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A review by vivaldi
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
5.0
Oh my gosh, I love this book so much and reading this put me into such a good mood :D When I finished reading The Rook, my mind was basically a coherent incoherence over this really unique and witty masterpiece (and I had a really good laugh over the clever comebacks).
Words failed me on how much this book meant to me, but if I could name a few standouts from the Rook which had me floored they are:
1) Likeable & relatable characters. First of all - Myfawny my relatable queen. I truly enjoyed reading the letters she wrote to herself. They felt really intimate & emotionally engaging. I also found the other characters from Chequy very intriguing. Like, they represent a distinct archetypes and yet they also feel really human to me with their light and dark sides.
2) Very believable worldbuilding. Obviously this is novel was set in London - sprinkled with a supernatural magical system. The backdrop are so well described that it felt really believable. Also a big round of applause for providing very solid context to this alternative universe - it's also very believable historical backstories. I felt like I was transported to the world while reading The Rook.
3) Creative concept. Particularly the letters Myfawny wrote to her future self, the chess-inspired roles in the secret agency, the surprising supernatural elements. Basically I was intrigued by the premise and the actual novel delivered even more awesomeness.
4) Big human themes - particularly with self-knowledge, belongings, and betrayals. Okay, so I'm the type of person who gets excited when a book's central themes tackle upon stuff which are thought provoking and encourage me to introspect about my inner psyche. Well, I love the astonishing amount of self-awareness from Myfawny's narratives. Because the characters are so well fleshed out, the betrayals were pretty emotional to read.
5) Witty sense of humour. I must say, this is initially quite a challenging read (and it gets deep quickly), but at the same time I couldn't put down the novel - thanks to the plenty of witty comebacks and humourous lines which kept me on hook. Fantasy novels tend to be pretty dark and heavy, so having a comic relief from time to time feels refreshing and puts me in a good mood.
I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel, which I also ordered in hardcopy!!
5/5
Words failed me on how much this book meant to me, but if I could name a few standouts from the Rook which had me floored they are:
1) Likeable & relatable characters. First of all - Myfawny my relatable queen. I truly enjoyed reading the letters she wrote to herself. They felt really intimate & emotionally engaging. I also found the other characters from Chequy very intriguing. Like, they represent a distinct archetypes and yet they also feel really human to me with their light and dark sides.
2) Very believable worldbuilding. Obviously this is novel was set in London - sprinkled with a supernatural magical system. The backdrop are so well described that it felt really believable. Also a big round of applause for providing very solid context to this alternative universe - it's also very believable historical backstories. I felt like I was transported to the world while reading The Rook.
3) Creative concept. Particularly the letters Myfawny wrote to her future self, the chess-inspired roles in the secret agency, the surprising supernatural elements. Basically I was intrigued by the premise and the actual novel delivered even more awesomeness.
4) Big human themes - particularly with self-knowledge, belongings, and betrayals. Okay, so I'm the type of person who gets excited when a book's central themes tackle upon stuff which are thought provoking and encourage me to introspect about my inner psyche. Well, I love the astonishing amount of self-awareness from Myfawny's narratives. Because the characters are so well fleshed out, the betrayals were pretty emotional to read.
5) Witty sense of humour. I must say, this is initially quite a challenging read (and it gets deep quickly), but at the same time I couldn't put down the novel - thanks to the plenty of witty comebacks and humourous lines which kept me on hook. Fantasy novels tend to be pretty dark and heavy, so having a comic relief from time to time feels refreshing and puts me in a good mood.
I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel, which I also ordered in hardcopy!!
5/5