Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - El encuadernador

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

El encuadernador by Nieves Calvino Gutiérrez, Bridget Collins

16 reviews

milooo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

i really really enjoyed this!! the atmosphere is extremely well established and described, and manages to root itself in a familiar real life example (victorian-esque england?) without implicating the real world and having it encroach on the story. collins is really good at describing the beauty in these small moments, painting picturesque images that really pull you into the world. the magic is a really cool concept that really makes you think specifically about biographical writing and ownership of memories and life- do we have a right to other people’s lives? does one truly own their own memories if shared with others? is it better to forget the things that hurt us or does it hurt us more to have the pain taken away? that being said, the excellent vibes and grounds for rigorous academic analysis will not prevent this book from crushing your heart oh my GOD some of this was heartbreaking (i am insane so i kinda wish those moments had been milked a bit to really emphasise their emotional impact but oh well). i would have rated this 5 stars, but there are a few plot points here and there that simply don’t go as far as one wishes, moments that you think are going to come back later on but are never discussed. overall, this is more concentrated near the end (probably sacrificed in order to focus more on the central relationship, which as a recovering romance hater, does not help me recover from hating romance) and honestly just leaves you feeling the slightest bit unsatisfied and yearning for an epilogue at least. overall, i LOVED the first part of the book, but unfortunately the rest of it just ended up going in a different direction than i expected (not necessarily a bad thing tho! still a hella good read!!) it does get VERY dark VERY quickly, so please check the content warnings before you start!!

Content Warnings

animaniac17's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

august_ambrosia's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

ooooh boy. first review of 2023! i loved this book and will talk about why i debated on whether to give 5 stars later on, but if you’re wondering whether to read it or not i highly recommend it! it took me about 5 hours to read in total and i don't regret a moment!
collins’ whimsical (but grounded when necessary) style of writing builds suspense and prompts you to ask questions while also not losing a wonderful storytelling vibe… great descriptions and well rounded characters galore! collins writes emotion perfectly, and when the characters feel shocked or frightened, you do too. oh, and joyful.
i’ve seen some comments saying they didn’t like it because it was “depressing” and i just thought that was a little… privileged? juvenile? that’s the point. a well written book makes you think, ask questions, and reflect on your own biases and privilege.
debated with giving this 5 stars and i may still change my mind on a future read, but for now it’s a 5 :) thought it had a slow(ish) start that ended up making sense and i don’t like ambiguous endings a huge amount, but that's a me problem.
(spoilers here)

the worldbuilding around the concept of binding was wonderfully done, with the mystery surrounding it initially turning to wonder as we see seredith guard her secrets with her life, but also being able to see the prejudice and horror of losing memories later on. one of my favourite parts of it was when the first woman to be bound didn't even know who her father was, because the memories associated with him were too painful. that early glimpse into the power of a binding was so interesting and subtle, i only noticed on a second read. i also loved how a binding wouldn't let you hear anything about it afterwards! loved the double-edged sword nature of binding in general, how it could be used to regale people with stories you no longer need as you were close to dying anyway, or in the more horrifying and frankly, disgusting way that people in power had twisted it into forcing people to be bound to forget things like rapes so as to give individuals the power to push themselves on others multiple times. or the heartbreaking way emmett was bound to forget being gay… i have to admit i cried a little reading that. i am VERY glad there was a way to reverse binding; and the line “memories want to burn” gave me chills.

just as a last note: collins wrote the queer romance so beautifully. i had been silently rooting for emmett and lucian since their introduction and the little moments all meant so much to me. this book will forever have a treasured place in my heart purely because of them.
but yes, overall this book was a treasure and i'm so glad i picked it up :)

Content Warnings

oogtube's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious slow-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

2.5

Had a great first part, the buildup in the beginning location was everyone I wanted about a magic bookbinding apprentice- then It kinda moved onto the romance and it all went downhill. It focused FAR too much on the romance and near nothing on the concepts carefully built in the beginning and even kinda- abandoned the beginning tone in a heartless and sudden way that left you not feeling the emotional weight it really should have given.

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book took awhile to grow on me, but by the end of part one I was very invested. Seeing all the pieces fall together was extremely satisfying. I loved the angst and the intense emotions. This is one I would consider rereading, especially in the fall/winter.

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franticfreya's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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prettycloud's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book has a lot going on. It's got the good historical fiction atmospherics—scenic rural landscape, old bookbinder's workshop—but it's grounded in real human interactions, with flawed characters making difficult choices. It deals with some really heavy topics—trauma, homophobia, assault, to name a few—but it's not relentlessly gloomy. It's a weird hybrid of coming of age, mystery, and romance. The first part feels like a quest for truth, like how Chasing Vermeer felt when I was a kid. There's a sense of wonder even among the awful things people do to one another, and there is beauty and hope. The latter part becomes darker and romancier: if you've read or watched Fingersmith or The Handmaiden, there's some of that energy, though without the masterminding. Would recommend if you like that sort of thing, or time loop or memory loss stories. I think part of the polarization of reviews is because this is such a teenage story even if it has more adult themes. Another reviewer here described it as a Drarry fic with the serial numbers filed off—I don't know whether that's true, but describes the vibe very well and could be useful in deciding whether to check it out.

Content Warnings

ameydireads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

“We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember. Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any more harm. That’s all books are.”
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I really love the (queer) characters, the general outline and the uniqueness of the story, I also think it did not deliver its full potential. This book could have been so much more. Getting into the story was especially troublesome as the writing really threw me off. The detailed description of the surroundings part one almost felt cinematic. The writing in parts two and three on the other hand was more pleasant.

Also the blurb is somewhat misleading. It comes across as if Emmett is already an apprentice and has bound many people and one day he finds his own volume. But in fact at the beginning of the story he is forced to take the apprenticeship and for a long time he has no idea how binding works. And he does not find his own book in his mentor’s vault. Someone taunts him with his book when he goes to his first binding.

I would have loved to see what happens to our main characters! I was so invested in their love story, it felt like an abrupt ending. And I wish Seredith had a bigger role in this story, she really was my favourite character and the noblest of all!

"To have another person’s memory entrusted to you… To take the deepest, darkest part away from them and keep it safe, forever. To honour it, to make it beautiful, even though no one will ever see it. To guard it with your own life."
Although the majority of people loathed binders, she didn't let that influence her character. She stayed true to her profession until the end.

“There was sympathy in her face, as if I could tell her everything and she would understand.”
It is with Seredith that Emmett finds a real home. He carries her sympathy, morality and loyality while her own son, de Havilland, chooses a different path.

It's a pity that the point of view changes after Emmett goes to his first binding and gets his memories back. It would have been interesting to see how he gets to know his own powers and proceeds to become a fine binder. For example, the voice that he uses to curse the people that threatened to burn down Seredith's bindery with Seredith in it? This never gets mentioned again in the story.

The story also goes to show how greed and power can destroy any noble art.

Content Warnings

geilie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.25

Content Warnings

therukat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

Content Warnings

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