336 reviews for:

The Pretender

Jo Harkin

4.14 AVERAGE

lemon25's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional funny slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

zoef's review

3.75

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

megansianedwards's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous funny informative 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

marianka1992's review

DID NOT FINISH: 26%

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Could not get into the story. Too many characters.

ninapup's review against another edition

3.0

dark slow-paced

msliz's review against another edition

4.75

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

tcameron's review against another edition

3.0

informative sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

starry_minded's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

raceyburden's review against another edition

4.75

dark funny sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

katiemack's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous funny medium-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

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I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I've not read anything quite like this before--I guess the Hilary Mantel comparison is most apt? The pacing lags in the middle of the book, and the bawdy talk gets boring after a while, but Simnel's development and the hilarious-yet-dark dialogue make this a compelling read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder

Moderate: Death, Rape