petrock28's review against another edition
Not interested. I don't like the narrator
kaelarenee7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lori_loves_reading's review against another edition
5.0
This is a 4.5 star book for me. Totally different from his first book, which is one of my faves. I liked the setting and the premise of this book and although I found a couple of parts dragged a big it was thoroughly entertaining. Look forward to the next novel by ST!
vanderyle's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
ohsarabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I really enjoyed 7 1/2 Deaths and was excited to read another by Théron. It took me a few chapters to get into this one and I definitely zoned out in some parts (oops). I’d give it another read knowing the ending, which I thought was really fun and creative. Loved the full reveal. I haven’t read many books set in this time period and I really enjoyed it!
kursten's review against another edition
3.0
This book was FANTASTIC, and then the end happened.
The writing was beautiful, it absorbed you into the world. The characters were compelling and had interesting, unique backgrounds. The maybe-paranormal-maybe-not element was entertaining and intriguing. The pacing was a little off at times, especially toward the latter half, but I was sure throughout most of the book I was going to continue loving it.
But WOW. That ending. It was completely unsatisfying. There was no justice and not much sense in how it concluded. I don't think it would've ended the way it did if it had been true to the characters' personalities. This book is also fairly cynical, where no person seems to be really free of evil or serious flaw (with the exception of 2 out of the ~10 characters). Several comments throughout the last quarter of the book make you seriously doubt a few people you previously had (likely) thought of as 'good' and at least relatively 'moral.' Why put that in at the end when it can't be expanded on or resolved? It ruined the characters and cheapened their motivations. To add to that, there were countless other tensions and disagreements that went unresolved (Arent's failed case for example). I think if a few key things had been changed, this would've been amazing and could have been a satisfying end but that just didn't happen.
I did enjoy the majority of this book though, so 3 stars is more fair than the 2 I want to give it because of the ending.
I only recommend this book if you are very interested in the setting and are okay with being kind of let down in the end.
The writing was beautiful, it absorbed you into the world. The characters were compelling and had interesting, unique backgrounds. The maybe-paranormal-maybe-not element was entertaining and intriguing. The pacing was a little off at times, especially toward the latter half, but I was sure throughout most of the book I was going to continue loving it.
But WOW. That ending. It was completely unsatisfying. There was no justice and not much sense in how it concluded. I don't think it would've ended the way it did if it had been true to the characters' personalities. This book is also fairly cynical, where no person seems to be really free of evil or serious flaw (with the exception of 2 out of the ~10 characters). Several comments throughout the last quarter of the book make you seriously doubt a few people you previously had (likely) thought of as 'good' and at least relatively 'moral.' Why put that in at the end when it can't be expanded on or resolved? It ruined the characters and cheapened their motivations. To add to that, there were countless other tensions and disagreements that went unresolved (Arent's failed case for example). I think if a few key things had been changed, this would've been amazing and could have been a satisfying end but that just didn't happen.
I did enjoy the majority of this book though, so 3 stars is more fair than the 2 I want to give it because of the ending.
I only recommend this book if you are very interested in the setting and are okay with being kind of let down in the end.
pietan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
raebeen's review against another edition
4.0
Curious and fun mystery/adventure/plotting aboard a ship set for Amsterdam. I enjoyed all the winding plots, overlapping stories and character's desires, and trying to piece together the mystery as I read.
As with Stuart Turton's previous book, The 9 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, the ultimate explanation/ending was fine and wrapped it all up, but was my least favorite part. Luckily, that didn't take take too much away from my enjoyment of either book! I got so caught up in reading it and trying to figure out how it all pieced together that I wasn't too bothered when the ending was just an ending. Excited for future Turton novels!
Similar to The Night Circus or The Starless Sea, in that the main draws are the winding plot and curious setting, and the endings end the book but might be seen as "unsatisfying" if you're looking for a lovely, clever bow to wrap the story up in.
As with Stuart Turton's previous book, The 9 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, the ultimate explanation/ending was fine and wrapped it all up, but was my least favorite part. Luckily, that didn't take take too much away from my enjoyment of either book! I got so caught up in reading it and trying to figure out how it all pieced together that I wasn't too bothered when the ending was just an ending. Excited for future Turton novels!
Similar to The Night Circus or The Starless Sea, in that the main draws are the winding plot and curious setting, and the endings end the book but might be seen as "unsatisfying" if you're looking for a lovely, clever bow to wrap the story up in.