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luluwoohoo's reviews
472 reviews
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Lost In The Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
☀️☀️🌤️
A modern-day Peter Pan retelling that had lots of promise but failed to take flight.
The opening few chapters were riveting but as the story went on I found myself struggling with the pacing. We were constantly told how time was running out but still Peter and Wendy managed to faff around being useless until the last few chapters when the story came good again. There was no clear direction and the generic writing style didn't help to create any sense of atmosphere which might have otherwise helped with this.
Wendy was a fairly simple character, though I appreciated the exploration of her grief and trauma. Peter is a child and so him having a minimal character arc is acceptable to me. I struggled somewhat with the romance aspect considering Peter's age, but the resolution of their relationship in the end was satisfying.
The shadow as a character was menacing and appropriate for a YA villain, but it was brought down too easily in the end for its defeat to be truly enjoyable.
I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped, particularly as Peter Pan is one of my all time favourite fairy tales, but the moody vibe failed to translate into enough tension or pace to carry this ultimately simple story forward.
☀️☀️🌤️
A modern-day Peter Pan retelling that had lots of promise but failed to take flight.
The opening few chapters were riveting but as the story went on I found myself struggling with the pacing. We were constantly told how time was running out but still Peter and Wendy managed to faff around being useless until the last few chapters when the story came good again. There was no clear direction and the generic writing style didn't help to create any sense of atmosphere which might have otherwise helped with this.
Wendy was a fairly simple character, though I appreciated the exploration of her grief and trauma. Peter is a child and so him having a minimal character arc is acceptable to me. I struggled somewhat with the romance aspect considering Peter's age, but the resolution of their relationship in the end was satisfying.
The shadow as a character was menacing and appropriate for a YA villain, but it was brought down too easily in the end for its defeat to be truly enjoyable.
I'm sad to say I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd hoped, particularly as Peter Pan is one of my all time favourite fairy tales, but the moody vibe failed to translate into enough tension or pace to carry this ultimately simple story forward.
"She couldn't remember, but whatever happened still lived in her bones. It hid tucked between her ribs and nestled in her spine, stirring on occasion. Her body remembered what her mind couldn't."
A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A Lady's Guide To Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin
☀️☀️☀️
An amusing and simple regency romance that doesn't strive to break predictability within the genre.
The plot of this novel is very self explanatory and doesn't ever deviate from the prescribed path. This isn't an issue per say, but without any other outstanding factors within this novel it does run the risk of being forgettable.
Kitty is an interesting enough character who had just enough depth to carry this story, but most of the supporting characters felt one dimensional and often indistinguishable from each other.
I enjoyed the banter between Kitty and Radcliffe - their dialogue was probably the best writing within the book - though I found the transition of their relationship towards the end a bit quick and jarring. The head hopping within chapters is a significant gripe of mine, as is the style of omnipotent cliffhanger one liners that seemed to pop up every few chapters here, so overall I was fairly neutral about the text itself.
This was a quick read that I don't begrudge, but I struggled to find many overly positive things within it.
☀️☀️☀️
An amusing and simple regency romance that doesn't strive to break predictability within the genre.
The plot of this novel is very self explanatory and doesn't ever deviate from the prescribed path. This isn't an issue per say, but without any other outstanding factors within this novel it does run the risk of being forgettable.
Kitty is an interesting enough character who had just enough depth to carry this story, but most of the supporting characters felt one dimensional and often indistinguishable from each other.
I enjoyed the banter between Kitty and Radcliffe - their dialogue was probably the best writing within the book - though I found the transition of their relationship towards the end a bit quick and jarring. The head hopping within chapters is a significant gripe of mine, as is the style of omnipotent cliffhanger one liners that seemed to pop up every few chapters here, so overall I was fairly neutral about the text itself.
This was a quick read that I don't begrudge, but I struggled to find many overly positive things within it.
"Only the rich have the luxury of honour [...] And only men have the privilege of seeking their fortune on their own."
"The British, it seemed - whether in Dorsetshire, in London, north, south, east or west - would always be cheered by warmth and sunshine, even if only for the novelty of complaining about something new."
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
Bad writing, flat characters with zero backstory, confusing world building and time period, "hilarious" prose and dialogue that couldn't be more awkward
The Dangerous Kingdom of Love by Neil Blackmore
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Dangerous Kingdom Of Love by Neil Blackmore
☀️☀️☀️☀️⛅
A contemporary take on one of history's greatest men (just ask him), this novel is witty, charming and unfailingly captivating from start to finish.
