rhubarbguru's review against another edition
2.0
SPOILERS:
I marinated on this one for a bit before editing my review, because I was far too generous initially. I was a very big fan of "Relic". I think it was a lot of fun, kept me interested and was a page turner for me. Even though I knew a general idea of where it would go thanks to seeing the movie the book is based on years before it, I was still very pleasantly surprised and it kept me wanting to read.
This one? nope. I put this one down for over a week because I hated the plot. Look, it's not like Relic was a believable story, at all. But it was a very fun suspenseful creature feature. This was so ridiculous though - hybrid Mbwun's without any of the cool Mbwun features living in abandoned tunnels under NYC praying on homeless people (and a few surface dwellers) controlled by......Dr Frock?!? I absolutely HATED that twist (and to me it became predictable as to who the "other" was by the time of the reveal). Frock was one of the good guys in Relic and for him to become basically a mad scientist and murderous villain just because he was in a wheelchair was ridiculous. His whole rant after the reveal, especially with taunting Margo, was just too far out of left field and the authors were just going for the shock factor in all this because they didn't hit it out of the park w/ the major plot twist in the epilogue of Relic of what the creature really was (if you saw the movie first, you knew who/what the monster was even with the differences between the book and film - but the book's reveal was pretty mundane).
I just can't get over Frock being the big bad pulling the strings, it left a sour taste in my mouth even with suspecting it - I was just hoping to be wrong when the time came and I wasn't. Again his explanation for becoming evil was just so dumb. I really didn't like this one, and I am wondering I will continue on w/ the Pendergast series.
I marinated on this one for a bit before editing my review, because I was far too generous initially. I was a very big fan of "Relic". I think it was a lot of fun, kept me interested and was a page turner for me. Even though I knew a general idea of where it would go thanks to seeing the movie the book is based on years before it, I was still very pleasantly surprised and it kept me wanting to read.
This one? nope. I put this one down for over a week because I hated the plot. Look, it's not like Relic was a believable story, at all. But it was a very fun suspenseful creature feature. This was so ridiculous though - hybrid Mbwun's without any of the cool Mbwun features living in abandoned tunnels under NYC praying on homeless people (and a few surface dwellers) controlled by......Dr Frock?!? I absolutely HATED that twist (and to me it became predictable as to who the "other" was by the time of the reveal). Frock was one of the good guys in Relic and for him to become basically a mad scientist and murderous villain just because he was in a wheelchair was ridiculous. His whole rant after the reveal, especially with taunting Margo, was just too far out of left field and the authors were just going for the shock factor in all this because they didn't hit it out of the park w/ the major plot twist in the epilogue of Relic of what the creature really was (if you saw the movie first, you knew who/what the monster was even with the differences between the book and film - but the book's reveal was pretty mundane).
I just can't get over Frock being the big bad pulling the strings, it left a sour taste in my mouth even with suspecting it - I was just hoping to be wrong when the time came and I wasn't. Again his explanation for becoming evil was just so dumb. I really didn't like this one, and I am wondering I will continue on w/ the Pendergast series.
wgower's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.25
bbboeken's review against another edition
3.0
Eigenlijk bijna net hetzelfde verhaal als Relic. Benieuwd wat The Codex gaat bieden.
lakecake's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as Relic, but still a fast-paced romp all the same.
melanyjve's review against another edition
4.0
Not as frightening as the Relic, but a good solid continuation.
tarynwanderer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
pandasbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I loved The Relic and Reliquary is a fantastic sequel which deepens the mystery of the first book while giving us a new and complex story line. I enjoyed the concept of the underground tunnels and lifestyle of the people who live there. I found this fascinating and intriguing. While not as strong as the first book, this one still delivers a lot of action and thrills.
kitkat_reads93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
marco5599's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Such energy, so much fun. Takes off immediately takes and simply never runs out of steam. Never feels hasty either. These guys really have a knack for pacing. And characters. I'm sure I'm not the only one who forgets who they are every now and then, but not in the world of Preston & Child. Somehow they all have something that sticks. There's stuff going on that would probably aggravate me in other books (the bozos who are running the police for instance); here it just adds to the fun. Gusto on every page, drive from start to finish and horror action aplenty. I could smell the tunnels. The people that live there. And those that turn human beings into shish kebab and spare ribs. I'm going to avoid anything goat for a while.