A review by classiestcass
Invictus by Ryan Graudin

2.0

I really, really, really hate to give this book 2 stars, but I feel like I had to do it.

It wasn't necessarily bad, but it did that thing where the description sounded so so so so good, but the actual content of the book didn't quite live up to the hype. I'm not sure if it was because I was expecting so much having read some of Graudin's other books (Wolf by Wolf, Blood for Blood, The Walled City) or if it's because that just seems to be the theme of books I've been reading lately or what. And I read the acknowledgments at the end of Invictus, so yes, I know that this book started off as a short story and was supposed to be a break from the intensity that came from the Wolf by Wolf books.

I think, ultimately, it just didn't feel like it went deep enough for me. I liked all of the characters, but some definitely felt more shallow than others. The pov chapters tend to be sporadic, so we'll have maybe like 10 chapters from Far's pov, 5 from Priya's, and then like a single pov from Gram. These are just examples and not exactly how many pov chapters each character gets. But it definitely felt way too sporadic for me to really feel attached. Again, I understand that this book started off as a short story and wasn't meant to be as intense as some of Graudin's other books, but I honestly felt like it was a little too lighthearted for me to really care.

Even the villain(s?) in the story don't have much depth to them. It's hard for me to genuinely dislike them and care whether or not the good guys beat them. Even though there was so much at stake in this book, I didn't really feel it. I couldn't connect to it for whatever reason. And this could totally be just me. Maybe I was all hyped up because I love Graudin's other works, read the description of Invictus, and was expecting the same kind of intense, obsessive reading. That could totally have been it and that would be my bad.

The book isn't bad, honestly. The plot was interesting, the characters were unique, and the author is great. I just kept essentially skimming through the book, the way you do when nothing is really happening and you're waiting for something good to come around. I believe that this story could have been so much...more. It could have delved deeper, could have meant more, and it could have just been better. I don't regret reading it or anything, but I also probably won't be recommending it much.