nglofile's review against another edition
3.0
First up, don't judge this book by its cheesy cover. No doubt you'll read that in many of the reviews, and it's sound advice.
The tone wasn't as humorous as I expected, but it was still a fun read. I appreciate the complexity of the "rules" of magic that were established; those constraints made the story much more interesting and effective than if it were simply a matter of conjuring anything desired without consequences. There seems to be a lot of comparison to Butcher's Dresden series, which is understandable, but that also sets the bar pretty high. I'm not convinced its quite there yet, but as a series start, it definitely has potential.
I did enjoy the well-developed Michigan setting, especially the nod to Jackson, near where we lived for two years. Who knew the magical possibilities in our backyard?
The tone wasn't as humorous as I expected, but it was still a fun read. I appreciate the complexity of the "rules" of magic that were established; those constraints made the story much more interesting and effective than if it were simply a matter of conjuring anything desired without consequences. There seems to be a lot of comparison to Butcher's Dresden series, which is understandable, but that also sets the bar pretty high. I'm not convinced its quite there yet, but as a series start, it definitely has potential.
I did enjoy the well-developed Michigan setting, especially the nod to Jackson, near where we lived for two years. Who knew the magical possibilities in our backyard?
laurenjodi's review against another edition
3.0
Libriomancer
3.5 Stars
A well developed plot, an abundance of references to various famous works including fantasy, science fiction, thrillers and children's classics, and a geeky bookworm as a protagonist - this book has everything that appeals to my inner bookaholic. Nevertheless, there are two problematic issues that detract from the book. First, the writing tends to be overly descriptive and repetitive with excessive detail on the workings of libriomancy, and second, the romantic element is weak and unappealing.
Isaac is a fun beta hero and a bit of a magical disaster area. He gets in over his head most of the time but this only makes him more endearing. His love interest, Lena, has the potential for being a fantastic kick-ass heroine. However, her lack of free will and the love triangle aspect of her relationship with Isaac and Nidhi undermine both her character and the romance in the book.
The world building and the plot revolving around a secret society of magic users with the ability to access and use items retrieved from the pages of books is very compelling as is the underlying message that books can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. There are some excellent action scenes and a solid climax (even if it is a little drawn out).
On a final note, David De Vries's narration is pretty good but his female voices are a too high pitched.
All in all, a good story and enough questions remain unanswered to keep me interested in reading the next book when it comes out in August.
3.5 Stars
A well developed plot, an abundance of references to various famous works including fantasy, science fiction, thrillers and children's classics, and a geeky bookworm as a protagonist - this book has everything that appeals to my inner bookaholic. Nevertheless, there are two problematic issues that detract from the book. First, the writing tends to be overly descriptive and repetitive with excessive detail on the workings of libriomancy, and second, the romantic element is weak and unappealing.
Isaac is a fun beta hero and a bit of a magical disaster area. He gets in over his head most of the time but this only makes him more endearing. His love interest, Lena, has the potential for being a fantastic kick-ass heroine. However, her lack of free will and the love triangle aspect of her relationship with Isaac and Nidhi undermine both her character and the romance in the book.
The world building and the plot revolving around a secret society of magic users with the ability to access and use items retrieved from the pages of books is very compelling as is the underlying message that books can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. There are some excellent action scenes and a solid climax (even if it is a little drawn out).
On a final note, David De Vries's narration is pretty good but his female voices are a too high pitched.
All in all, a good story and enough questions remain unanswered to keep me interested in reading the next book when it comes out in August.
bigbear73's review against another edition
4.0
When Patrick Rothfuss gushes about a book, and you keep hearing how its a 'great new spin', it sets it up for failure. I mean, how can it live up to that?
That being said; this book puts a great new spin on magic, and Pat Rothfuss gave it 5 stars. It's not hype; it's just that darn good.
That being said; this book puts a great new spin on magic, and Pat Rothfuss gave it 5 stars. It's not hype; it's just that darn good.
avid_reader_sf_and_f's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this. Fun, action packed and with a new twist.
saoki's review against another edition
3.0
Jim Hines knows his books and knows his way around a story, but this book didn't do much for me. It's a great concept, but the plot is a bit simplistic and I couldn't sympathize with the main character. I can't even recall his name.
I will be watching this series, though, since the author is obviously a good writer and I can see there's much to be written in the world he created. I just hope he get the pace of it soon.
I will be watching this series, though, since the author is obviously a good writer and I can see there's much to be written in the world he created. I just hope he get the pace of it soon.
evanmc's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I read it in two sittings. This was the first book in a while that pulled me forward with it, refusing to let me put it down. The whole concept of Libriomancy, when explained on the surface, sounds quite gimmicky and cliche, but Hines uses it as a tool to explore some great themes of the speculative fiction genre in a sort of 'meta-' sense. The size of the cast in this book is perfect. You get to know Isaac and Lena deeply, and the nature of Lena as a dryad, as well as her relationship with Isaac and Nidhi Shah was my favorite aspect of this book (I look forward to seeing how this develops in the series!). The other charcters, like the asshole-ish Ponce de Leon (hillarious!) and Johannes Gutenberg himself were left with enough mystery that has me drooling for the next book in this series. The only reason that this isn't 5 stars is that the nature of Charles Hubert's attacks was a bit confusing. Aside from that, I can't recommend this enough!
gianicroe's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The first 60% of the book was a slog, but when the action started it paid off. The realtionships and characters are very surface level and weakly written. The action and premise is engaging and it's worth pulling through.
marci_travels's review
3.0
I loved the beginning of this book. I got all the sweet vibes of a snarky and clever Kinsey Mahone /Stephanie Plum with the Easter eggs and clever asides of Ready Player One. I soaked up the concept of artifacts and weapons stolen from the pages of books and the person who knew the best books and and the best stories got the best weapons. I sank into my chair and begged to be dazzled.
Instead, I was dragged through a plot so insipid, that I gave up all pretense of following along and just read for the literary references and asides.
Five stars for the magic system of having the right book at the right time. Four stars for the clever naming conventions of the monsters and disasters confronting Isaac and Lena Greenwood.
But why did you have to go and throw it all away with that ending? Eeeew!
Instead, I was dragged through a plot so insipid, that I gave up all pretense of following along and just read for the literary references and asides.
Five stars for the magic system of having the right book at the right time. Four stars for the clever naming conventions of the monsters and disasters confronting Isaac and Lena Greenwood.
But why did you have to go and throw it all away with that ending? Eeeew!
pedanther's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel like I've met this guy before -- the geeky ordinary white dude working for a secret organisation that knows Mystic Truths For Which The World Is Not Ready, who gets thrown into a situation way above his pay grade, bumbles around a bit, and ultimately rises to the occasion -- possibly a few too many times. I didn't like this version all that much.
I got to the end because I wanted to see where the plot and the worldbuilding were going, but I don't have any interest in reading any more of these.
I got to the end because I wanted to see where the plot and the worldbuilding were going, but I don't have any interest in reading any more of these.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Xenophobia, Ableism, Violence, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Death, Murder, Police brutality, and Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation, War, Fatphobia, Child death, and Torture