hgranger's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant plot, brilliant characters, fantastic setting... I can’t stop gushing. I love Rowling’s clever, witty, insightful writing. And I REALLY hope Robin and Strike are endgame because the two of them are causing me anxiety.
daisydays128's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
metiggelaar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Loved it, perfect for fall!
yvnn's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of words, not as much substance.
Okay hear me out first. I love a good Strike novel as much as the next one, but this feels like classic Rowling mistakes again. I mean, we see it too in the Harry Potter books. They get longer and longer and bigger but is the story getting that much better?
With this book, I personally could have done without the first half. Granted, life has a way of injecting all kinds of distractions into your narrative, but is it really necessary? Is it?
I don't want to spoil anything, but for me the real mystery started somewhere around the 52% mark on my e-reader. And the 'mystery' before that was a red herring, not even a really interesting one. Second: so many characters get introduced, of which a couple have little or no meaning. Do we really need to hear Lorelei's bedroom described in detail, given the role she plays in the bigger narrative? Do we really need to know about the woodcutting of a bar Robin passes?
I absolutely love how Rowling can set a scene, like you're there. But doing it all the time just takes away from that strength and makes you think obsolete things are more important than they are. I get it, I do. Of course that's part of the mystery, setting up stage for an anticlimax and then come from a totally different direction in the conclusion. But it was just overkill.
There was too much. Too many words, too many characters, no focus. I'll summarize it down below:
It all starts with a disturbed man visiting Strike. No, it actually starts with Robin and Matthew's wedding and the aftermath. And then there's a confused man, an undercover operation, new employees, Robin's marriage again, Strike's lovelife, Robin's housewarming, undercover, undercover, Mystery, Robin's marriage again, Strike's leg (it takes up A LOT of words to describe his inflamed stump over and over and over and over), Robin's marriage again, oh a murder happens, then Strike's leg, Strike's lovelife, Robin's marriage, a little bit of mystery, Strikes lovelife etc. etc. etc.
Yes, we are engaged readers and we want to know what happens in the protagonists lives. Yes, we desperately want to know who loves who and why. But it's still a bloody detective novel. And a very big one too! I would have at least expected more mystery or action of some sort. If you asked me what stuck with me from this book I guess it's the final few chapters. Hope you get your focus back JK, because I love Strike and Robin and how they work together. I don't love how they get lost in all the words that have little meaning in this context.
Okay hear me out first. I love a good Strike novel as much as the next one, but this feels like classic Rowling mistakes again. I mean, we see it too in the Harry Potter books. They get longer and longer and bigger but is the story getting that much better?
With this book, I personally could have done without the first half. Granted, life has a way of injecting all kinds of distractions into your narrative, but is it really necessary? Is it?
I don't want to spoil anything, but for me the real mystery started somewhere around the 52% mark on my e-reader. And the 'mystery' before that was a red herring, not even a really interesting one. Second: so many characters get introduced, of which a couple have little or no meaning. Do we really need to hear Lorelei's bedroom described in detail, given the role she plays in the bigger narrative? Do we really need to know about the woodcutting of a bar Robin passes?
I absolutely love how Rowling can set a scene, like you're there. But doing it all the time just takes away from that strength and makes you think obsolete things are more important than they are. I get it, I do. Of course that's part of the mystery, setting up stage for an anticlimax and then come from a totally different direction in the conclusion. But it was just overkill.
There was too much. Too many words, too many characters, no focus. I'll summarize it down below:
It all starts with a disturbed man visiting Strike. No, it actually starts with Robin and Matthew's wedding and the aftermath. And then there's a confused man, an undercover operation, new employees, Robin's marriage again, Strike's lovelife, Robin's housewarming, undercover, undercover, Mystery, Robin's marriage again, Strike's leg (it takes up A LOT of words to describe his inflamed stump over and over and over and over), Robin's marriage again, oh a murder happens, then Strike's leg, Strike's lovelife, Robin's marriage, a little bit of mystery, Strikes lovelife etc. etc. etc.
Yes, we are engaged readers and we want to know what happens in the protagonists lives. Yes, we desperately want to know who loves who and why. But it's still a bloody detective novel. And a very big one too! I would have at least expected more mystery or action of some sort. If you asked me what stuck with me from this book I guess it's the final few chapters. Hope you get your focus back JK, because I love Strike and Robin and how they work together. I don't love how they get lost in all the words that have little meaning in this context.
tfelmey's review against another edition
3.0
Unnecessarily lengthy, yet satisfying
Long and full of multiple plots, this Cormoran Strike novel kept me guessing. Multiple plot lines were difficult to follow, but all came to a intertwined conclusion.
Long and full of multiple plots, this Cormoran Strike novel kept me guessing. Multiple plot lines were difficult to follow, but all came to a intertwined conclusion.
shmoley's review against another edition
4.0
goddamn this was such a complex plot good GOD
I just want to see their relationship grow
I just want to see their relationship grow
brigitte25's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoy the Cormoran Strike series and this fourth installment did not disappoint.
panohchoc's review against another edition
5.0
I loved every second of reading this book. The characters, Cormoran and Robin, are fun to read and easy to get invested in. The plot is super complex. For a good portion of the book, you don't even really know what the central question is. There's just a swirling cloud of information and characters, and Rowling expertly manages to pull it all tight at the end. She's so good.
elizabethberger's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0