Scan barcode
A review by seillean
All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen
3.0
This is not a book to be read with any seriousness. When undertaken with this sort of lightheartedness, it's a cute read. It has a quirky and improbable premise, and goes on logically from there. Think an all-boys Hogwarts where mad science reigns instead of magic, add an unlikely romance of the deep-sigh variety, and you're 90% of the way there. (Oh, and edit: other reviews have likened the romance to one found in Shakespearean comedies. That resonates completely.)
If you'll allow me to get serious about one thing, it would be how heavy-handed the author gets laying down societal obstacles, and how--once brought up--they are then dropped like a molten-hot potato. The book strikes me as written for an audience of cis-gendered, straight, white women who resonate with nerdy-girl grrlpower. And so, there's no relating to the "dark-skinned Jewess" (the only explicitly non-white person in the book) who deals frequently with racism (external and internal), sexual aggression, and religious intolerance. She gets harassed regularly (and we get a flashback to more harassment) because of her skin, sex, and religion. And then from there... the ball completely drops. The harassment exists purely to build the character up as surrounded by obstacles, and since she's the only non-white, non-Christian character in the book, these obstacles are unique to her. These dropped balls feel even more unfinished, when juxtaposed with how the author was otherwise very good about wrapping up the plot bunnies spawned throughout the book.
So, three stars, bolstered additionally by the excellent audiobook narrator. A cute story.
If you'll allow me to get serious about one thing, it would be how heavy-handed the author gets laying down societal obstacles, and how--once brought up--they are then dropped like a molten-hot potato. The book strikes me as written for an audience of cis-gendered, straight, white women who resonate with nerdy-girl grrlpower. And so, there's no relating to the "dark-skinned Jewess" (the only explicitly non-white person in the book) who deals frequently with racism (external and internal), sexual aggression, and religious intolerance. She gets harassed regularly (and we get a flashback to more harassment) because of her skin, sex, and religion. And then from there... the ball completely drops. The harassment exists purely to build the character up as surrounded by obstacles, and since she's the only non-white, non-Christian character in the book, these obstacles are unique to her. These dropped balls feel even more unfinished, when juxtaposed with how the author was otherwise very good about wrapping up the plot bunnies spawned throughout the book.
So, three stars, bolstered additionally by the excellent audiobook narrator. A cute story.