Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Age of Vice

This was a five star book for the first 70% but then absolutely fell apart in the end. The introduction of Sunil’s character as a catch-all super evil invincible bogeyman ground the story to a halt.
The first half of the book is richly detailed and immersive , and I really enjoyed the multiple POVs of the MC Ajay, Neha, and Sunny. They all frustrate and disappoint but it feels authentic to their dark story.
But then, after all that build up, the story just kind of… stops. And I get the intentional parallel of the ending to the accident at the beginning of the book but ugh. To spend so long in this world only for the story to be incomplete is so unsatisfying.
It was only after reading reviews that I realized this is going to be the first book in a trilogy. Ok, fine. But even in a series, each book should have a complete and satisfying arc that stands alone.
I won’t be returning to this world for book 2. I’m more disappointed because so much about this book was amazing, and now I feel let down, instead of it just being mediocre the whole way through.

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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haleyscomet1's review

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dark sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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deagaric's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Enthralling story with a wide array of characters and POVs. This is a multifaceted story about dirty money and the people behind it in the cities and backcountry of India in the 1990s and early 2000s. Very unique setting and a (mostly) fast-paced, insane plot filled with mind-numbing wealth, deception, violence, and forbidden love.

I loved the unpredictable story line and the family saga aspect of the tale. Though I strongly recommend glancing at the trigger warnings before starting this book (the continued rape and sodomy of a minor is very explicit and highly disturbing and I genuinely wish I had skipped reading those chapters), Kapoor also adds in details about the strengths of human bonds and the need for secure attachment to others even when raised around violence and neglect. Quite a few comedic moments as well, particularly from Sunny's assistant, Eli, towards the end.

I also liked learning about India's geography and spent a decent amount of time googling up the places so I can imagine the setting more clearly. The author was born and raised in northern India and I think brings a special expertise to capturing it as a backdrop to the story.

The reason I give this a 4 rather than 5 is the weird pacing; it'll be 100mph for dozens of pages, and then slow down into a school-zone pace for a 100 more. Particularly around the point of Book/Section 3 and 4, the story became a slog, and took willpower to push through to the end. I assume a lot of the seemling unnecessary backstory will become important in the second and third book of this trilogy, so keeping my eyes peeled for that!

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