A review by purnuhja
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really enjoyed the themes and various layers of this story! I Ed's character growth was nice to witness as well as seeing him come to terms with the idea that he can have a positive impact on the world. It was definitely a slow burn for me though, I struggled with feeling attached to the story and characters for about 60% of the book. Part of it was the writing with which I had a love-hate relationship with. I loved the lyrical prose, Zusak captures emotions really well, but I struggled with Ed's narrative voice and the characterizations of some of the female characters (which was definitely impacted by this being written from Ed's perspective). Some weird choices were made! Otherwise though, I think this is a good story for the YA audience, and I liked how the themes were tied together at the end (even though it was a little rushed).