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goldies_mom's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
val_parr's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
a_chickletz's review against another edition
3.0
Whomp-whomp.
Eh. This book suffered the same fate as the one I read, only a bit longer in terms on how long it took to get invested in the story. I don't live in the UK, I'm iffy when it comes to understanding House of Commons and what goes on in there. But man, it was a slog and one that when you find out the mystery behind it all, you ask yourself... is it really that necessary of a location to spend all you time in? Probably not.
Strike and Robin are one of those couples that you honestly want to get together and enjoy hodling out hope that they WILL come to discover their feelings for one another. But, again, SO MUCH of the book was them being obsessed with what the other is thinking or feeling about the other that you just want to tell them to TALK to one another and say what you wanna say. However, I feel that will come to play in book 5.
The mystery was interesting and a bit of 'plucked' (in the sense that the clues were just really scattered and difficult to follow) that when you finally get the real, you sit there going 'well, maybe the TV show will clean it up better'. And that's what I'm hoping with this book. (When does that TV adaptation of this book come out?)
Anyway. I love Robin, and I love how tough she got in this one - with Matthew, her trauma post attack in Book 3 and, her job. I'm interested to see how Strike is going to feel the deeper they get into situations and if he comes clean on his emotions will he be more cautious and or wanting her to stop what she is doing and turn into Matthew without expecting it? Time will tell.
So yeah, beware of a messy plot but a good read. Just hope it gets back on track for book 5.
Eh. This book suffered the same fate as the one I read, only a bit longer in terms on how long it took to get invested in the story. I don't live in the UK, I'm iffy when it comes to understanding House of Commons and what goes on in there. But man, it was a slog and one that when you find out the mystery behind it all, you ask yourself... is it really that necessary of a location to spend all you time in? Probably not.
Strike and Robin are one of those couples that you honestly want to get together and enjoy hodling out hope that they WILL come to discover their feelings for one another. But, again, SO MUCH of the book was them being obsessed with what the other is thinking or feeling about the other that you just want to tell them to TALK to one another and say what you wanna say. However, I feel that will come to play in book 5.
The mystery was interesting and a bit of 'plucked' (in the sense that the clues were just really scattered and difficult to follow) that when you finally get the real, you sit there going 'well, maybe the TV show will clean it up better'. And that's what I'm hoping with this book. (When does that TV adaptation of this book come out?)
Anyway. I love Robin, and I love how tough she got in this one - with Matthew, her trauma post attack in Book 3 and, her job. I'm interested to see how Strike is going to feel the deeper they get into situations and if he comes clean on his emotions will he be more cautious and or wanting her to stop what she is doing and turn into Matthew without expecting it? Time will tell.
So yeah, beware of a messy plot but a good read. Just hope it gets back on track for book 5.
huckabees222's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
nathan7598's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
sararainsberry's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cindy_08's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
thechaliceofaries's review
4.0
Wow! I'm so stricken right now by the ending of this book. I don't think I saw any of those plot twists coming, and I think it'll require a few hours more at least for me to contemplate and come to terms with everything that was revealed in the last two chapters - I have so many emotions swilling inside me right now, and I stayed up late to finish this, so in an attempt to organise my caffeine-fuelled, sleep-deprived thoughts on this book, I've decided to just list the pros and cons to this latest instalment of the Cormoran Strike series.
PROS:
1) Strike! And! Robin! Need I say more? Anyone who's followed this series will attest to the brilliance of these two characters, who we now know and think of as fond friends. Both equally intelligent, insightful, and still filled with very realistic human flaws - Strike and Robin are both already utterly lovable on their own, but become even more dynamic as sparks start flying between them. I've been rooting for these two for several books now, and the intensity of their relationship in this book had me squealing "and NOW KISS!" every couple of chapters.
2) JKR's writing and storytelling capabilities are, as always, faultless. Her greatest strength is her ability to churn out such a slow-burn, intricate detective mystery over 650 pages without ever once falling short of intriguing. Despite this being the longest novel in the series so far, the short length of each chapter made it feel more manageable and easy to get through. I find the writing to be so thoroughly absorbing in its capacity to immediately transport me into the world of Strike and Robin.
