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A review by tobin_elliott
Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Well damn. I was NOT expecting this to be so good.
You know how, every once in a while, you read the back cover of the book and think, oh, I MUST read this! ...and then it turns out to be...well, so much less than you expected?
This book, for me, is the exact opposite of that. I read the back cover, thought, "meh" and put it back on the shelf. However, over the next couple of months, two co-workers both read it, and both sang its praises.
So, I figured, maybe I should check this out.
I'm so glad I did.
Going through the other reviews, I've seen complaints over the large cast of characters, some of whom aren't introduced until quite a ways in. And, in one case, an additional complaint that, because of the large cast, no one gets a proper backstory. And I also saw a complaint that the story is male-dominated.
Interesting.
First off, I don't care if the story has a large or small cast, as long as all the characters have a place in the story. That's definitely the case here. As for backstories? Yeah, the ones that require it definitely get it. Grecian provides a masterclass in doling out just enough information to pique a reader's interest in the characters, without doing a monstrous info dump, saving important details for deeper into the story where they have the most impact.
And, as for the male-dominated cast. Um...look at the time period this takes place in...there wasn't a lot of room for women in the male dominated world, however, there were some that absolutely stood out in history. And it's the same here: lots of guys, but the main "villain" is a woman, the most enigmatic lead of the troop is a woman, and then there's the titular Rabbit, who is...yup, a female character. I'd argue the strongest characters in the book were the female ones. So, I don't buy into any of these criticisms.
The story unfolds completely differently from what I expected, which was a minor disappointment until the author threw bomb after bomb of events and plot twists that I just didn't care and settled in for the ride, knowing it was going to be a good one.
Grecian offers a fun story, and lots of human drama, along with characters you can absolutely get behind and cheer for...even the villain.
I loved this book and I have a feeling it's going to be one of my favourites of the entire year.
You know how, every once in a while, you read the back cover of the book and think, oh, I MUST read this! ...and then it turns out to be...well, so much less than you expected?
This book, for me, is the exact opposite of that. I read the back cover, thought, "meh" and put it back on the shelf. However, over the next couple of months, two co-workers both read it, and both sang its praises.
So, I figured, maybe I should check this out.
I'm so glad I did.
Going through the other reviews, I've seen complaints over the large cast of characters, some of whom aren't introduced until quite a ways in. And, in one case, an additional complaint that, because of the large cast, no one gets a proper backstory. And I also saw a complaint that the story is male-dominated.
Interesting.
First off, I don't care if the story has a large or small cast, as long as all the characters have a place in the story. That's definitely the case here. As for backstories? Yeah, the ones that require it definitely get it. Grecian provides a masterclass in doling out just enough information to pique a reader's interest in the characters, without doing a monstrous info dump, saving important details for deeper into the story where they have the most impact.
And, as for the male-dominated cast. Um...look at the time period this takes place in...there wasn't a lot of room for women in the male dominated world, however, there were some that absolutely stood out in history. And it's the same here: lots of guys, but the main "villain" is a woman, the most enigmatic lead of the troop is a woman, and then there's the titular Rabbit, who is...yup, a female character. I'd argue the strongest characters in the book were the female ones. So, I don't buy into any of these criticisms.
The story unfolds completely differently from what I expected, which was a minor disappointment until the author threw bomb after bomb of events and plot twists that I just didn't care and settled in for the ride, knowing it was going to be a good one.
Grecian offers a fun story, and lots of human drama, along with characters you can absolutely get behind and cheer for...even the villain.
I loved this book and I have a feeling it's going to be one of my favourites of the entire year.