Take a photo of a barcode or cover
my_corner_of_the_library's Reviews (320)
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have mixed opinions about this book, but overall I really enjoyed it. My complaints? Unanswered questions and the end (*not* because it's so vague). So...let's talk about it.
First, let's talk about unanswered questions. This world and community are so interesting. The amount of regulation in this community goes so much further than I ever could have imagined going in, but what it didn't explain is how?? I want to know how the elders went about these crazy changes to society.
How did they get rid of the sun? And sunshine? How did they get rid of color? How did they deal with the memories that were released when Rosemary killed herself? Why is it that Rosemary's memories were released when she died but Jonas's are released the further he gets from the community? Is it all a simulation?
It's possible that these questions are answered in later books, but as I've heard that the rest of the series isn't very good, I've personally elected not to read them. I just wish this book was 3-4X longer so I could get so many more details!!!
Now....the ending....
Obviously: WARNING!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!
So, I wasn't a huge fan of the vague ending that is the cause of debate of whether or not Jonas and Gabe die. I understand that in later books it is revealed they do in fact live, but since I'm treating it as a standalone I'm going to discuss this as if that isn't known (and ultimately I don't think the knowledge either way changes my issues with the ending).
My issue with the ending isn't the vagueness though, it's the fact that I think it doesn't matter if they lived or died, it was a bad ending. Let me explain:
If they lived...Let's say Jonas and Gabe lived and the ending was meant to be taken as literal events that happened. Then this ending was so forced and BEYOND convenient that it's far from satisfying, purely for the sake of poetry (i.e. to mirror the first memory). You really expect me to believe that there just so happen to be a sled at the top of this hill that happened to be the same as the sled from the memory which happen to take them down into a town that happened to be alive and happy in the midst of Christmas? Sorry, but I don't believe you!
On the other hand...
If they died...Let's say Jonas and Gabe didn't make it and the ending is actually poetic and a beautiful mirror of the first and happiest memories Jonas received. This would be a perfect ending EXCEPT for the fact that it completely negates the point of the book???? Jonas saves Gabe because he believes it's wrong the baby won't be given the choice to grow into the person he wants to be in a world full of emotions, color, and choice. So, to remedy this...we kill Gabe? Rather than give Gabe the chance to die a peaceful, quick, painless death, we instead rescue him and starve and freeze him to death.....I don't see how this is any better? In fact, it seems way worse, and Gabe still didn't get a choice! As a baby, Gabe didn't choose to be taken from the community and didn't choose to starve and freeze to death. How is this any better???
First, let's talk about unanswered questions. This world and community are so interesting. The amount of regulation in this community goes so much further than I ever could have imagined going in, but what it didn't explain is how?? I want to know how the elders went about these crazy changes to society.
It's possible that these questions are answered in later books, but as I've heard that the rest of the series isn't very good, I've personally elected not to read them. I just wish this book was 3-4X longer so I could get so many more details!!!
Now....the ending....
Obviously: WARNING!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!
So, I wasn't a huge fan of the vague ending that is the cause of debate of whether or not Jonas and Gabe die. I understand that in later books it is revealed they do in fact live, but since I'm treating it as a standalone I'm going to discuss this as if that isn't known (and ultimately I don't think the knowledge either way changes my issues with the ending).
My issue with the ending isn't the vagueness though, it's the fact that I think it doesn't matter if they lived or died, it was a bad ending. Let me explain:
If they lived...Let's say Jonas and Gabe lived and the ending was meant to be taken as literal events that happened. Then this ending was so forced and BEYOND convenient that it's far from satisfying, purely for the sake of poetry (i.e. to mirror the first memory). You really expect me to believe that there just so happen to be a sled at the top of this hill that happened to be the same as the sled from the memory which happen to take them down into a town that happened to be alive and happy in the midst of Christmas? Sorry, but I don't believe you!
On the other hand...
If they died...Let's say Jonas and Gabe didn't make it and the ending is actually poetic and a beautiful mirror of the first and happiest memories Jonas received. This would be a perfect ending EXCEPT for the fact that it completely negates the point of the book???? Jonas saves Gabe because he believes it's wrong the baby won't be given the choice to grow into the person he wants to be in a world full of emotions, color, and choice. So, to remedy this...we kill Gabe? Rather than give Gabe the chance to die a peaceful, quick, painless death, we instead rescue him and starve and freeze him to death.....I don't see how this is any better? In fact, it seems way worse, and Gabe still didn't get a choice! As a baby, Gabe didn't choose to be taken from the community and didn't choose to starve and freeze to death. How is this any better???
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've never quite understood the sentiment of "WTF Did I just read?!" As much as I did reading this book. Let's start with a contradictory statement that I wholeheartedly believe: this book was simultaneously way too long, and should have been split into two so we could get more detail.
Why do I believe this? Well...Let's get into my biggest negatives about this book (with minor spoilers).
This book felt very VERY divided into separate parts. 5 distinct parts, in my opinion. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with that they felt far too disjointed to me.
I honestly believe that Rothfuss had outlined the entire series prior to writing the books, with distinct scenes and stories he wanted to hit. He then wrote the first book beautifully, hitting almost everything he wanted to hit in the first one, falling just short because it was his first book and couldn't make it too long. When the first book found such great success and he was given free reign to make the second book as long as he'd like he finished what should have been the first book and then started writing the scenes he felt he needed to hit in the second book (having constrained himself in the first book to only writing 3 book in total). After writing these scenes separately he realized just how long these scenes were, which left little for transitions or cohesion.