3) The portrayal of a whole host of characters, some new and some recurrent ones from the previous novels, giving the readers individuals to both root for and despise, is incredible. I loved how even though there were many characters to keep track of, all of them were so well fleshed-out, with their own unique flaws and traits. The fact that there were so many intricate characters, all with plausible motives and realistic backstories, made it impossible for me to guess who the ultimate culprit would be and kept me anxious to find out the whole way.
CONS: (aka the reason I deducted a star)
1) As stated above, this was the most convoluted and complex of all the books in the series so far. In order to accumulate for the huge list of characters and the establishment of detailed, comprehensive backstories and side-plots for all of them, this book necessarily had to be quite long. For me, this isn't much of a con because I do love Strike and Robin and loved following their adventures, but I know other readers were put off by the length and slow pacing of the story.
2) This was a story involving politicians, but I was nonetheless irked by the way JKR sprinkled in some of her personal views regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict (which wasn't at all relevant to the plot), namely, that she appears to be pro-Israel. Nobody on the Internet is a stranger to JKR's problematic need to express her political views where they are not asked for, but it was still an unpleasant surprise to find them actually written into the story as well despite not having any significance at all to what was happening - it came across as pointless and honestly, pretty troublesome.
Overall, I did really enjoy this novel in spite of a few shortcomings. The ending was both shocking and amazing to me, and even though I'd been making educated guesses about where it was all headed, I ended up being proven wrong in the best, most delicious way possible. I'm actually kind of sad to have finished this now, and I really look forward to meeting Strike and Robin again in the next instalment.
PROS:
1) Strike! And! Robin! Need I say more? Anyone who's followed this series will attest to the brilliance of these two characters, who we now know and think of as fond friends. Both equally intelligent, insightful, and still filled with very realistic human flaws - Strike and Robin are both already utterly lovable on their own, but become even more dynamic as sparks start flying between them. I've been rooting for these two for several books now, and the intensity of their relationship in this book had me squealing "and NOW KISS!" every couple of chapters.
2) JKR's writing and storytelling capabilities are, as always, faultless. Her greatest strength is her ability to churn out such a slow-burn, intricate detective mystery over 650 pages without ever once falling short of intriguing. Despite this being the longest novel in the series so far, the short length of each chapter made it feel more manageable and easy to get through. I find the writing to be so thoroughly absorbing in its capacity to immediately transport me into the world of Strike and Robin.
3) The portrayal of a whole host of characters, some new and some recurrent ones from the previous novels, giving the readers individuals to both root for and despise, is incredible. I loved how even though there were many characters to keep track of, all of them were so well fleshed-out, with their own unique flaws and traits. The fact that there were so many intricate characters, all with plausible motives and realistic backstories, made it impossible for me to guess who the ultimate culprit would be and kept me anxious to find out the whole way.
CONS: (aka the reason I deducted a star)
1) As stated above, this was the most convoluted and complex of all the books in the series so far. In order to accumulate for the huge list of characters and the establishment of detailed, comprehensive backstories and side-plots for all of them, this book necessarily had to be quite long. For me, this isn't much of a con because I do love Strike and Robin and loved following their adventures, but I know other readers were put off by the length and slow pacing of the story.
2) This was a story involving politicians, but I was nonetheless irked by the way JKR sprinkled in some of her personal views regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict (which wasn't at all relevant to the plot), namely, that she appears to be pro-Israel. Nobody on the Internet is a stranger to JKR's problematic need to express her political views where they are not asked for, but it was still an unpleasant surprise to find them actually written into the story as well despite not having any significance at all to what was happening - it came across as pointless and honestly, pretty troublesome.
Overall, I did really enjoy this novel in spite of a few shortcomings. The ending was both shocking and amazing to me, and even though I'd been making educated guesses about where it was all headed, I ended up being proven wrong in the best, most delicious way possible. I'm actually kind of sad to have finished this now, and I really look forward to meeting Strike and Robin again in the next instalment.