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ithinktfiam's review against another edition
1.0
The author tries to sustain a dark mood of dread. It's dark, but it's too overwritten and dull to maintain dread or suspense. Kids with magical powers are collected by a mysterious guy in Scotland while bad people keep doing bad things. Alice is dragged into it and wanders around. Only halfway through this 660 page thing that's the real monstrosity, I finally gave up. I just couldn't stay interested.
sammy_stenger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
veereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
This book has taken me so long to read. I had to switch formats from physical book to ebook to audiobook to finally get through it.
The premise of the story itself is fascinating and I am no stranger to long-winded fantasy novels with intricate world building and a huge cast of characters. But man, was this book slow! Although this novel is intriguing, it didn't need to be THIS long and detailed, especially when some of those details added very little value to the story and could even make a poignant moment come off as cliche.
The characters were also very interesting but it was difficult to connect with any of them and I'm still not sure why this happened with me. Regardless, I was invested in what was happening to them.
The plot was also very interesting but again, because of the immense level of detail and pacing, it was hard to stay invested for long periods of time. I kept needing to take a break from the book.
I think the main problem I had was with the audiobook and the narration. While the narrator did a decent job with the adult characters, the voice acting for the children was really not good and at times, the accents were so thick and the pitch of the voice so raspy/low that I couldn't understand what was being said and needed to rewind. Perhaps with the next book, I will just read the physical copy so I can gauge whether my dissatisfaction is due to the wiring style and the plot itself or due to the narrator.
The premise of the story itself is fascinating and I am no stranger to long-winded fantasy novels with intricate world building and a huge cast of characters. But man, was this book slow! Although this novel is intriguing, it didn't need to be THIS long and detailed, especially when some of those details added very little value to the story and could even make a poignant moment come off as cliche.
The characters were also very interesting but it was difficult to connect with any of them and I'm still not sure why this happened with me. Regardless, I was invested in what was happening to them.
The plot was also very interesting but again, because of the immense level of detail and pacing, it was hard to stay invested for long periods of time. I kept needing to take a break from the book.
I think the main problem I had was with the audiobook and the narration. While the narrator did a decent job with the adult characters, the voice acting for the children was really not good and at times, the accents were so thick and the pitch of the voice so raspy/low that I couldn't understand what was being said and needed to rewind. Perhaps with the next book, I will just read the physical copy so I can gauge whether my dissatisfaction is due to the wiring style and the plot itself or due to the narrator.
shewantshercupofstars's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
tarygl's review against another edition
5.0
700 pages long, Victorian London, liches and people made of smoke... someone's been reading my wish list again.
sidekickyin's review against another edition
5.0
This felt like an odd mix of Stranger Things and X-Men set in the late 1800s. The characters were well developed and each one had a distinct personality that made the story more enjoyable since it constantly flip-flopped between them. The back-and-forth made for good stops, mini-cliffhangers and keeping up a feeling on suspense throughout the story. That being said, it was so incredibly dark and gloomy at times it took a lot longer for me to read than I was expecting. Sometimes the story felt too heavy to continue past a few chapters at a time. While that may seem like a drawback, it actually helped me pace myself and enjoy the leisurely pace instead of devouring the story too quickly and forgetting half of it. Lots of loose ends drifted at the end, but from what I understand this will be a series. Looking forward to the next installment.
maddy_pierson's review against another edition
3.0
Probably would’ve been higher rated but I had such a hard time getting through the second half of this book.
evierae's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this book needs a heckin’ edit.. it was not interesting enough to be this long.
This might be a me thing but it was reading YAish for the majority. Not generally a bad thing, but not what I was after.
This might be a me thing but it was reading YAish for the majority. Not generally a bad thing, but not what I was after.