Reviews

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

kschukar's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

chalmy's review against another edition

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This book was so overly sexual it made me uncomfortable.  It also has a lot of “fluff.”

lbutcke's review against another edition

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1.0

Not for me. I started it, but there are too many books on my to read list for me to slog through one I don't enjoy.

alawrence's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

5 stars for being one of the most original fantasy books I’ve read in years. 5 stars again for dear Tracker, our narrator, who captivated me with his brutality and his sweetness, just like his story. Fantastically done. James is an expert. 5/5 stars. 

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warriorcatsstan's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

anjugrao's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a hard book to get through, not because of the storyline and world building, which is outstanding, but from the graphic imagery and topics into which it delves. I'm not sure if it's all necessary but I know that by halfway through I was completely enthralled with the fully realized world and characters that Mr. James had created. It's obvious there has been countless hours/days/weeks/months of research and it shows in the depth of characters, and settings that are created. The narrative switches back and forth through various stories and creates a fully realized epic. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series but need some time away as well.

bitter_critter's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark slow-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

3.0


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hart's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

fdap's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

It takes a while to get used to the narrative style and the unreliable narrator but overall it’s a good adventure/fantasy with lots of twists and side quests - tw: violence, gore, rape

notesurfer's review against another edition

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Black Leopard, Red Wolf is hallucinatory to the point of obfuscation. It's an aimless meander through harrowing vignettes. The prose is very well-written, but that's like saying "This sketch of a rotting corpse is particularly visceral." If there's no perceptible arc and no enjoyable emotions, then why would I keep reading?