Review by deedireads - The Book of Love

deedireads 's review for:

The Book of Love by Kelly Link

4.75

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

When I heard that speculative-short-story-GOAT Kelly Link had written a doorstopper of a debut novel, I was ALL IN. This won’t be for everyone, but this was extremely my thing.

What a beautiful story to get lost in. Life, death, music, love, sacrifice, friendship, siblinghood, grief; this one has it all. Also plenty of the uncanny. Also a villain who is the moon, but also death, kind of? I mean, what’s not to love. And yes, it’s about four teenagers, but they are so vivid and real, don’t let that deter you, even if you usually have trouble relating to teenage characters.

Some will say this was too long, but the length didn’t bother me at all. I loved all the time we spent getting to really know these characters and see each of their individual lives. As Alix Harrow said: “Is it ‘slow’? Sure. Yeah. So is spring. So is a sunset. So is sex, if you're doing it right, and death, if you're lucky. Some things are meant to be savored.” I couldn’t agree more.

Content Warnings