The problem with this is that the transitions seemed to be the most interesting part of the story that we didn't get! The trial? The treacherous trip from Imre to Severon? Those sounded SO interesting. I wanted to know the ins and outs of how Kvothe got around the trial. I wanted to know the details of how Kvothe went from stable to desolate between the University and Severon. Instead....we got nothing. I appreciate the excuse that Kvothe gave, that he had other things he wanted to touch on that were more important, but let's be real for a second: this is a fictional novel, written by a man behind a computer. Rothfuss could have EASILY written these scenes and made them just as important as the rest of them, by splitting this into two books and making room for those adventures. Instead, because we needed all these scenes in this book we didn't have time for that and instead got HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of pages of Kvothe literally telling us how bored he was and how much nothing he was doing.
Why, Rothfuss, WHY couldn't those have been the parts that were summarized in a single page???
As for the separate parts...
The University Pt. 1
I loved, just as much as the first book. I was so excited to be getting more detail on Kvothe's classes and what he was learning. Great beginning to this book, go me very excited.
The Maer and the Bandits
This....this is where the book turned into 1001 Ways To Describe Boredom. Why was this so long? I loved the way we conquered the bandits and brought them down. It was intense and spectacular, but everything leading up to it? Just...why...
And when I say boredom, please understand that this isn't me saying what was happening was boring, this was Kvothe himself saying over, and over....and over....and over...how much nothing he was doing and how bored he was.
Fairy Land
This was soooooo abrupt and random and unnecessary. It was still SO. MUCH. NOTHING. but way prettier. Why did it take so long to write a song, make a cape and talk to a tree?
The Adem
I actually appreciated this part of the book a lot, even if it felt just as abrupt, random, and unattached as the other parts. We learned a lot and I really liked the Adem culture. There actually felt like there was a purpose here that I enjoyed. But then it ended abruptly and anticlimactically.
University Pt. 2 and The End
Finally getting back to the university it seemed like so much potential for drama, and there was drama...we just didn't get to see any of it. Again, this is were a second book would have come in handy. Kvothe got kicked out of classes, we saw some of his failures, he was learning a new language, he continued working with Elodin, Hemme became chancellor, and yet....we basically skipped it all so we could hang out with Denna (who I won't even touch in this review because it's already too long).
And that last Bast part????????????? I need answers...
Why do I believe this? Well...Let's get into my biggest negatives about this book (with minor spoilers).
This book felt very VERY divided into separate parts. 5 distinct parts, in my opinion. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with that they felt far too disjointed to me.
I honestly believe that Rothfuss had outlined the entire series prior to writing the books, with distinct scenes and stories he wanted to hit. He then wrote the first book beautifully, hitting almost everything he wanted to hit in the first one, falling just short because it was his first book and couldn't make it too long. When the first book found such great success and he was given free reign to make the second book as long as he'd like he finished what should have been the first book and then started writing the scenes he felt he needed to hit in the second book (having constrained himself in the first book to only writing 3 book in total). After writing these scenes separately he realized just how long these scenes were, which left little for transitions or cohesion.
The problem with this is that the transitions seemed to be the most interesting part of the story that we didn't get! The trial? The treacherous trip from Imre to Severon? Those sounded SO interesting. I wanted to know the ins and outs of how Kvothe got around the trial. I wanted to know the details of how Kvothe went from stable to desolate between the University and Severon. Instead....we got nothing. I appreciate the excuse that Kvothe gave, that he had other things he wanted to touch on that were more important, but let's be real for a second: this is a fictional novel, written by a man behind a computer. Rothfuss could have EASILY written these scenes and made them just as important as the rest of them, by splitting this into two books and making room for those adventures. Instead, because we needed all these scenes in this book we didn't have time for that and instead got HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of pages of Kvothe literally telling us how bored he was and how much nothing he was doing.
Why, Rothfuss, WHY couldn't those have been the parts that were summarized in a single page???
As for the separate parts...
The University Pt. 1
I loved, just as much as the first book. I was so excited to be getting more detail on Kvothe's classes and what he was learning. Great beginning to this book, go me very excited.
The Maer and the Bandits
This....this is where the book turned into 1001 Ways To Describe Boredom. Why was this so long? I loved the way we conquered the bandits and brought them down. It was intense and spectacular, but everything leading up to it? Just...why...
And when I say boredom, please understand that this isn't me saying what was happening was boring, this was Kvothe himself saying over, and over....and over....and over...how much nothing he was doing and how bored he was.
Fairy Land
This was soooooo abrupt and random and unnecessary. It was still SO. MUCH. NOTHING. but way prettier. Why did it take so long to write a song, make a cape and talk to a tree?
The Adem
I actually appreciated this part of the book a lot, even if it felt just as abrupt, random, and unattached as the other parts. We learned a lot and I really liked the Adem culture. There actually felt like there was a purpose here that I enjoyed. But then it ended abruptly and anticlimactically.
