A review by beautifulpaxielreads
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This started so well, but in the end, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London just left (pardon the pun) me a little cold.

Objectively, it is extremely well-written, and the world-building is (for the most part), very well done. I initially reveled in the world that Garth Nix created, the descriptions were so vivid it felt like I could visit the places described (particularly the
New Bookshop
). Nix's love for books and stories is also evident on every page, and I enjoyed all the sly in-jokes and authors that were oh-so-casually name-dropped. The action scenes were nicely paced.

The problem was with the characters - they were mildly amusing and witty, but that was about it  (although I did like the fact that Susan is an art student). I couldn't connect with any of them, or care too much about what happened to them. The
romance between Merlin and Susan also felt as if it were an afterthought because it was so barely there at all
. And while I initially enjoyed the descriptive details, it ended up slowing the narrative right down. And did I mention things just felt a little too Deus Ex Machina-ey at the climax?

This was an interesting but ultimately unsatisfying read, and I will probably not read the sequel. Sorry Mr Nix!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings