A review by woolerys
The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu

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

3.0

As a retelling of Hamlet, it did interesting and original things, and hit a good balance of same/different as far as telling the same story differently. As a novel, it was poorly paced and way, way too long. So much detail, mostly serving to add tension to each and every scene, but when used with such abundance it backfired and I ended up slogging through at a snail’s pace instead. I didn’t care for the “reconstructed from research” format as a reading experience, either, though it was a cool concept in theory. That said, I did really appreciate the rotating point of view and the way it allowed us to get close to three main characters, and I also enjoyed the reworked ending with new takes on the old themes of justice and purpose.
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