A review by penguin_emperor_of_the_north
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

3.0

On the plus side, I liked the plot, the scheming between the protagonists, the Spider and the Gray King was interesting. Locke's efforts to scam the nobility, the Spider hunting him and the Gray King's ongoing scheme against the local underworld was all very interesting.

But the thing that stopped me from enjoying this too much was my distaste for the main character. I think the book was going for a Robin Hood hype but a key part of 'rob from the rich and give to the poor' is 'give to the poor'. If you're just stealing and hording, you're not particularly impressive morally.

Add on, that till the last quarter or third, I actually liked and sympathized with the antagonist and there was one conflict that seemed to be resolved by a supervillain cliche (
Spoilerwhen the Falconer tries to mind control Locke into killing Jean instead of continuing to control Jean
). That limited my enjoyment for the book but I'd likely continue the series if I get the chance.