A review by librariangeorgia
Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka

adventurous tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I tried reading this book a few months ago but I couldn’t get into it. I think it’s because there’s multiple characters to keep track of and it’s so detailed. Therefore, this time around I decided to make notes to make it easier to follow. 
 
I ended up really enjoying this book! And I’m especially looking forward to seeing the film this weekend to see how it compares! 
 
It’s a fast paced, locked-room style thriller with so much happening that it doesn’t seem like it’ll all line up. None of the characters are likeable, which is expected as they are all assassins. However, I did have a soft spot for Ladybird - he just has so much bad luck that I felt sorry for him! 
 
I always struggle with translated books as they don’t tend to be completely translated the way it’s originally written. For this one, the time periods within each chapter would jump quite a bit without notice. There’s also the sexist and transphobic comments which I’m not sure if they were intentional or mistranslated. 
 
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read. If you like translated works, I’d recommend reading this. 
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