There is such style and personality in Blackmore's writing - it is without a doubt the star of the book. Bacon's worldview is 'futuristic' within the story but also in the post-modern concepts and language employed to describe it, which involve many direct asides to the readers. It is the writing's self-awareness that lures you into trusting Bacon's perception of things, only to realise by the end that he's a wonderfully unreliable narrator who is as flawed as they come.
The examinations of power and society's hierarchy are textured and well placed to establish Bacon's baseline narcissism, particularly his relationship with Mrs Turner in which we start to see the cracks in Bacon's narrative perception. The power imbalance between himself and George is mirrored with that of George and the King, though naturally we are provided with very different takes on each. Blackmore also digs into identity through the feeling of otherness - in this case, mostly queerness - and history - how it's written, and who by - with a great deal of care. For an arguably heavy handed book, there are a lot of nuanced ideas to be found.
Selling an utterly unlikeable character as the main narrator is a tough pitch at the best of times but Bacon is impossible to hate thanks to Blackmore's skill and quality of writing. This book appears to be (by Goodreads standards) very under the radar, which is a real shame because it's a gem of a book!
☀️☀️☀️☀️⛅
A contemporary take on one of history's greatest men (just ask him), this novel is witty, charming and unfailingly captivating from start to finish.
There is such style and personality in Blackmore's writing - it is without a doubt the star of the book. Bacon's worldview is 'futuristic' within the story but also in the post-modern concepts and language employed to describe it, which involve many direct asides to the readers. It is the writing's self-awareness that lures you into trusting Bacon's perception of things, only to realise by the end that he's a wonderfully unreliable narrator who is as flawed as they come.
The examinations of power and society's hierarchy are textured and well placed to establish Bacon's baseline narcissism, particularly his relationship with Mrs Turner in which we start to see the cracks in Bacon's narrative perception. The power imbalance between himself and George is mirrored with that of George and the King, though naturally we are provided with very different takes on each. Blackmore also digs into identity through the feeling of otherness - in this case, mostly queerness - and history - how it's written, and who by - with a great deal of care. For an arguably heavy handed book, there are a lot of nuanced ideas to be found.
Selling an utterly unlikeable character as the main narrator is a tough pitch at the best of times but Bacon is impossible to hate thanks to Blackmore's skill and quality of writing. This book appears to be (by Goodreads standards) very under the radar, which is a real shame because it's a gem of a book!
"When had I stopped being the person who had so seriously, so avowedly, kept love in abeyance all my life? I tried to think of how he had been able to seduce me so; no, I don't mean sexually, I mean in the marrow in my bones, the blood in my veins, in my teeth, and lungs and belly."
How to Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
How To Plot A Payback by Melissa Ferguson (audiobook narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West)
☀️☀️☀️☀️
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook!
This hilarious little romcom captured my heart and made me laugh out loud a whole lot. It's a little ray of sunshine, and a joy to read.
The storyline itself focuses much more on the com than the rom, which only just shows up towards the end, but it was a fun and enjoyable ride to get there. Mirroring the scenarios written for the sitcom, Ferguson seems to pull off an awful lot of wacky situations without losing the reality of the story itself.
Both Finn and Lavender are entertaining characters to read, and their narrators did a truly wonderful job of bringing them to life. I was particularly impressed that Ferguson managed to write Finn's payback plot the way it is without him coming off as too immature.
My few gripes are these:
1) there is a very famous long-running Australian show called Neighbours, so I wish this sitcom had a unique name
2) It was never once acknowledged or discussed that Finn and Lavender's relationship should be reconsidered based on their boss/employee situation - a significant oversight!
3) the resolution Finn comes up with to solve all of their problems with his new show felt a step too far in believability (and overall he got away with too much in that writers room)
What could have been an average story was elevated by funny fast paced writing and an amusing interpretation of standard romance tropes. Ferguson has delivered a delightful story that is the perfect palate cleanser.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook!
This hilarious little romcom captured my heart and made me laugh out loud a whole lot. It's a little ray of sunshine, and a joy to read.
The storyline itself focuses much more on the com than the rom, which only just shows up towards the end, but it was a fun and enjoyable ride to get there. Mirroring the scenarios written for the sitcom, Ferguson seems to pull off an awful lot of wacky situations without losing the reality of the story itself.
Both Finn and Lavender are entertaining characters to read, and their narrators did a truly wonderful job of bringing them to life. I was particularly impressed that Ferguson managed to write Finn's payback plot the way it is without him coming off as too immature.
My few gripes are these:
1) there is a very famous long-running Australian show called Neighbours, so I wish this sitcom had a unique name
2) It was never once acknowledged or discussed that Finn and Lavender's relationship should be reconsidered based on their boss/employee situation - a significant oversight!
3) the resolution Finn comes up with to solve all of their problems with his new show felt a step too far in believability (and overall he got away with too much in that writers room)
What could have been an average story was elevated by funny fast paced writing and an amusing interpretation of standard romance tropes. Ferguson has delivered a delightful story that is the perfect palate cleanser.
From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars by Virginia Hanlon Grohl
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
From Cradle To Stage by Virginia Hanlon Grohl
☀️☀️☀️
With Mother's Day this weekend, I was keen to read a book on theme, and this certainly delivers it in an interesting way.
Virginia Hanlon Grohl, mother to rockstar Dave Grohl, reached out to other mothers of talented musicians to see if their life experiences were similar, and what it was about their kid's childhood that had them gravitating towards stardom. The book is an interesting amalgamation of these women's stories, and Virginia's own vignettes sprinkled throughout.
The concept is strong and carries through, particularly in the obvious commonalities the children shared - many were poor students academically, many were deemed too high energy and rambunctious, and many had relatives with some creative background even if it wasn't in music. But the main focus is on the women who raised these talented folks, and although some of the stories were fascinating (such as one mum-and-dad duo who spent decades running a private investigation company, and another mother who has lived in over 50 countries in her lifetime), overall I found the interviews to lack a level of depth I was craving. There are certainly dark moments shared via the mothers of Dr Dre and Amy Winehouse, as well as Virginia's reflections on Kurt Cobain's life, but on the whole these chapters spent more time summarising the lives of these women rather than totally tapping into the beating heart of the story - the relationship with their rockstar kids.
I did appreciate the commonalities also found amongst the mothers interviewed: many had 'disjointed' childhoods that had them travelling and moving a lot; many worried less about their kids when they first started out touring and living city to city, but when fame and money really came into the picture; many lament the current education system that didn't work for their creative children, and they desire change to help the next generation of artists to find the support they need.
For what is essentially a rapid fire round of interviews, Grohl does manage to unearth some interesting tales and leave the reader feeling positive, but I can't help but wish there had been more time and pages allocated for some greater depth.
☀️☀️☀️
With Mother's Day this weekend, I was keen to read a book on theme, and this certainly delivers it in an interesting way.
Virginia Hanlon Grohl, mother to rockstar Dave Grohl, reached out to other mothers of talented musicians to see if their life experiences were similar, and what it was about their kid's childhood that had them gravitating towards stardom. The book is an interesting amalgamation of these women's stories, and Virginia's own vignettes sprinkled throughout.
The concept is strong and carries through, particularly in the obvious commonalities the children shared - many were poor students academically, many were deemed too high energy and rambunctious, and many had relatives with some creative background even if it wasn't in music. But the main focus is on the women who raised these talented folks, and although some of the stories were fascinating (such as one mum-and-dad duo who spent decades running a private investigation company, and another mother who has lived in over 50 countries in her lifetime), overall I found the interviews to lack a level of depth I was craving. There are certainly dark moments shared via the mothers of Dr Dre and Amy Winehouse, as well as Virginia's reflections on Kurt Cobain's life, but on the whole these chapters spent more time summarising the lives of these women rather than totally tapping into the beating heart of the story - the relationship with their rockstar kids.
I did appreciate the commonalities also found amongst the mothers interviewed: many had 'disjointed' childhoods that had them travelling and moving a lot; many worried less about their kids when they first started out touring and living city to city, but when fame and money really came into the picture; many lament the current education system that didn't work for their creative children, and they desire change to help the next generation of artists to find the support they need.
For what is essentially a rapid fire round of interviews, Grohl does manage to unearth some interesting tales and leave the reader feeling positive, but I can't help but wish there had been more time and pages allocated for some greater depth.
"Sandi keeps scrapbooks in the hopes that Gary [Clark] Jnr will look back on their pages someday and recall the early times and places in his career. "Not how many tickets he was selling or how much he was being paid for a show, but what his fans were seeing and hearing and writing about. I want him to remember that he really moved people." The title of her scrapbook should probably be what she and her son say often: it's all about the music."
"When he [Tom Morello] set out on his own risky path, Mary fully supported him. "She wanted me to be free, to follow my own North Star, so when I, with a Harvard degree in my pocket, announced that I was moving to Hollywood to play heavy metal music and start revolutions, she said 'OK, fine. What day are you leaving?'" "
Funny Story by Emily Henry
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Funny Story by Emily Henry
☀️☀️☀️🌤️
Emily Henry delivers another romance hit, proving she's one of the best in the genre, though it's not without its faults.
The setup for this novel is more involved than her previous stories, veering into a plot that's arguably more commercial but requires a lot of time spent on establishing Daphne's backstory and its relevance. This is all done skillfully and is emotional to read - Daphne is another wonderfully thought through MC, and totally relatable - but it did come at the expense of the third act.
Daphne's relationship with Miles is the definition of slow burn to the point where I had a bit of whiplash between their getting together, falling apart and coming back together again at the end, which all occurred in the last ~20% of the book. It's actually not dissimilar to other EH novels but I felt this story needed a more grounded third act after all of the introspection we'd seen from both Daphne and Miles regarding their personal hangups, which weren't resolved satisfactorily enough. (Also, Miles doesn't feel like a guy in his 30s, he just doesn't)
As I've come to expect, the supporting characters are all wonderful and amusing, adding opportunities for the signature banter I love. The library provides a nice setting, though I'd have liked more interaction between Daphne and the kids to better justify her passions.
Overall this is probably my least favourite of Henry's, but the bar is set so high that I would still recommend this highly to those who like the genre because it was an enjoyable read that had me hooked and delivered on brand humour and romance.
☀️☀️☀️🌤️
Emily Henry delivers another romance hit, proving she's one of the best in the genre, though it's not without its faults.
The setup for this novel is more involved than her previous stories, veering into a plot that's arguably more commercial but requires a lot of time spent on establishing Daphne's backstory and its relevance. This is all done skillfully and is emotional to read - Daphne is another wonderfully thought through MC, and totally relatable - but it did come at the expense of the third act.
Daphne's relationship with Miles is the definition of slow burn to the point where I had a bit of whiplash between their getting together, falling apart and coming back together again at the end, which all occurred in the last ~20% of the book. It's actually not dissimilar to other EH novels but I felt this story needed a more grounded third act after all of the introspection we'd seen from both Daphne and Miles regarding their personal hangups, which weren't resolved satisfactorily enough. (Also, Miles doesn't feel like a guy in his 30s, he just doesn't)
As I've come to expect, the supporting characters are all wonderful and amusing, adding opportunities for the signature banter I love. The library provides a nice setting, though I'd have liked more interaction between Daphne and the kids to better justify her passions.
Overall this is probably my least favourite of Henry's, but the bar is set so high that I would still recommend this highly to those who like the genre because it was an enjoyable read that had me hooked and delivered on brand humour and romance.
"'Maybe we should date,' Miles says.
[...] 'Yes,' I finally manage. 'a shared cuckolding is the most fertile ground from which love could ever spring.'"
"There's being bad at small talk, and then there's being so reticent that your coworkers assume you've recently testified against a mob boss, and I never knew how thin the line between the two was."
The Gravity Between Us by Kristen Zimmer
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The Gravity Between Us by Kristen Zimmer (audiobook narrated by Kelly Burke, Madeline Pell)
☀️☀️🌥️
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook!
A queer romance that had potential to be short and sweet, but lacklustre writing and almost no plot left not much to like.
The conflict of the novel lies solely in the transition of friends to lovers, to the extent that we aren't really given subplots or exploration of Kendall or Peyton's lives that don't end up relating directly back to their relationship. Lacking that makes both characters feel two-dimensional and also too codependent to connect with for me.
The writing itself is pedestrian. The dialogue is quite hit or miss, and the inner voices of each character often veered too much towards the dramatic to be anything but eye roll-worthy. The biphobia is really difficult to read, and there is also deeply inappropriate use of the r-word a handful of times.
The narrators both did a good job with the content they had, and it was definitely better for having two narrators for the dual POV, but that couldn't save the book itself.
I can see how this book might have spoken to me a bit differently if I read it ten years ago, but I was let down by the lack of empathy or creativity for the main characters and their experiences.
☀️☀️🌥️
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC audiobook!
A queer romance that had potential to be short and sweet, but lacklustre writing and almost no plot left not much to like.
The conflict of the novel lies solely in the transition of friends to lovers, to the extent that we aren't really given subplots or exploration of Kendall or Peyton's lives that don't end up relating directly back to their relationship. Lacking that makes both characters feel two-dimensional and also too codependent to connect with for me.
The writing itself is pedestrian. The dialogue is quite hit or miss, and the inner voices of each character often veered too much towards the dramatic to be anything but eye roll-worthy. The biphobia is really difficult to read, and there is also deeply inappropriate use of the r-word a handful of times.
The narrators both did a good job with the content they had, and it was definitely better for having two narrators for the dual POV, but that couldn't save the book itself.
I can see how this book might have spoken to me a bit differently if I read it ten years ago, but I was let down by the lack of empathy or creativity for the main characters and their experiences.
"I guess it doesn’t matter how well you think you know someone, there’s always a fear that they’ll abandon you. After all, it’s the people you care about the most who can cut you the deepest."
