Scan barcode
A review by apollos_books
Mordew by Alex Pheby
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75/5 : I have so many mixed feelings about this book...There's a lot that I like and a lot that I hate, so I'll just make a pros and cons list
Pros:
+ The last 300 pages are incredibly dense with magical weirdness, wonder, and fantasy. I could not put the book down when I got to this part
+ Was giving Dickens x Ghibli
+ Lots of interesting commentary on class and gender
+ Amazing ending that presents a nice cliffhanger/set up for the next book
Cons:
- The first 200 pages are confusing at best and boring at worst. Nathan as a main character is at his most insufferable here
- A lot of the dialogue was unnecessarily lengthy. A lot of the characters would babble on and on for pages at a time
- RE commentary on gender: At times the commentary just felt straight up misogynistic. None of the girls and women in this story occupy empowering or holistic roles. They are either cold, unfeeling witches or sex workers, with both roles serving to prop up the male characters around them.
- It feels like there's too many cooks in the kitchen. Each character has their own complicated backstory, abilities, and motivations, but we never spend quite enough time with each character to fully learn about them and appreciate their complexities. There is little to no sense of emotion driving these characters
- Can be willfully esoteric at times. Sometimes this is charming, but more often it's just frustrating as a reader. Maintaining a "mysterious" atmosphere =/= leaving your reader scrambling and confused in the dark
Pros:
+ The last 300 pages are incredibly dense with magical weirdness, wonder, and fantasy. I could not put the book down when I got to this part
+ Was giving Dickens x Ghibli
+ Lots of interesting commentary on class and gender
+ Amazing ending that presents a nice cliffhanger/set up for the next book
Cons:
- The first 200 pages are confusing at best and boring at worst. Nathan as a main character is at his most insufferable here
- A lot of the dialogue was unnecessarily lengthy. A lot of the characters would babble on and on for pages at a time
- RE commentary on gender: At times the commentary just felt straight up misogynistic. None of the girls and women in this story occupy empowering or holistic roles. They are either cold, unfeeling witches or sex workers, with both roles serving to prop up the male characters around them.
- It feels like there's too many cooks in the kitchen. Each character has their own complicated backstory, abilities, and motivations, but we never spend quite enough time with each character to fully learn about them and appreciate their complexities. There is little to no sense of emotion driving these characters
- Can be willfully esoteric at times. Sometimes this is charming, but more often it's just frustrating as a reader. Maintaining a "mysterious" atmosphere =/= leaving your reader scrambling and confused in the dark