Review by sheriffrockyraccoon - Loot

sheriffrockyraccoon 's review for:

Loot by Tania James

3.5

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

While overall I enjoyed this reading experience, I was a bit thrown off with the first half of the book. The characters are compelling but it felt as if little drove them until the second half of the book when the British attack Tipu’s palace.

That being said, I did enjoy the second half of the book! Jehanne becomes a central character to the story and by far my favorite. Her narrations and perspective as both French and Indian propelled the story forward.

The writing was strong, save for a few moments I felt slowed the story and, this is just a personal opinion, used the phrase “let go of a breath she didn’t realize she was holding”. For some reason, that line always takes me out of a story because of its cliche reputation in recent history.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in early colonialism as I believe it offered a much more human approach to a horrific time for anyone not British. There are no predominant characters who are truly “villainous”, just people struggling with their identity and place in an ever-expanding world.

Content Warnings