Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - The Lies of Locke Lamora

This was actually my third attempt at reading this book, and I finally did it! The content is a lot darker than my usual fantasy reads, which I think is why I struggled. That said, it was also funny and had a lot of heart. It's a shame there weren't many female characters- those that were in this book were minor.

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al_dahart's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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slightlylostwriter's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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madamenovelist's review against another edition

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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

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danchuchie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

BookClub: Me, Myself & I *
Theme: .
* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.

Getting a recommendation from a booktuber is always a concern for me, even with similar tastes. But, when I visited Edinburgh and I saw this book as part of a promotion, I just had to buy it.

Synopsis:

The story follows Locke Lamora and his gang of thieves and con-artists in the city of Camorr. To the underground world, Lamora and his gang are nothing more than a couple of thieves but he is Thorn of Camorr, a man turned myth.

When an unknown force threatens to shift the power of the Capa, Locke Lamora and his friends see themselves in struggle to just survive.

Review:

Scott Lynch showed his capability of masterfully crafting an extensive, detailed and structured story. The fact that this book is a debut has blown my mind.

The long chapters make it hard to get through but the pacing is constant, and the Interlude section allows the reader to travel into the past and get to know Locke, Jean and other figures/historical events important which will be referenced or crucial later in the story. The story begins relatively slow, not much happening as the worldbuilding, characters and plot are being introduced. The plot thickens further down and the pacing becomes faster.

The character development is shown through the main story beautifully but the Interlude allows a deeper connection and knowledge of the Locke throughout the years, cultivating their background and personality. All of it together allows the reader to have a perspective of not only Locke during the time period of the main story but when he was younger, giving a whole new perspective to the character development.

The Gentleman Bastards is one of the best gangs I ever read and the found family trope here is one of the best, if not the best one, I’ve ever read. Misfits fostered and trained by an elderly man in the arts of disguise, war and wits. The connection between all the characters reveals a strong bond, one forged out of pure love for each other, which will play an important part in Locke’s and Jean’s motivations throughout the book, especially in the last few chapters.

Lynch’s prose is utterly fascinating, a craft I wish I could learn for a debut. Using Petrik’s own words on the matter: “One brilliant thing to note—among many—about Lynch’s prose is the creativity in profanity. There’s a myriad of swearing, cursed words, and mockery I never even had the imagination to ever think of; this book is pretty much filled with them. I personally loved them; they were eloquent, full of sass, and highly appropriate for the overall story and setting of the book. Profanity included, I found Lynch’s prose in every factor of the book to be intricate and well-delivered; the heists, the brutal actions, the dialogues, the politics, and the settings were all vivid in my mind’s eye.”

The worldbuilding, the setting, the elements of high fantasy were truly breathtaking. The detailed descriptions of every single little thing, from food, liquors, appearances, architecture can be hard to get through at times but it is completely worth it. I could envision every single thing in my mind as I was reading.

However, the long chapters get a loooong time to get through, especially if you’re a mood reader AND slow reader such as myself. If you’re the same, you’ll be struggling to get through the over 500 pages. Regardless, it is one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. Although I will be taking a break before I read the second, it will definitely be a series I’ll be continuing. Fingers crossed, this series continues the same quality.

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