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kazzerdam's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
dragonaion's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
This book is brilliant, a wild ride, and I was delightfully surprised. I thought this would be a story of a petty thief who would get caught and end up escaping in a new Robin Hood retelling. What I got was something completely in a world of its own that has almost made me cry repeatedly. What can only be described as "grunge fantasy" (high fantasy 1,000 years post societal collapse in the slums of New York) this has more heart, love, and sheer brilliance than almost any other book I've read to date. Every moment, every interlude, weaves together in such a way that turns this from a story into art, following a batch of characters that are relatable, lovable, and wears no plot armor. I cannot gush more about how amazing and unique this book is- if you have fond memories of the concept of the brotherhood in Theives, this is just the story for you.
"Liar... Liar... Liar... Bastard!"
Edit: I've found another book that is a sibling-story to this. If you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, you will absolutely feel right at home with Nevernight by Jay Kristoff.
"Liar... Liar... Liar... Bastard!"
Edit: I've found another book that is a sibling-story to this. If you enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora, you will absolutely feel right at home with Nevernight by Jay Kristoff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Gore, Slavery, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
This is intended for adult readers, starting at the end of an epidemic sparing only children, contains sexual content, violence, gore, animal cruelty, graphic animal death (only at one point), and mentions slavery all in a realistic lense.gremlin_with_a_biscuit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
madamenovelist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
seanml's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The Lies of Locke Lamora excels in every aspect that most modern fantasy novels strive to perfect. The setting is intricate and lived-in; there are details and systems in the setting that take time to fully understand, and the author doesn't inundate you with all the exposition you're going to need at the start of the book. Magic exists, but enough questions are answered that we don't have to ask: if so-and-so is possible, why haven't these societal problems been fixed by now? Lynch's plot is also one that is completely original. Our protagonist is one of the classic fantasy archetypes: the scoundrel, but beyond that the narrative is always shifting organically. There are no points where I'm aware of the plot structure; where the story is simply going through the motions. This is a fantastic entry in modern fantasy, and I can understand why it's so well renowned. 9.5/10.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Excrement, and Abandonment
kaziaroo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
This book was okay. I didn't love it, didn't hate it.
Things I liked:
- the characters and their relationships were likeable and interesting, and the side characters were fun
- it was entertaining to read and the ending was satisfying. It would be fine as a stand-alone read – I haven't yet decided whether to read the sequel
- the setting was very rich and felt like a real place – I loved the Falselight and the Elderglass structures. The religious and social settings were also interesting.
What I didn't like:
- Unfortunately my Kindle edition didn't come with a map but I think paper editions do. A map would have made the characters' movements easier to follow.
- There's a lot of swearing – obviously this is personal preference and I did get used to it after a while.
- a lot of the dialogue felt very modern (and American) and at odds with the historical, Italian-inspired setting. Hearing members of the nobility coming out with phrases like "surely you must be kidding" was jarring and took me right out of the story. Characters of different social backgrounds also all seemed to talk in the same way.
- the pacing was all over the place. One moment there's a flurry of action and the next there's thirty pages of trying to swindle some stuffy bankers out of their clothes. I found the first half pretty boring and the second half only just made up for it. The narrative style is very episodic, almost more suited to a magazine or TV show than a novel.
- the main villain is very mysterious, but actually so much so that I found it harder to take him seriously. When we do find out more about him, it's in an info-dump right near the end of the book.
- although I praised the setting, I did find the book a bit too descriptive. I didn't really care what specific food the characters were eating or what it looked like, or the precise sectors of the city the characters walked through from A to B. Maybe if I'd had a map... The narrator also name-drops a lot, and my edition didn't have a glossary either. There are a lot of names of gods, locations, months/days, etc and I ended up skimming over whole sentences that were just a string of unfamiliar names that had no bearing on the rest of the book.
Things I liked:
- the characters and their relationships were likeable and interesting, and the side characters were fun
- it was entertaining to read and the ending was satisfying. It would be fine as a stand-alone read – I haven't yet decided whether to read the sequel
- the setting was very rich and felt like a real place – I loved the Falselight and the Elderglass structures. The religious and social settings were also interesting.
What I didn't like:
- Unfortunately my Kindle edition didn't come with a map but I think paper editions do. A map would have made the characters' movements easier to follow.
- There's a lot of swearing – obviously this is personal preference and I did get used to it after a while.
- a lot of the dialogue felt very modern (and American) and at odds with the historical, Italian-inspired setting. Hearing members of the nobility coming out with phrases like "surely you must be kidding" was jarring and took me right out of the story. Characters of different social backgrounds also all seemed to talk in the same way.
- the pacing was all over the place. One moment there's a flurry of action and the next there's thirty pages of trying to swindle some stuffy bankers out of their clothes. I found the first half pretty boring and the second half only just made up for it. The narrative style is very episodic, almost more suited to a magazine or TV show than a novel.
