kalilakingsfordsmith 's review for:

The Book of Love by Kelly Link

3.5

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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It was an interesting read and a world that I was very curious about and wanted to come to understand, but the mysteries and motivations of all of these characters were hard for me to hook onto, I think purposefully kept ambiguous for a long time. I felt the experimentation within the storytelling and I appreciated that; however I felt a little confused about whether this story was more rooted in magical realism or horror. It took me a wildly long time to read, which I wasn’t expecting because usually stories like this catch me and keep me, but in the end it felt like a slog. Personally, the trenagery snark and voice turned me off, but I felt drawn most to Mo’s and Susanna’s characters.