A review by arbitrary_convenience
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I had such high hopes for this book. I’ve been waiting so long to read it. But it didn’t deliver the way I was hoping. 

The story it was trying to tell was great. I love how it tied together at the end. The story itself was so so good. 

The writing is what’s holding it back. Especially in the beginning, the sentences are clunky. They’re choppy and it makes the book a struggle to read. There are parts where the sentences are all very short and staccato. There are parts where the chosen words sound like they’re chosen to sound fancy and sophisticated rather than actually chosen to carry the pint. It’s hard to follow simply because of the word choice. Which is frustrating because the story was so fascinating! 

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