University Pt. 2 and The End
Finally getting back to the university it seemed like so much potential for drama, and there was drama...we just didn't get to see any of it. Again, this is were a second book would have come in handy. Kvothe got kicked out of classes, we saw some of his failures, he was learning a new language, he continued working with Elodin, Hemme became chancellor, and yet....we basically skipped it all so we could hang out with Denna (who I won't even touch in this review because it's already too long).
And that last Bast part????????????? I need answers...
DNF @ 25%
I'd like to give my reasons for DNFing, but this is not an official review, which is why there is no star rating...
1. Slut Shaming: There is so much slut shaming in this book, that it started to become uncomfortable to read. I feel like SJM was trying to make a point of writing a girly main character by having a character who enjoyed showing off her body and was regularly concerned with her hair, makeup, and nails. This wasn't my problem, in a way it was refreshing, however...every guy in this book goes out of their way to let the reader know how disgusted they are by everything she wears and the way she is concerned with her hair. While it didn't feel necessary at any point, eventually it became down right irritating.
2. Lazy Writing: I am not a stickler for swearing in books, in fact, there's quite a bit of swearing in ACOSF and I didn't mind it at all. In CC, though, the f-bomb was dropped multiple times on EACH PAGE in a way that simply felt incredibly lazy. It was hardly even in dialogue. It was used in a way to emphasize whatever we were talking about, but instead of effectively emphasizing something, it was so overused that it just started to feel lazy. As if SJM simply didn't want to write apt descriptions of things and instead opted to use fuck as a way to get her point across.
3. Mafia Romance/Murder Mystery: I guess this one may be my fault, though I'll explain a little more. I went into this book knowing that it was quite different from her other books, and that it followed a murder mystery (which generally isn't my thing), but given that it was SJM and I generally enjoy her stuff I was excited anyway. However, this really didn't hit right. It genuinely felt as though SJM really wanted to write a mafia romance with the plot of a murder mystery but was scared to leave her fantasy world, so combined the two. If done properly, this wouldn't be a bad thing, but I really didn't enjoy it in this instance. Which leads me to my next point...
4. No Magic in a Magical World: At 25% of the way this intensely magical world failed to play any role in the plot of this book. If you replaced the houses and different races of creatures with different mafia gangs and the demon with a hitman this book would not be affected in the least. This is what really killed things for me. I was excited to explore this new world and all the different magic types that came with it, and instead we were regularly TOLD about how powerful everyone was, but we never SAW it. Not once in those 200 pages.
I'd like to give my reasons for DNFing, but this is not an official review, which is why there is no star rating...
1. Slut Shaming: There is so much slut shaming in this book, that it started to become uncomfortable to read. I feel like SJM was trying to make a point of writing a girly main character by having a character who enjoyed showing off her body and was regularly concerned with her hair, makeup, and nails. This wasn't my problem, in a way it was refreshing, however...every guy in this book goes out of their way to let the reader know how disgusted they are by everything she wears and the way she is concerned with her hair. While it didn't feel necessary at any point, eventually it became down right irritating.
2. Lazy Writing: I am not a stickler for swearing in books, in fact, there's quite a bit of swearing in ACOSF and I didn't mind it at all. In CC, though, the f-bomb was dropped multiple times on EACH PAGE in a way that simply felt incredibly lazy. It was hardly even in dialogue. It was used in a way to emphasize whatever we were talking about, but instead of effectively emphasizing something, it was so overused that it just started to feel lazy. As if SJM simply didn't want to write apt descriptions of things and instead opted to use fuck as a way to get her point across.
3. Mafia Romance/Murder Mystery: I guess this one may be my fault, though I'll explain a little more. I went into this book knowing that it was quite different from her other books, and that it followed a murder mystery (which generally isn't my thing), but given that it was SJM and I generally enjoy her stuff I was excited anyway. However, this really didn't hit right. It genuinely felt as though SJM really wanted to write a mafia romance with the plot of a murder mystery but was scared to leave her fantasy world, so combined the two. If done properly, this wouldn't be a bad thing, but I really didn't enjoy it in this instance. Which leads me to my next point...
4. No Magic in a Magical World: At 25% of the way this intensely magical world failed to play any role in the plot of this book. If you replaced the houses and different races of creatures with different mafia gangs and the demon with a hitman this book would not be affected in the least. This is what really killed things for me. I was excited to explore this new world and all the different magic types that came with it, and instead we were regularly TOLD about how powerful everyone was, but we never SAW it. Not once in those 200 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh how I enjoyed this book...Is it perfect? No. Will it be one of my all time favorites? Not now, but, depending on the sequel, maybe.
If I could sum up my feelings on this book in one word it would be: comforting. That probably seems like a very weird word for this book, but I'll explain. While I have a love for books, reading, and stories, I often run into a problem where I am eager to get to the end of a book. Not because I'm not enjoying a book, but because the excitement of something new is greater than my illusionment and investment in my current read. However, I didn't experience that with this book, for the first time in a long time.
I found myself not caring at the slow pace of the book or how it meandered (for the most part), I didn't care how long it was. I was simply enjoying my time in the world and spending time with Kvothe, which is something I have experienced in such a long time. It made me not care about the flaws. It made me not care about where the story was going, and instead I was cradled in the arms of this story and gently carried along.
While I can understand where people come from in calling Kvothe a Gary Sue, I personally just don't agree. Kvothe was humble in so many ways while telling this story and frequently screwed up, sometimes severely (Personally I think getting whipped counts as consequences for his actions, but that's just me). The biggest difference I see between him and other characters I've seen is that he doesn't dwell on these mistakes, and instead moves on or finds creative ways to solve them.
Is he overly gifted at soo many things? Yeah, he was. But I think...that's the point? In the "present day" Kvothe is described as not only being a complete legend to the point of myth, but he isn't very old. In his mid to late 20's if I remember correctly. I don't see how he could become that by his age if he wasn't a highly gifted and intelligent kid. I don't see him as inflating himself, I just see someone telling it honestly without apology for their own skill.
Let's talk about a couple things I didn't like that kept this from being a 5 star read for me.
**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!***
The University
I really enjoyed the setting of the university, but I was really REALLY hoping that once we got there we would get to experience classes and the university with Kvothe, and instead we focused on everything that happened outside and around the university. We spent so much time watching Kvothe get and lose money, and chasing Denna that we hardly saw any of the schooling or magic he was learning. As much as I enjoyed spending time with Kvothe, I would have given anything if we could have given some of those pages to his actual lessons, which sounded SO fascinating.
Kvothe's Money Management
Ok, this is more of a gripe than an actual critique, but it has to be said. Kvothe is SO bad at managing his money. He had this debt that he was constantly worried about being able to pay back AND YET every time he would come into a significant amount of money he would go off and spend it on ANYTHING else. That first time he was super comfortable in his money after earning his talent pipes he could have gotten a modest room and job and then go pay off his debts. Instead, he finds a room at the most expensive place in town and spends the money on anything else and doesn't pay back his debts. So many times he would get money and I would THINK he was going to settle this thing he is constantly thinking about and instead he went to the bar and bought drinks until he was broke.
The Dracuss
This is probably the only subplot that I really didn't care for. Not that there was ultimately anything wrong with it, but it felt completely pointless. I understand that Kvothe had to go to Trebon to check out the wedding and see if it really was the work of the Chandrian. I get that, I really do, and I really enjoyed that. BUT THEN, we went on this weird side quest with Denna and it ended up having no bearing on the rest of the story at all. It felt like the only part of this book that wasn't completely thought through and may have just been thrown in to fill pages. I feel like this whole side quest with the dracuss and Denna could have been cut from the book completely with no consequence.
Denna
Plain and simple I didn't like Denna. I know she's sticking around for a long time, but I don't like her. I get the feeling that there's something fishy about her. Too much of what Rothfuss wrote was too intentional for Denna to so conveniently show up at the worst moments and in the thick of things over and over again.
If I could sum up my feelings on this book in one word it would be: comforting. That probably seems like a very weird word for this book, but I'll explain. While I have a love for books, reading, and stories, I often run into a problem where I am eager to get to the end of a book. Not because I'm not enjoying a book, but because the excitement of something new is greater than my illusionment and investment in my current read. However, I didn't experience that with this book, for the first time in a long time.
I found myself not caring at the slow pace of the book or how it meandered (for the most part), I didn't care how long it was. I was simply enjoying my time in the world and spending time with Kvothe, which is something I have experienced in such a long time. It made me not care about the flaws. It made me not care about where the story was going, and instead I was cradled in the arms of this story and gently carried along.
While I can understand where people come from in calling Kvothe a Gary Sue, I personally just don't agree. Kvothe was humble in so many ways while telling this story and frequently screwed up, sometimes severely (Personally I think getting whipped counts as consequences for his actions, but that's just me). The biggest difference I see between him and other characters I've seen is that he doesn't dwell on these mistakes, and instead moves on or finds creative ways to solve them.
Is he overly gifted at soo many things? Yeah, he was. But I think...that's the point? In the "present day" Kvothe is described as not only being a complete legend to the point of myth, but he isn't very old. In his mid to late 20's if I remember correctly. I don't see how he could become that by his age if he wasn't a highly gifted and intelligent kid. I don't see him as inflating himself, I just see someone telling it honestly without apology for their own skill.
Let's talk about a couple things I didn't like that kept this from being a 5 star read for me.
**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!***
The University
I really enjoyed the setting of the university, but I was really REALLY hoping that once we got there we would get to experience classes and the university with Kvothe, and instead we focused on everything that happened outside and around the university. We spent so much time watching Kvothe get and lose money, and chasing Denna that we hardly saw any of the schooling or magic he was learning. As much as I enjoyed spending time with Kvothe, I would have given anything if we could have given some of those pages to his actual lessons, which sounded SO fascinating.
Kvothe's Money Management
Ok, this is more of a gripe than an actual critique, but it has to be said. Kvothe is SO bad at managing his money. He had this debt that he was constantly worried about being able to pay back AND YET every time he would come into a significant amount of money he would go off and spend it on ANYTHING else. That first time he was super comfortable in his money after earning his talent pipes he could have gotten a modest room and job and then go pay off his debts. Instead, he finds a room at the most expensive place in town and spends the money on anything else and doesn't pay back his debts. So many times he would get money and I would THINK he was going to settle this thing he is constantly thinking about and instead he went to the bar and bought drinks until he was broke.
The Dracuss
This is probably the only subplot that I really didn't care for. Not that there was ultimately anything wrong with it, but it felt completely pointless. I understand that Kvothe had to go to Trebon to check out the wedding and see if it really was the work of the Chandrian. I get that, I really do, and I really enjoyed that. BUT THEN, we went on this weird side quest with Denna and it ended up having no bearing on the rest of the story at all. It felt like the only part of this book that wasn't completely thought through and may have just been thrown in to fill pages. I feel like this whole side quest with the dracuss and Denna could have been cut from the book completely with no consequence.
Denna
Plain and simple I didn't like Denna. I know she's sticking around for a long time, but I don't like her. I get the feeling that there's something fishy about her. Too much of what Rothfuss wrote was too intentional for Denna to so conveniently show up at the worst moments and in the thick of things over and over again.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok, who's ready for a rant? Because I HATED this book...
I'm going to start by talking about a couple general things that bothered me and the go through this POV by POV...and be WARNED: TONS OF SPOILERS! Because I'm going to be ranting about this book and feel like I have to use spoilers to properly convey my frustration.
The Writing
This is by far one of the worst cases of "men writing women" I've ever seen. I am NOT one of those readers that believes authors should "stay in their lane" and not write outside of their experience, but after reading this book I firmly believe that Marrs has NO place writing women. Every single woman in this book was shallower than hell and at some point each one was unnecessarily focused on diet or weight. If the point of this book had been about body image then this would be understandable, but every time this came up it was completely unnecessary and inserted in a way that felt like the author saying, "See, I understand what women think about." This even to the point where our, supposedly, incredibly intelligent, wordly, and successful Ellie felt the only thing she had to talk about with her match were the benefits of her latest fad diet.
Next, I suggest that you don't go into this book looking for any depth, because it's not there. It felt as though the author pulled a bunch of different stereotypes and spent the entire book telling us what those stereotypes were. I never felt as though I was getting a deep understanding of any of these characters, just reading a surface level description of them.
Also, how come every single main character in this book was estranged from their family? I'll go into more detail with some of them, but it was really getting old how not a single character had a healthy relationship anywhere.
Mandy POV
This is probably the POV that I hated the least and felt the most empathy for. Don't get me wrong, I still struggled reading her POV, but not nearly as much as the others. My biggest gripe is how she blew off her family without a second thought. One meeting with two of her sisters where they suggest that getting inseminated with the semen of a man you don't know at the suggestion of his mother, whom you barely know, and suddenly Mandy decides to cut off contact with her entire family completely. Why? Well...because. That's really the only reason we are given.
Also, HOW did Pat and Chloe manage to kidnap the baby and not only take him to Richard's nursing home AND "hide" at their own cottage and not have the police catch on?!?!? What kind of lazy ass detectives were working on this case that they just showed up to Pat and Chloe's houses, found them empty, and gave up from there? They didn't bother to check the next two most obvious places for a premature baby that could be in danger for it's life?!?!
Christopher POV
This POV pissed me off more and more as the book went on. It was very very clear that from the beginning, the author put very little effort into researching anything about actual serial killer or psychopath behavior. This was the most poorly stereotyped serial killer I can think of, and that's just where it started. It went downhill fast from there.
It became very clear very quickly that Marrs wanted a psychopath in his book for the twist of it, with no intention of actually carrying it out. Christopher would regularly flip flop on many of his psychopath characteristics. He would regularly talk about how he could never read people and was terrible at reading emotions, and then in the same breath talk about what an expert manipulator he was and telling us all about how he was reading the body language of everyone around him. I'm sorry, but THAT'S NOT HOW THAT WORKS. How is it that he can't read emotion and body language one moment, and the next he's an expert? No, just no...
Then we have the, "Your love cured my psychopathy," plot point. Um...NO!! That is not how that works, that's not how any of this works! A psychopath cannot just cure their psychopathy, let's just get that clear. And they REALLY can't cure it just by falling in love, if they are even capable of that. They don't just spontaneously develop empathy and compassion they way Christopher does, and the way it's portrayed is SOOOO far from plausible, let alone accurate, that I wanted to throw the book across the room.
I'm not even going to touch on the WORST police officer in history: Amy...
Jade POV
Jade was probably my least favorite POV of the lot, and yet somehow ended up having the most satisfying ending.
We never learning anything significant about Jade. Anything. She starts off by talking about the fact that she went to university but is having problems finding a job, and because of that she is in major debt. Let's start there. I challenge anyone to tell me anything about Jade's history, like....what was her major? What kind of job is she looking for? Why is she having trouble finding this? etc.
Then, just as she finished paying off ONE of her credit cards, she decides to quit her job and fly to Australia unannounced?!?! Putting herself even further into debt, even though she just went on about how ashamed she was because she was going to have to file bankruptcy at 21, and blamed it on not being able to find a better job?!?!?! AND she decides to make this trip without even informing her family before she leaves...just takes off. Then basically cuts off all contact with them. She even goes so far as to marry a dying man and grieve his loss without ever telling her parents that she got married....This was simultaneously the most boring and most infuriating storyline of the lot.
She didn't deserve either of the brothers.
Nick POV
Did this man know the definition of the word honesty? Because I have to wonder. This guy's entire plot was based on the fact that he had no idea how to tell a single person in his life the truth about a fucking thing. He lied to Sally then he lied to Alex and so on.
That's all I have to say about this storyline.
Ellie POV
If Ellie hadn't been a shell of a character and had been given some personality outside of her bland stereotype, she probably would have been my favorite character and storyline. Instead, the character with the most promise ended up being a nothing of a character that was only there to introduce and different character and his over complicated RIDICULOUS scheme.
The fact that her company crashes makes no sense to me. Don't get me wrong, it would have IF Matt hadn't live streamed the entire conversation. If he had allowed the mis-matches to happen, told Ellie to fuck with her, and then leaked it to the press that would have been a great plan. But by announcing to the world himself what he had done all that needed to happen was let him walk out of the office, and then Ellie could have gotten her expansive tech team to rerun all the matches that had been done in the last year and send out notifications to the ones that were mismatched. Company saved, reputation untarnished. Instead...I'm not even going to go into it.
Conclusion
I hated this book, and if I hadn't been able to read it so quickly I would have DNF'd. This was not worth it and I would not recommend to anyone.
I'm going to start by talking about a couple general things that bothered me and the go through this POV by POV...and be WARNED: TONS OF SPOILERS! Because I'm going to be ranting about this book and feel like I have to use spoilers to properly convey my frustration.
The Writing
This is by far one of the worst cases of "men writing women" I've ever seen. I am NOT one of those readers that believes authors should "stay in their lane" and not write outside of their experience, but after reading this book I firmly believe that Marrs has NO place writing women. Every single woman in this book was shallower than hell and at some point each one was unnecessarily focused on diet or weight. If the point of this book had been about body image then this would be understandable, but every time this came up it was completely unnecessary and inserted in a way that felt like the author saying, "See, I understand what women think about." This even to the point where our, supposedly, incredibly intelligent, wordly, and successful Ellie felt the only thing she had to talk about with her match were the benefits of her latest fad diet.
Next, I suggest that you don't go into this book looking for any depth, because it's not there. It felt as though the author pulled a bunch of different stereotypes and spent the entire book telling us what those stereotypes were. I never felt as though I was getting a deep understanding of any of these characters, just reading a surface level description of them.
Also, how come every single main character in this book was estranged from their family? I'll go into more detail with some of them, but it was really getting old how not a single character had a healthy relationship anywhere.
Mandy POV
This is probably the POV that I hated the least and felt the most empathy for. Don't get me wrong, I still struggled reading her POV, but not nearly as much as the others. My biggest gripe is how she blew off her family without a second thought. One meeting with two of her sisters where they suggest that getting inseminated with the semen of a man you don't know at the suggestion of his mother, whom you barely know, and suddenly Mandy decides to cut off contact with her entire family completely. Why? Well...because. That's really the only reason we are given.
Also, HOW did Pat and Chloe manage to kidnap the baby and not only take him to Richard's nursing home AND "hide" at their own cottage and not have the police catch on?!?!? What kind of lazy ass detectives were working on this case that they just showed up to Pat and Chloe's houses, found them empty, and gave up from there? They didn't bother to check the next two most obvious places for a premature baby that could be in danger for it's life?!?!
Christopher POV
This POV pissed me off more and more as the book went on. It was very very clear that from the beginning, the author put very little effort into researching anything about actual serial killer or psychopath behavior. This was the most poorly stereotyped serial killer I can think of, and that's just where it started. It went downhill fast from there.
It became very clear very quickly that Marrs wanted a psychopath in his book for the twist of it, with no intention of actually carrying it out. Christopher would regularly flip flop on many of his psychopath characteristics. He would regularly talk about how he could never read people and was terrible at reading emotions, and then in the same breath talk about what an expert manipulator he was and telling us all about how he was reading the body language of everyone around him. I'm sorry, but THAT'S NOT HOW THAT WORKS. How is it that he can't read emotion and body language one moment, and the next he's an expert? No, just no...
Then we have the, "Your love cured my psychopathy," plot point. Um...NO!! That is not how that works, that's not how any of this works! A psychopath cannot just cure their psychopathy, let's just get that clear. And they REALLY can't cure it just by falling in love, if they are even capable of that. They don't just spontaneously develop empathy and compassion they way Christopher does, and the way it's portrayed is SOOOO far from plausible, let alone accurate, that I wanted to throw the book across the room.
I'm not even going to touch on the WORST police officer in history: Amy...
Jade POV
Jade was probably my least favorite POV of the lot, and yet somehow ended up having the most satisfying ending.
We never learning anything significant about Jade. Anything. She starts off by talking about the fact that she went to university but is having problems finding a job, and because of that she is in major debt. Let's start there. I challenge anyone to tell me anything about Jade's history, like....what was her major? What kind of job is she looking for? Why is she having trouble finding this? etc.
Then, just as she finished paying off ONE of her credit cards, she decides to quit her job and fly to Australia unannounced?!?! Putting herself even further into debt, even though she just went on about how ashamed she was because she was going to have to file bankruptcy at 21, and blamed it on not being able to find a better job?!?!?! AND she decides to make this trip without even informing her family before she leaves...just takes off. Then basically cuts off all contact with them. She even goes so far as to marry a dying man and grieve his loss without ever telling her parents that she got married....This was simultaneously the most boring and most infuriating storyline of the lot.
She didn't deserve either of the brothers.
Nick POV
Did this man know the definition of the word honesty? Because I have to wonder. This guy's entire plot was based on the fact that he had no idea how to tell a single person in his life the truth about a fucking thing. He lied to Sally then he lied to Alex and so on.
That's all I have to say about this storyline.
Ellie POV
If Ellie hadn't been a shell of a character and had been given some personality outside of her bland stereotype, she probably would have been my favorite character and storyline. Instead, the character with the most promise ended up being a nothing of a character that was only there to introduce and different character and his over complicated RIDICULOUS scheme.
The fact that her company crashes makes no sense to me. Don't get me wrong, it would have IF Matt hadn't live streamed the entire conversation. If he had allowed the mis-matches to happen, told Ellie to fuck with her, and then leaked it to the press that would have been a great plan. But by announcing to the world himself what he had done all that needed to happen was let him walk out of the office, and then Ellie could have gotten her expansive tech team to rerun all the matches that had been done in the last year and send out notifications to the ones that were mismatched. Company saved, reputation untarnished. Instead...I'm not even going to go into it.
Conclusion
I hated this book, and if I hadn't been able to read it so quickly I would have DNF'd. This was not worth it and I would not recommend to anyone.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow...this was a journey...
The Horror
This book is considered a horror, and it is very clear that that is how it is written. While this book did an excellent job of being disgusting, disturbing, and all over uncomfortable to read, I genuinely was not scared for the majority of the book.
The Writing
I loved the writing of this book. Cutter did an excellent job of describing the story in a way that was engaging and immersive without being over the top and flowery. I could picture everything in amazing disgusting detail.
The Characters
The biggest character I want to hit on is Shelly. I absolutely loved the way Cutter wrote Shelly. It was such an amazing insight into a sociopaths mind and the way they think. Was Shelly's end a little over the top? Yes, but I think it fit perfectly given the horror genre of the book. But up until that point I felt like I was reading about an actual sociopath. It was clear that Cutter put a lot of time and effort into researching the mental inner workings of a budding serial killer, and it SHINED in this book.
That isn't to say that the other characters weren't well developed. There was diversity in the personalities of the characters in this book, and it rarely felt like actions or dialogue were forced.
Ultimately, I went into this book looking for a disturbing uncomfortable read and that's exactly what I got, even though I didn't quite get the HORROR I was expecting.
The Horror
This book is considered a horror, and it is very clear that that is how it is written. While this book did an excellent job of being disgusting, disturbing, and all over uncomfortable to read, I genuinely was not scared for the majority of the book.
The Writing
I loved the writing of this book. Cutter did an excellent job of describing the story in a way that was engaging and immersive without being over the top and flowery. I could picture everything in amazing disgusting detail.
The Characters
The biggest character I want to hit on is Shelly. I absolutely loved the way Cutter wrote Shelly. It was such an amazing insight into a sociopaths mind and the way they think. Was Shelly's end a little over the top? Yes, but I think it fit perfectly given the horror genre of the book. But up until that point I felt like I was reading about an actual sociopath. It was clear that Cutter put a lot of time and effort into researching the mental inner workings of a budding serial killer, and it SHINED in this book.
That isn't to say that the other characters weren't well developed. There was diversity in the personalities of the characters in this book, and it rarely felt like actions or dialogue were forced.
Ultimately, I went into this book looking for a disturbing uncomfortable read and that's exactly what I got, even though I didn't quite get the HORROR I was expecting.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a beautiful...nothing of a story...
I understand that many people really enjoy this book, and I can definitely see why, with it's beautiful and entrancing writing. However, I felt there was MUCH to be desired.
It really felt like there wasn't a plot at all to this book. Even the climax and incredibly anticlimactic. It took a long time to build up to with many promised consequences, but ultimately it was easily resolved by a random person with otherwise no significance and not further consequences. The consequences of this not happening? The circus ends. But we act as though this will end the lives of everyone, why? I'm not sure.
In fact, I'm not sure about much of anything with this book. The entire thing was painfully vague, to the point where I actually have a describing what happened in this book, because I'm not sure the author even knows. Many of the critical parts of this book that really needed at least some explanation were never fully explored, and the most interesting aspects of this world were simply never seen.
I would have loved to see how the magic of this world works, to watch them build tents and compete with each other, but almost all of it was done off page with years in between. I'm not sure what's exciting about that? The only thing that was ever really explained took far too long to get revealed and by the time it was I just didn't care anymore. Now, I understand that part of the tone of the book was the vagueness. It was supposed to give a mystical air about the circus, but it felt like a step too far, to the point I actually questioned if the author really knew what was supposed to be happening, due to how vague things were.
The only character I really want to touch on is Marco...oh how I grew to loathe Marco. He really felt like a self-absorbed character who didn't give two shits about anyone's feelings. The fact that it took him YEARS to break up with Isobel, while knowing that he was in love with Celia was seriously gross. He treated Isobel like shit and both her and Celia deserved better. At no point did I feel like he truly loved Celia. It felt more like he loved the idea of her, with no interest in giving anything to make their love work.
Ultimately, I didn't enjoy reading this book, and pushed through so that I could get to the reveal at the end, which didn't end up revealing anything.
I understand that many people really enjoy this book, and I can definitely see why, with it's beautiful and entrancing writing. However, I felt there was MUCH to be desired.
It really felt like there wasn't a plot at all to this book. Even the climax and incredibly anticlimactic. It took a long time to build up to with many promised consequences, but ultimately it was easily resolved by a random person with otherwise no significance and not further consequences. The consequences of this not happening?
In fact, I'm not sure about much of anything with this book. The entire thing was painfully vague, to the point where I actually have a describing what happened in this book, because I'm not sure the author even knows. Many of the critical parts of this book that really needed at least some explanation were never fully explored, and the most interesting aspects of this world were simply never seen.
I would have loved to see how the magic of this world works, to watch them build tents and compete with each other, but almost all of it was done off page with years in between. I'm not sure what's exciting about that? The only thing that was ever really explained took far too long to get revealed and by the time it was I just didn't care anymore. Now, I understand that part of the tone of the book was the vagueness. It was supposed to give a mystical air about the circus, but it felt like a step too far, to the point I actually questioned if the author really knew what was supposed to be happening, due to how vague things were.
The only character I really want to touch on is Marco...oh how I grew to loathe Marco. He really felt like a self-absorbed character who didn't give two shits about anyone's feelings. The fact that it took him YEARS
Ultimately, I didn't enjoy reading this book, and pushed through so that I could get to the reveal at the end, which didn't end up revealing anything.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My feelings on The House of Leaves are so complicated... By the end of this book I felt that I could give it any rating between 1 and 5 and make a convincing argument for why it fits there. After a day to let it sit I ultimately decided to give it 4 stars...
The Writing
How do I even talk about this...I feel like I could both boast and rant about the writing of this book. I feel like I need to break this down into a few different parts.
John's POV
I would have loved getting John's POV if I wasn't so annoyed by it. The decision to incorporate the POV of someone experiencing the story with us was such a unique and amazing thing to read, however...It felt like it didn't come a satisfying conclusion and ultimately was unreliable and useless given the fact that it quickly become clear that John had inherited his mother's schizophrenia and was experiencing the onset through paranoia and hallucinations triggered by the House of Leaves . At the same time getting John's POV as he worked to bring the book to life and make sense of it all and give his commentary really added an extra layer to the story.
Zampano's POV/The Meta Analysis
This was...interesting. I absolutely loved when the formatting would change and become obscure. It felt as though it added an extra level of immersion to the story. Spirling down the staircase with the characters, and having the lines draw out into a tight three lines while crawling through a tight space gave a unique experience that I will be longing to find in other books.
Now, I'm not sure if the analytic writing style added or took from the story. It often felt like we were going on random rants that were meant to show just how smart Zampano thought he was, but at the same time it all eventually felt necessary and useful, like the analysis of the meaning of echo's that ultimately taught us just how massive the house and hallways were.
The Plot
I adored the actual story of this book. It felt real and at the same time insane and supernatural. It didn't feel like any characters were safe and I felt as though I never knew what would happen or how it would end. I found myself physically gasping on several occasions. I kept feeling like I understood what was happening and how things would go, only for the exact opposite to happen.
It was interesting and captivating.
Conclusion
There are many many many other aspects of this book I could touch on, but I feel like I'll need several re-reads before I am actually in a place to give a critical analysis.
The Writing
How do I even talk about this...I feel like I could both boast and rant about the writing of this book. I feel like I need to break this down into a few different parts.
John's POV
I would have loved getting John's POV if I wasn't so annoyed by it. The decision to incorporate the POV of someone experiencing the story with us was such a unique and amazing thing to read, however...It felt like it didn't come a satisfying conclusion and ultimately was unreliable and useless given the fact that
Zampano's POV/The Meta Analysis
This was...interesting. I absolutely loved when the formatting would change and become obscure. It felt as though it added an extra level of immersion to the story. Spirling down the staircase with the characters, and having the lines draw out into a tight three lines while crawling through a tight space gave a unique experience that I will be longing to find in other books.
Now, I'm not sure if the analytic writing style added or took from the story. It often felt like we were going on random rants that were meant to show just how smart Zampano thought he was, but at the same time it all eventually felt necessary and useful, like the analysis of the meaning of echo's that ultimately
The Plot
I adored the actual story of this book. It felt real and at the same time insane and supernatural. It didn't feel like any characters were safe and I felt as though I never knew what would happen or how it would end. I found myself physically gasping on several occasions. I kept feeling like I understood what was happening and how things would go, only for the exact opposite to happen.
It was interesting and captivating.
Conclusion
There are many many many other aspects of this book I could touch on, but I feel like I'll need several re-reads before I am actually in a place to give a critical analysis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I'm being honest I was not into this book for most of it. The story and world fascinated me but the writing style just was not for me.
But when I tell you that I was GRIPPED for the last 100 pages.....I think I was on the brink of tears 6+ times. What an emotional roller coaster!
If you tell me that Roland's last hours did get to you....I'm sorry, but you're too hard-core for me. That was such a horrifying realization that will stick with me for a long time! 😢
But when I tell you that I was GRIPPED for the last 100 pages.....I think I was on the brink of tears 6+ times. What an emotional roller coaster!
If you tell me that Roland's last hours did get to you....I'm sorry, but you're too hard-core for me. That was such a horrifying realization that will stick with me for a long time! 😢