A review by katy_bee
The Binding by Bridget Collins

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A reread for me as it was this month's book club pick. I lived it the first time around and I wondered if it would lube up to memory. Actually it has, I feel swept up in Emmett and Lucian's story, the ways in which they're trapped, make mistakes, try and be authentic, let people down and ultimately find a way through. The world building around book binding is consistent and well drawn (although if magic worlds simply aren't your thing, this might feel a bit much in places). The background characters are also interesting. Women are mostly victims in the narrative and in particular they're victims of sexual violence- so heed the content warnings - but for me that felt in keeping with the world and narrative. I would have liked to see some light at the end of the tunnel for some of those characters whose trauma seemed perhaps diminished by the fact that their stories simply end when Emmett and Lucian's story is tied up but they're the main characters so perhaps unsurprising.
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