Scan barcode
A review by mermaidreef
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was just.......a good time. Really funny, good banter between characters, like I had to put the book down and laugh.
Definitely VERY long for what it is....Lynch does not skimp on the detail, and portions of the book really drag, especially with the way the book is structured, with short interludes between nearly every chapter, all of which mark a shift in timeline or POV. The first 300 pages felt like a bit of an uphill slog, as they were mostly establishing characters and worldbuilding. The flipside of this is that the worldbuilding is EXQUISITE. He also does this without really obvious heavy info-dump paragraphs, cleverly couching bits of information into dialogue between characters and through the POV characters' observations. Because of this, there's very little feeling of breaking the fourth wall throughout the book which makes for a much more immersive experience.
Shit really hits the fan about halfway through and even I (literally never surprised or shook at plot developments) was clutching my pearls and gasping in disbelief. Maybe because the first half lulls you into such a false sense of safety.
This did suffer from Boy Book Syndrome however mainly bc the misogyny was jumping out......tell me why every character who's a woman is either swiftly murdered or is simply mentioned repeatedly without appearing in the story ever. Or made into a joke immediately!!! There is one moment in particular near the end that really fell into this category
Need to read something written by a woman next bc I can only read so much about a funny little con man who has no other personality traits or inner life I need CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Solid book though overall despite my complaints
Definitely VERY long for what it is....Lynch does not skimp on the detail, and portions of the book really drag, especially with the way the book is structured, with short interludes between nearly every chapter, all of which mark a shift in timeline or POV. The first 300 pages felt like a bit of an uphill slog, as they were mostly establishing characters and worldbuilding. The flipside of this is that the worldbuilding is EXQUISITE. He also does this without really obvious heavy info-dump paragraphs, cleverly couching bits of information into dialogue between characters and through the POV characters' observations. Because of this, there's very little feeling of breaking the fourth wall throughout the book which makes for a much more immersive experience.
Shit really hits the fan about halfway through and even I (literally never surprised or shook at plot developments) was clutching my pearls and gasping in disbelief. Maybe because the first half lulls you into such a false sense of safety.
This did suffer from Boy Book Syndrome however mainly bc the misogyny was jumping out......tell me why every character who's a woman is either swiftly murdered or is simply mentioned repeatedly without appearing in the story ever. Or made into a joke immediately!!! There is one moment in particular near the end that really fell into this category
Need to read something written by a woman next bc I can only read so much about a funny little con man who has no other personality traits or inner life I need CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Solid book though overall despite my complaints
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore