Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Curator by Owen King

8 reviews

alychee's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

surprisingly good??? i did NOT expect the story to be written this way and i LOVED IT it's like puzzle pieces being put back together through murder idk how to explain it but it gave me the same vibes as my favorite books (baccano) and i think it was really well executed! 
so many mysteries all being linked, some being unresolved but not really necessary, it's nice to get open mysteries too when its not the focus of the plot
i have to say the cast of characters is GIGANTIC but!! they're so well written and so realistic you can never forget who they are or what their role is in the story i loved all of them (except these 2 bitches who think they're the Betters)
also the ending ?? unexpected in the most positive way like if it had gone another way i would have just hated it, it made so much sense that this little storyline had this much effect on the story 

i think this book is either hit or miss, it depends of the storytelling people enjoy. if you like character focused stories when they're not really the plot but they kinda are, stories about people living in the aftermath of a revolution that didn't change anything after a year, an evil mastermind that really isn't the main focus but his work is, and getting pieces of information to put together slowly then go for it!!!! 
(yeah and if you hate when magic systems are not explained or clear you will not like some aspects :/)
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fox_at_the_circus's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The first chapter is perfect. It's short, but sets the scene perfectly and makes you excited for the story to come. I love the world-building of this book in general. The cat-based religion is amazing, and so unique, I haven't read anything similar before. The city is just perfect, as someone who lives in a big city, it feels so realistic in its beauty, but especially in its ugly and in its people.
The characters in this book are amazing, too. The main / recurring characters are so well-written. They have values and goals, that make sense with their backgrounds, they are multifacted and have flaws, but not necessarily bad people for it. D is practical, but can be ruthless at times, and she's also romantic. Robert is idealistic and pro-acitve, but he also holds a lot of prejudice and is selfish. Ike is a little shit and opportunistic but also cares for his friends a lot. They feel like real people and while reading the story more and more comes to light, that only further develops the characters. And their relationships with each other were super interesting because of that.
Reading the different POVs was fun and gave a good allround perspective of the events taking place, without spoiling the overall mystery. I really enjoyed getting short POVs from side characters, it filled out the setting really nicely. And the side characters were just so fun to read, too, a lot of quirky characters.
There are so many different actors and plans going on and the flashback chapters inbetween really add to the mystery and kept me on my toes.
And while it dealt with heavier themes and scenes it still kept its humour, in the tone of writing and the characters. It reminded me of Terry Pratchett's writing.
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bugle's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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rebelscum's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book has an intriguing story but it's oh so slow. Still, I found it compelling enough to finally finish it and was quite satisfied with the ending. Worth a read. 
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scienceoftrash's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

1.0

It’s not about cats. The cats are basically scenery. It’s so slow, and the characters are flat with little/no growth. If you’re looking for something to test your patience, this is it. You wait and wait while nothing happens for 200 pages and then -bam- it’s over, you get a couple plot points wrapped up (kind of), and you still don’t get the whole cat thing.  I’m just thankful I borrowed it from the library and didn’t pay for it. 
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ashtheaudiomancer's review against another edition

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4.25

Very good, but a lot of detail, and a bit confusing. You really need to pay attention with your whole brain to get what's going on. I'm not a huge fan of literary anything, particularly literary fantasy, but this is one of the better ones.
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j_aleman's review against another edition

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

3.75

This book is an odd one. The setting felt familiar, like the darkest moments of a Dickens novel seen reflected in a funhouse mirror. The characters, plot, and the world they live in is revealed to the reader one piece at a time. It can be slow going at first, but once you get reading this book, you’ll be hooked. Real and mysterious danger surrounds the characters in this book— especially the streetwise and intelligent Dora. Though dark and at times grisly, there’s no doubt in my mind that King has created a captivating world through thrilling storytelling.  May a cat smile on you, friend.
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chris_reads's review against another edition

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dark inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Vivid and detailed world building. Strong social commentary/political intrigue. Great tension. Characters were charming but not great. Intriguing if convoluted prose (comes across much better on audio I believe.) 
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