A review by lachiemorris
Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

challenging funny mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

i am beyond mixed after finishing this. 

the way this was written was a gorgeous and delicate line of overindulging purple prose, and purposeful writing. but yet, it did struggle with overindulging at times. 

and for the characters, they were what carried the book. the dialogue was eccentric and witty, but also insanely left-field and surreal. it was intriguing to read as a stand alone, but plot purposes, it did at times feel clunky. and for the main cast, most of them were really strong and fleshed out, but for the life of me mrs. slagg pissed me off beyond enjoyment. i can't tell if it was on purpose, if so well done peake, but every time she showed up, i groaned at her dialogue. she bogged every interesting interaction down to the same two liners. beyond her, the cast was very strong. fuchsia, steerpike and prunesquallor were really interesting. flay, irma and sepulchgrave carried the eccentricities of this book. 

for the plot, i'm also mixed. it was a plot of both mighty and low consequences. i felt as though what was happening was made out to be big deals, but also inconsequential.

the burning being the late-mid section of the book set it up as the main thing for an unravelling third act, but just became dialogue choices is beyond me.

and with this, by the time it ended, it just felt incomplete. 

i was both enthralled and disappointed by this book, and the positives only slightly outweighed the negatives.