imalionheart's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
NOW THIS is a book about thieves. I won’t lie, at times it got a bit boring but the book made up for it. I would say it picks up and doesn’t let you go about half way through. I loved the characters and the elaborateness of the con they had going.I just love thieves who are total cinnamon rolls.
rdawnl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
sillyfoal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
actualresultsmayvary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Spoiler
This is the most conflicted review I have had to write.
On the one hand, reading this put me into such a reading slump that it took me three months to finish it, on the other hand, I did really like it.
I think the main problem I had is that the storytelling is quite meandering and so you need to sit down with it for at least an hour at a time in order to get into it and I first picked it up at a time when I was quite busy.
The setting and the plots were interesting and intricate and I liked the way the story flashed backward in time occasionally to provide more context. I think the book suffered from a slow middle (although it may just have felt slow because of the two months of real time passing) and could do with a good editor. The sudden deaths did make me cry though so fair play.
On the whole I think I would read the sequel, but I won't be buying it right now.
ttmixn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
spent the entire day finishing this instead of writing my thesis i love locke lamora and how bratty he is a normal amount
alishaduh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
loubeez's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
15hours 30min reading
jesssika's review against another edition
4.0
A story of Locke and his gang of thieves/con artists that will make you laugh and be anxious during fantastic schemes and fighting scenes. Locke begins life as a petty criminal, works his way up to spymaster, only to have his life ripped apart. War is about to begin, and watching the chess pieces move about was a blast.
I really enjoyed this read and am definitely going to pick up the next book in this series. The scenery of a venice-esque place called Camorr was a fantastic backdrop for all the dealings and people. This gave such a richly vivid picture for how they dressed, how they acted, and their way of life. I also liked that the book could be contained in itself. So many authors are jumping on the series train, but there's something to be said about a stand alone novel too. This book almost captures both. There are still questions that can be answered, but the plot and characters were full enough in this debut to contain a singular story and not feel bereft for answers but still wanting more.
I wasn't too partial to having my main story interrupted by interludes or back story. I don't know, but for me, I felt like that information could've been introduced in a better way than a memory of sorts. It cause a break in the story and I had to get back into the action at hand when the interlude was over.
Pacing was like a snowball, it started small and slow and grew to be big and fast. It was great. the characters all had depth and all these detailed lives that made them very real. I was sad to see some go and wanted more time with others.
I really enjoyed this read and am definitely going to pick up the next book in this series. The scenery of a venice-esque place called Camorr was a fantastic backdrop for all the dealings and people. This gave such a richly vivid picture for how they dressed, how they acted, and their way of life. I also liked that the book could be contained in itself. So many authors are jumping on the series train, but there's something to be said about a stand alone novel too. This book almost captures both. There are still questions that can be answered, but the plot and characters were full enough in this debut to contain a singular story and not feel bereft for answers but still wanting more.
I wasn't too partial to having my main story interrupted by interludes or back story. I don't know, but for me, I felt like that information could've been introduced in a better way than a memory of sorts. It cause a break in the story and I had to get back into the action at hand when the interlude was over.
Pacing was like a snowball, it started small and slow and grew to be big and fast. It was great. the characters all had depth and all these detailed lives that made them very real. I was sad to see some go and wanted more time with others.
yourstrulyemi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I went into this book with high expectations because it was recommended to me by more than one friend, two of whom have the same tastes as me when it comes to books.
The first part introduced the main character and his friends, the kind of job they did and how they did it. And you have no idea how funny they are until you read it. A bunch of boys (and a girl but she doesn’t appear in this book) with their own history come together to commit thievery and mischief for the sake of it. The group is composed of Locke, the mastermind behind all their schemes, Jean, the nicest of the group that takes care of everyone and looks the most harmless until provoked, Calo and Galdo, twins and jacks of all trades and finally Bug, the new recruit, the youngest and the one that is teased the most by his older brothers. They work well together, complementing each other perfectly. So it’s not an exaggeration when I say that their interactions carried the plot in the first part. They teased each other a lot, pranked each other but you could still feel how deeply they cared for each other. Such strong brotherly love and god knows how much I love well done found-family tropes. *cries*
And it’s a good thing the characters were entertaining enough to keep me going because plot wise, the first part was quite lacking. Sure they had an ongoing game with a family of nobles but it was too easy for them. They had little to no struggle since for them it was just routine. While some shady things started happening around them, threatening to ruin the fragile balance on which lied the stability of their country, Locke and his friends are not affected by it until we’re halfway in the book. And that’s when the pace picks up and things start to get really interesting. What’s more, some details mentioned in the first half that you thought were insignificant play a big role, resulting in crazy plot twists that blow your mind.
