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A review by bethaniekay
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
3.0
3.5 stars. It feels like I can copy+paste most of my review from the previous Strike novel...
I've read all the novels in the Strike series, so of course I got this one as soon as it came out. I really wanted to give this 4 stars like I did the first couple books in the series, but I just couldn't. There were really just two major things that prevented me from giving this book a higher rating:
First, this book was TOO LONG, and too convoluted. It needed to be trimmed WAY down and more focused on the primary storyline. I couldn't keep up with half of the characters (especially since many of the real characters had online personas, as well - so trying to remember all of them and keep them straight was impossible), and even at the end when the mystery was solved, I couldn't truly relish the reveal because I couldn't remember who all the people were that were involved, and how they were involved with each other. I understand there needs to be a certain level of complexity for the story to evolve, but this was a bit much.
Second, I could've done without the extraneous sub-plots. It's good to know that the agency has flourished and they have so many cases and sub-contractors, but I really wasn't interested in all the other cases the agency was working on, and feel if those were all cut out, it would've saved some pages and some additional characters (both clients and staff) from the overall heft of the book.
Now, for the good stuff. I like JKR's writing style, and I truly enjoy the relationship Strike and Robin have. I wish they could just resolve their obvious unrequited feelings for each other, but again they each have their obstacles in this novel. I still hold out hope, though, that eventually they'll realize they're meant to be together.
I'll be anticipating the next book in the series to find out what happens. I just hope the book is about half the size.
I've read all the novels in the Strike series, so of course I got this one as soon as it came out. I really wanted to give this 4 stars like I did the first couple books in the series, but I just couldn't. There were really just two major things that prevented me from giving this book a higher rating:
First, this book was TOO LONG, and too convoluted. It needed to be trimmed WAY down and more focused on the primary storyline. I couldn't keep up with half of the characters (especially since many of the real characters had online personas, as well - so trying to remember all of them and keep them straight was impossible), and even at the end when the mystery was solved, I couldn't truly relish the reveal because I couldn't remember who all the people were that were involved, and how they were involved with each other. I understand there needs to be a certain level of complexity for the story to evolve, but this was a bit much.
Second, I could've done without the extraneous sub-plots. It's good to know that the agency has flourished and they have so many cases and sub-contractors, but I really wasn't interested in all the other cases the agency was working on, and feel if those were all cut out, it would've saved some pages and some additional characters (both clients and staff) from the overall heft of the book.
Now, for the good stuff. I like JKR's writing style, and I truly enjoy the relationship Strike and Robin have. I wish they could just resolve their obvious unrequited feelings for each other, but again they each have their obstacles in this novel. I still hold out hope, though, that eventually they'll realize they're meant to be together.
I'll be anticipating the next book in the series to find out what happens. I just hope the book is about half the size.