A review by nikia4
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first book, but it was still a lovely and comforting read. It’s honestly incredible how many storylines Khorram manages to weave together cohesively, a worse author would have written a book that felt overstuffed. I especially appreciated the subplots about Darius’s dad suffering from depression and Darius’s anxieties/their communication about the parent’s depression, and Laleh’s experiences at school. Darius is such a beautifully written character with so much softness and empathy and love and you get pulled into those feelings when reading these books. I really appreciated how many storylines weren’t perfectly wrapped up but still got a fulfilling ending because they ended on a hopeful note - it felt a lot more realistic and comforting than everything working out perfectly.


My main criticism is that maybe Landon and Darius’ storyline was too much of the same/took too long to build to an inflection point and it got kind of boring waiting for their relationship to end, but I guess it was also realistic to Darius’ character and what he was going through for the realization to take him longer. The tension with Chip/Trent in parallel also felt like a lot of the same for too long, and I wish the conflict between them happened a bit earlier so the nuances of that relationship could be explored more, but maybe the author is leaving it open to another book.
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