A review by elysekimberly
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

     This book was very okay. I may be tired of historical fiction, but I felt like this book leaned more heavily into the genre. There were a lot of words that may have been fitting for the time but made this a less immersive reading experience. Besides for that, I feel like the connections between characters were murky and odd. I had to physically draw out a family tree to remember how every character connected to each other. Besides for that, there were a lot of connections that felt uncomfortable to me. 
     Additionally, it felt like a book that wasn’t really suited to my taste. The main character has a daughter and that was an element I didn’t really appreciate. It felt like an unnecessary addition to be honest. 
     While it did have its flaws, there were a lot of things I liked. I appreciated how the power dynamic shifted in the relationship between the romantic leads. Despite the historical setting, Marian was portrayed as the strong, intense one. She also typically was portrayed as the leader of their relationship. This was refreshing to read about for a period in which this likely was not the norm. I liked that the author gave the male lead the ability to be soft-hearted. 
     Besides for that, I also liked the theme of this book. It explored the idea that people are composed of good and bad, and that we need to look deeper before we judge someone’s actions. This had a Robin Hood-esque element that I valued. 
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