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martha_13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.0
slowbollard's review
5.0
I don't particularly care for detective stories, and I'm annoyed by people piggy backing off of HP Lovecraft, but I enjoyed the heck out of this book. Maybe I'm a Jonathan L. Howard fan girl now, but I love his writing and his wit. If I'm objective, the story probably wasn't anything special on its own. The story by itself probably gets 3.5 stars. The characters, dialogue, and writing bump it up to a 4.75. I enjoyed Johannes Cabal more, but I'm happy to read something new by JLH.
merrieberrie's review
4.0
Really enjoyed the beginning of the book and than whoa baby did it take some crazy turns and I am 100% here for it.
ceena's review
4.0
3.5 stars
What in the world did I just read? I think a lot of this went over my head and I did not feel like going back to read pages and paragraphs multiple times.
There is a lot going on in this book. One plot line, true, but I feel like there was soooo much to read between the lines. Truly, this is an interesting and fascinating novel. I am quite curious about how the story will progress, but considering how I felt reading this book was akin to 'work' I don't think I will be continuing it.
There are a few friends I might recommend it too. So, this isn't a book I would tell people to pass on. I think it just takes a very special person to read and enjoy this book.
What in the world did I just read? I think a lot of this went over my head and I did not feel like going back to read pages and paragraphs multiple times.
There is a lot going on in this book. One plot line, true, but I feel like there was soooo much to read between the lines. Truly, this is an interesting and fascinating novel. I am quite curious about how the story will progress, but considering how I felt reading this book was akin to 'work' I don't think I will be continuing it.
There are a few friends I might recommend it too. So, this isn't a book I would tell people to pass on. I think it just takes a very special person to read and enjoy this book.
jporterfield99's review
4.0
This book is a beautiful, tentacled mess. There are some clunky bits and Mr. Howard seems to still be feeling his way around these characters, but if you stop treating it like a mystery early on you'll be rewarded by a pretty clever twist at the end.
captaincymru's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
jstatt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A great mix of genres that I didn't expect to enjoy quite as !ich as I did. This book is really well written and its a nice fast read as well. Definitely looking forward to the sequel.
lesserjoke's review
3.0
The vibes of this fantasy noir, in which a private investigator learns that H. P. Lovecraft actually experienced some of the cosmic horrors he wrote about and gets caught up in a plot with the writer's descendant, are top-notch. As the titular ex-cop and bookstore-owner investigate, they encounter gibbering madness, magic accomplished via complex math, and all manner of gruesome deaths. The characters even acknowledge the old namesake's racism, which is always appreciated.
But the villains act pretty incomprehensibly throughout -- including intentionally tipping the protagonist off about their activities in the first place -- and there are a lot of basic questions about the premise of the story that remain unanswered at the end. I know this 2015 title is the launch of a series, with a sequel that followed two years later, and this debut volume certainly ends on a promising twist for whatever's next. Yet it's overly long to be just a prologue, and not entirely satisfying in and of itself. It's solid, but not in the same league as other modern works like Lovecraft Country or The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe that have likewise sought to grapple with the famous author's complicated legacy.
[Content warning for rape, gun violence, and suicide.]
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But the villains act pretty incomprehensibly throughout -- including intentionally tipping the protagonist off about their activities in the first place -- and there are a lot of basic questions about the premise of the story that remain unanswered at the end. I know this 2015 title is the launch of a series, with a sequel that followed two years later, and this debut volume certainly ends on a promising twist for whatever's next. Yet it's overly long to be just a prologue, and not entirely satisfying in and of itself. It's solid, but not in the same league as other modern works like Lovecraft Country or The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe that have likewise sought to grapple with the famous author's complicated legacy.
[Content warning for rape, gun violence, and suicide.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
fern_mollett's review
2.0
It was fine up until the rape scene that the author refused to acknowledge was rape. The way he writes women is boring and token at best, offensive at worst. Besides the main character, there are only a few nameless women in the book and they are only there to be fucked or ogled or to have sec fantasies about (sometimes underaged girls). Ew.
cinemazombie's review against another edition
5.0
A modern pulp mystery wrapped in the loving tentacles of H.P. Lovecraft's mythos. An excellent two-fisted detective tale with a surprisingly likable villain, and a sequel twist that made me immediately dive into the follow-up work.