Reviews

This was a very strange book and very different from what I usually read. It started quite well, I thought it would be a nice mystery about how Lily and Lucas find a rare book. But they were able to easily find who owns one of the only 2 copies in the world. it stopped being exciting midway. Then it got repetitive where they hop from one location to another, eat exotic food, perform some weird rituals. There was some profound philosophy occasionally appearing.
Some parts of the book made me uncomfortable.
The writing was good.(but how many times the phrase 'his eyes were shining' repeated? i felt sympathy for the MC even though this is written in first person (which is my pet peeve)

muuske's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

fictionalsarah's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

opheliasviolence's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a weird book and I loved it. It's hard to describe why because I don't want to give away ANYTHING. If you want to know the secrets of The Most Precious Substance, then dive into the book.

What I will say about the writing:

Sara Gran has a way with words. Her writing pulls you into her stories like a siren calling a sailor to his doom.

I loved the way this was written. The hints that are dropped throughout. I loved getting snippets of information about the lore of the book little by little. The slow build up to the ending that left me speechless.

Go read this book. Don't spoil it for yourself and go in knowing as little as possible. Trust me.

If you liked Come Closer, you'll most likely enjoy this one too. I'd recommend this for anyone who likes books about books or books about a quest. This one is especially for those who want something different. Not your typical thriller. Those that don't mind if things get weird.

Shoutout to BooksandLala for bringing this book to my attention.

jodicooper's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

2.0

lottabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-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

5.0

samfox's review against another edition

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3.0

I’m still reeling from this book. I would not classify this as a thriller, but a mystery. This book had good twists and turns. I had a lot of emotions with this book. Adventure, reflection, empathy, curiosity, etc.

Touching on the subject of sacrificing for someone else. Taking care of their needs… the emotional drain and toll this takes on you. Hit me hard. Correlates with my personal life. At one point Lily is told to say goodbye to the life she used to have and the person she used to be. It was very emotional for me. The clarity of knowing how deep that truth reigns.

I would suggest to read this without expectations and if you think you know how this is going to go don’t commit to that expectation.

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