A review by wardenred
Board to Death by C.J. Connor

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

My goal was to not have thirty be a milestone birthday but to have it pass quietly, and without the mysterious back pain every Instagram meme seemed to promise would follow once I hit it.

Such a quick, fun read! I picked it up pretty much on a whim and enjoyed it far more than I expected. My favorite aspect, without a doubt, was the board gaming and how it didn't just exist for flavor but fully carried the story. Absolutely every aspect of the mystery and the investigation—the why, the what, the where, the how—came down to board games, and the way all of the aspects came together was awesome. The mystery itself wasn't that hard to crack, but the way the investigation was constructed made the book pretty much unputdownable.

I really liked Ben as a narrator. He has a fun subtle sense of humor and a pleasant personality, and I related to his inner conflicts. His relationship with his father was especially compelling, and their final on-page interaction really touched me. I also loved, loved, loved his slow burn romance with Ezra. All those gently humorous exchanges! All those times they were mistaken for a couple! The gradual opening up! The confession scene, OMG, the confession scene. Such a great relationship, and yet I confess this is the aspect of the book that left me just a tiny bit unsatisfied—much as I enjoyed the mystery, I would have enjoyed it even more if it skewed a bit heavier toward romance. You know, something in the spirit of Adhara's Big Bad Wolf, cozy mystery edition. This is, however, fully a subjective preference and not an objective complaint.

Speaking of the cozy aspect: the vibes were so good. The board game shop, the flower shop, all the food, the coffee, Ben's dog, Ezra's cat—every staple of coziness was there, woven into the narrative so naturally. And finally, I loved the strong sense of setting. I learned more than I expected about Utah and will definitely remember this book, among other thing, as "that one set in Salt Lake City."
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