked the interactive parts of this book and I enjoyed all the various references to pop culture. Marisha Pessl created an entire history and world for Cordova that was both believable and creepy. I did feel this book dragged on at times, especially towards the end.
I know it has its problems but it just felt so cool to read. It was so immersive and the world they get pulled into is so weird and otherworldly but then it’s not but then it is again and you never really know what to believe. I really loved the whole mythos around Cordova and his films. It would have been 5 stars I think, it was just a little long and dragged in a lot of places, but then went way too fast in places that I would have wanted to spend more time on.
Completely loved it. I had held off, despite loving Special Topics, because of some of the reviews I read when it was first published. But two friends read it and loved it and I'm so glad I changed my mind. Yes, she italicizes a lot, some things are overly explained, and it may go on a little longer than necessary but it is such a fully imagined and inhabited story, it is completely worth reading (and treasuring). I loved it.
The writing is beyond terrible, full of clichés, stock characters, and overwrought similes, and its lack of some basic writerly smarts effectively scuttles the book's feeble and rather gimmicky attempt to incorporate fake websites and movie trailers as part of a larger 'transmedia' experience. Meanwhile, the unavoidable comparisons to similarly-themed books like House of Leaves and Infinite Jest obviously don't do this particular author any favors.
This looked interesting when I saw it at the bookstore, from the short description. I downloaded it onto my iPad mini, and let it sit for a few days before taking the plunge. It is a long book, but every page was interesting. The story was all over the place, and took quite some time to figure out what was going on. However, on that point, the audience never truly figures out the truth, but is left to discern for itself. I was disappointed with the ending, which is why I give the book three stars. I feel that the author spent much time building the story and exploring so many different angles, so it was disappointing for the book to end so abruptly.