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A review by cursed_sapphire
The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book was a ton of fun. The main two characters especially were absolutely delightful. It's rare to find a married couple as the protagonists of a book, especially a married couple that have been together for years and have such a healthy, loving relationship.
The world-building was also top notch, with a more unique fantasy setting that was detailed and interesting. This book has a Victorian/industrial revolution vibe, with new techniques and innovations coming up, and a few wealthy people rising to the top at the expense of the poor. There was a lot of social commentary about class and wealth in this, and I think it was handled well, with many varied perspectives and interesting takes. It wasn’t super in-depth, but for the story being told, was just enough.
The language and situations were both humerous, creative, and tense. The prose was descriptive and full of personality, making this book a joy to read. And the odd objects, characters, and scenes all felt ridiculous yet grounded in the world, making them very fun. The book also got tense when it needed to- there were multiple times I feared for the lives of the main characters, unsure how they could escape a situation. There were strong stakes and consequences as well. Everything felt intentional and connected, making the narrative enjoyably intricate.
However, the book isn't perfect. The pacing is often very off. I often forgot exactly why our characters were doing what they were doing, and sometimes struggled to see how their actions furthered their goals. I think that comes from the almost duel mystery at play in the story, where the main characters are tasked to find the answer to one question before almost immediately finding a second, connected question that they start investigating more for curiosity. And then a third connected mystery pops up that is clearly related but is focused on for too long so that I forgot the relevance of the other questions. It was not perfectly laid out, even if by the end all the pieces did fit into place.
I will also say the narrative felt incomplete. The mystery came to a satisfying conclusion, but the characters and the bigger world questions felt lacking. I think this book suffers from being the first in a series- it doesn't feel like it entirely stands on it's own as a novel, instead feeling like the first act in a much longer story. There was so much time speant setting things up, and only the mystery ended up with any sort of conclusion.
However, despite the shortcomings, I highly recommend this book. I hope once the rest of the series comes out, the narrative will fit together more tightly and give the closure I didn’t find here. While this doesn't serve as a perfectly complete story, and the pacing is a bit all over the place, there is still so much to enjoy in this story. The main characters especially are worth giving this a shot, and I cannot wait to reunite with them when the next book comes out.
The world-building was also top notch, with a more unique fantasy setting that was detailed and interesting. This book has a Victorian/industrial revolution vibe, with new techniques and innovations coming up, and a few wealthy people rising to the top at the expense of the poor. There was a lot of social commentary about class and wealth in this, and I think it was handled well, with many varied perspectives and interesting takes. It wasn’t super in-depth, but for the story being told, was just enough.
The language and situations were both humerous, creative, and tense. The prose was descriptive and full of personality, making this book a joy to read. And the odd objects, characters, and scenes all felt ridiculous yet grounded in the world, making them very fun. The book also got tense when it needed to- there were multiple times I feared for the lives of the main characters, unsure how they could escape a situation. There were strong stakes and consequences as well. Everything felt intentional and connected, making the narrative enjoyably intricate.
However, the book isn't perfect. The pacing is often very off. I often forgot exactly why our characters were doing what they were doing, and sometimes struggled to see how their actions furthered their goals. I think that comes from the almost duel mystery at play in the story, where the main characters are tasked to find the answer to one question before almost immediately finding a second, connected question that they start investigating more for curiosity. And then a third connected mystery pops up that is clearly related but is focused on for too long so that I forgot the relevance of the other questions. It was not perfectly laid out, even if by the end all the pieces did fit into place.
I will also say the narrative felt incomplete. The mystery came to a satisfying conclusion, but the characters and the bigger world questions felt lacking. I think this book suffers from being the first in a series- it doesn't feel like it entirely stands on it's own as a novel, instead feeling like the first act in a much longer story. There was so much time speant setting things up, and only the mystery ended up with any sort of conclusion.
However, despite the shortcomings, I highly recommend this book. I hope once the rest of the series comes out, the narrative will fit together more tightly and give the closure I didn’t find here. While this doesn't serve as a perfectly complete story, and the pacing is a bit all over the place, there is still so much to enjoy in this story. The main characters especially are worth giving this a shot, and I cannot wait to reunite with them when the next book comes out.