If there's anything to complain about, it would be the descriptions and I complained about them a lot, ngl. Scott Lynch's descriptions are long, way too long sometimes for things that actually don't seem to matter that much. I'm talking mainly about landscapes that we've already seen in the beginning, but that he describes again with another set of words. It sounds like I don't like descriptions which is not entirely true because I would have loved to have them in one of the final battles that was cut a bit too short in my opinion, especially when said fight happened between two most renowned parties for their skills. The second was fight was crazy and thankfully well described that i could imagine their every movement in my head and play a little epic movie.
Another of my pet-peeve would be the author's repetitive use of "men and women" throughout the entire book when describe jobs. I wished he sometimes used a gender neutral term because the excessive parroting of men and women made me think at some point that the author was trying too hard make it seem like the universe he's written considered the two gender as equal... which I don't mind, really. But one or two mentions at the start are enough. But yeah, as my friend said, I tend to nitpick things a bit too much.
Overall, despite being a bit too long, it was definitely a fun read with very loveable characters. A book I'll surely reread in the far future and one that I'll definitely recommend to everyone who asks.
The first part introduced the main character and his friends, the kind of job they did and how they did it. And you have no idea how funny they are until you read it. A bunch of boys (and a girl but she doesn’t appear in this book) with their own history come together to commit thievery and mischief for the sake of it. The group is composed of Locke, the mastermind behind all their schemes, Jean, the nicest of the group that takes care of everyone and looks the most harmless until provoked, Calo and Galdo, twins and jacks of all trades and finally Bug, the new recruit, the youngest and the one that is teased the most by his older brothers. They work well together, complementing each other perfectly. So it’s not an exaggeration when I say that their interactions carried the plot in the first part. They teased each other a lot, pranked each other but you could still feel how deeply they cared for each other. Such strong brotherly love and god knows how much I love well done found-family tropes. *cries*
Spoiler
Three of them die later in the cruellest way. And when I tried to skim through the book for the sake of my review I couldn’t help but stop at the scenes of their interactions because that’s how much I miss themAnd it’s a good thing the characters were entertaining enough to keep me going because plot wise, the first part was quite lacking. Sure they had an ongoing game with a family of nobles but it was too easy for them. They had little to no struggle since for them it was just routine. While some shady things started happening around them, threatening to ruin the fragile balance on which lied the stability of their country, Locke and his friends are not affected by it until we’re halfway in the book. And that’s when the pace picks up and things start to get really interesting. What’s more, some details mentioned in the first half that you thought were insignificant play a big role, resulting in crazy plot twists that blow your mind.
If there's anything to complain about, it would be the descriptions and I complained about them a lot, ngl. Scott Lynch's descriptions are long, way too long sometimes for things that actually don't seem to matter that much. I'm talking mainly about landscapes that we've already seen in the beginning, but that he describes again with another set of words. It sounds like I don't like descriptions which is not entirely true because I would have loved to have them in one of the final battles that was cut a bit too short in my opinion, especially when said fight happened between two most renowned parties for their skills. The second was fight was crazy and thankfully well described that i could imagine their every movement in my head and play a little epic movie.
Another of my pet-peeve would be the author's repetitive use of "men and women" throughout the entire book when describe jobs. I wished he sometimes used a gender neutral term because the excessive parroting of men and women made me think at some point that the author was trying too hard make it seem like the universe he's written considered the two gender as equal... which I don't mind, really. But one or two mentions at the start are enough. But yeah, as my friend said, I tend to nitpick things a bit too much.
Overall, despite being a bit too long, it was definitely a fun read with very loveable characters. A book I'll surely reread in the far future and one that I'll definitely recommend to everyone who asks.