- the main villain is very mysterious, but actually so much so that I found it harder to take him seriously. When we do find out more about him, it's in an info-dump right near the end of the book.
- although I praised the setting, I did find the book a bit too descriptive. I didn't really care what specific food the characters were eating or what it looked like, or the precise sectors of the city the characters walked through from A to B. Maybe if I'd had a map... The narrator also name-drops a lot, and my edition didn't have a glossary either. There are a lot of names of gods, locations, months/days, etc and I ended up skimming over whole sentences that were just a string of unfamiliar names that had no bearing on the rest of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexism, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Abandonment
rangerwing75's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’ll be frank and admit that the only reason I wanted to read this was because of Murphy Napier constantly singing its praises, and I trust her judgment on good books.
And holy hell was she right.
The dialogue was the best part of this book. The characters are witty and filled with all kinds of colourful insults and threats.
The world is so so detailed. Like. It’s clear a lot of care was put into crafting this world. However, I found this could be a bit of a detriment at times. There’s a lot to remember, because everything impacts the plot in some way, and I struggle with grasping detail sometimes.
My only other big gripe is that there were times when the plot dragged. When it dragged, it dragged hard. I’m also not so sure how I feel about the interludes (which is just a fancy term for the flashbacks). Yes, they provided the necessary information for what was to come, and I don’t think there was a better way to have gone about it, but it just wasn’t something I personally enjoyed.
Overall, solid book. Locke and Jean’s friendship is top tier. Be mindful of the constant threats to cut off people’s balls.
And holy hell was she right.
The dialogue was the best part of this book. The characters are witty and filled with all kinds of colourful insults and threats.
The world is so so detailed. Like. It’s clear a lot of care was put into crafting this world. However, I found this could be a bit of a detriment at times. There’s a lot to remember, because everything impacts the plot in some way, and I struggle with grasping detail sometimes.
My only other big gripe is that there were times when the plot dragged. When it dragged, it dragged hard. I’m also not so sure how I feel about the interludes (which is just a fancy term for the flashbacks). Yes, they provided the necessary information for what was to come, and I don’t think there was a better way to have gone about it, but it just wasn’t something I personally enjoyed.
Overall, solid book. Locke and Jean’s friendship is top tier. Be mindful of the constant threats to cut off people’s balls.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent
le_mur's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Excrement
Minor: Body shaming, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This is a book you have to really want to be into to enjoy and that wasn't me. It's intolerably long and overly descriptive yet with unmoving writing. I mean, I love some good world building but this was too much. I hope I never see the word “interlude” again. And though I did eventually like Locke enough, for the most part the characters were underdeveloped to the point I was stone faced when serious things happened to them bc I couldn't connect with them at all. But I did like the Gray King's coup. It was violently ruthless and gory and one of the few moments here where things actually happened and you know what? The Gray King had some points. Also, I don't know about yall but I found this book so moralistic at points, like shut up. But I'll give credit to Mr. Lynch's writing in one regard. The way he writes prayers is actually so heartfelt and they're kinda beautiful. And I liked that there wasn't too much cynism in regards to religion here compared to other dark fantasy books that do that to show how gritty and irreverent the characters/world is and blah blah.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexism
nebenezar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So, after finishing this book, I can honestly say that it was a great book. It definitely takes a while to weave the spell, which did put me off in the beginning. If I don’t love a book from the start, I grow tired of it quickly. I very nearly gave up on this book, but I’m glad I didn’t. You’ll most likely enjoy this book if you like intrigue, heists, and swashbuckling fantasy. The overall style reminds me of Six of Crows.
The characters are all interesting in their own way. What did irritate me a little is that I often got a better sense of the side characters and antagonists than the Gentlemen Bastards. The rich couple Locke and his gang robs is almost more fleshed out than Locke‘s friends are. The story is still „character-driven“, but that is more because of the fascination with Locke‘s constant plotting than anything. It’s difficult to grasp exactly what the characters are missing, but I think it can be boiled down to a „psychological footprint“. It’s not really clear what drove Locke to become the man he is. His love for his friends certainly drives his motivations in the present, but it isn’t at all clear how this man came to be, even with all the chapters focusing on the past.
That being said, this book is still immensely entertaining and well worth the read.
The characters are all interesting in their own way. What did irritate me a little is that I often got a better sense of the side characters and antagonists than the Gentlemen Bastards. The rich couple Locke and his gang robs is almost more fleshed out than Locke‘s friends are. The story is still „character-driven“, but that is more because of the fascination with Locke‘s constant plotting than anything. It’s difficult to grasp exactly what the characters are missing, but I think it can be boiled down to a „psychological footprint“. It’s not really clear what drove Locke to become the man he is. His love for his friends certainly drives his motivations in the present, but it isn’t at all clear how this man came to be, even with all the chapters focusing on the past.
That being said, this book is still immensely entertaining and well worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, and Gore
Minor: Death of parent