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
☀️☀️⛅
I really wanted to like this. A relatively short page count and a fascinating concept should have been enough to make this thoroughly readable, but I struggled from start to finish.
The writing is lovely but there was too damn much of it for this plot. I like purple prose in certain contexts but the novel spent so much time on unnecessary dinner parties and self-congratulatory philosophical discussions that often only vaguely related to the themes of the story that I was pretty much bored most of the time. It took approximately half the book for Dorian's portrait to change, and even after that we were subjected to an entire chapter detailing his many irrelevant hobbies as a way of showing the passing of time before anything else happened.
To its credit, the parts of the book that actually contained plot were well written, and the queer subtext throughout is interesting to examine, but it's difficult to appreciate a book that spends more time describing historical tapestries than on giving the main character, or any character, depth or growth. Harry as a representation of temptation and sin works somewhat but I was so sick of listening to him talk bullshit that I didn't even care by the end. Dorian's downfall was dramatic but not emotionally moving, considering we were barely shown his life and personality beforehand.
With Wilde himself admitting that the book is too wordy, I think I'm comfortable saying that it would have been significantly more successful as a 100 page short that actually spent time on Dorian's psychological failure rather than repetitive societal observation.
☀️☀️⛅
I really wanted to like this. A relatively short page count and a fascinating concept should have been enough to make this thoroughly readable, but I struggled from start to finish.
The writing is lovely but there was too damn much of it for this plot. I like purple prose in certain contexts but the novel spent so much time on unnecessary dinner parties and self-congratulatory philosophical discussions that often only vaguely related to the themes of the story that I was pretty much bored most of the time. It took approximately half the book for Dorian's portrait to change, and even after that we were subjected to an entire chapter detailing his many irrelevant hobbies as a way of showing the passing of time before anything else happened.
To its credit, the parts of the book that actually contained plot were well written, and the queer subtext throughout is interesting to examine, but it's difficult to appreciate a book that spends more time describing historical tapestries than on giving the main character, or any character, depth or growth. Harry as a representation of temptation and sin works somewhat but I was so sick of listening to him talk bullshit that I didn't even care by the end. Dorian's downfall was dramatic but not emotionally moving, considering we were barely shown his life and personality beforehand.
With Wilde himself admitting that the book is too wordy, I think I'm comfortable saying that it would have been significantly more successful as a 100 page short that actually spent time on Dorian's psychological failure rather than repetitive societal observation.
"The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollection of a pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.5
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (audiobook narrated by Moira Quirk)
☀️☀️☀️⛅
A wickedly unique and daring novel that pushes boundaries in many ways, but it's hulking page count and strange pacing prevents it from becoming an instant classic.
The phrase 'style over substance' is too harsh a summary for this story but it does go towards explaining my feelings. Firstly, I found the world building lacking in context and struggled significantly for the first half to comprehend the strange combination of space, necromancy, religion and Hunger Games-style challenges all rolled into one; for such a unique concept, I needed to be given more footholds.
The book wasn't too long in theory - not when there's so much to cover - but in execution most of the first half is wasted not adequately explaining the plot or the stakes quite enough to get the pace going. Things picked up in the second half well but by then I wasn't as invested as I wanted to be at the carnage.
The characterisation was genuinely impressive - with far too many characters to keep track of, Muir gives everyone memorable and identifiable traits (and Quirk performs their various accents and deliveries with impeccable style). Gideon's humour was amusing but could at times come off as too juvenile. Her relationship with Harrow was appropriately complicated and I found their arc very well developed.
I think this is a case of a good book that simply missed the mark for me. It's appropriately intriguing and tense and laugh out loud funny at points, but over its length it couldn't maintain the same level of quality it deserved.
☀️☀️☀️⛅
A wickedly unique and daring novel that pushes boundaries in many ways, but it's hulking page count and strange pacing prevents it from becoming an instant classic.
The phrase 'style over substance' is too harsh a summary for this story but it does go towards explaining my feelings. Firstly, I found the world building lacking in context and struggled significantly for the first half to comprehend the strange combination of space, necromancy, religion and Hunger Games-style challenges all rolled into one; for such a unique concept, I needed to be given more footholds.
The book wasn't too long in theory - not when there's so much to cover - but in execution most of the first half is wasted not adequately explaining the plot or the stakes quite enough to get the pace going. Things picked up in the second half well but by then I wasn't as invested as I wanted to be at the carnage.
The characterisation was genuinely impressive - with far too many characters to keep track of, Muir gives everyone memorable and identifiable traits (and Quirk performs their various accents and deliveries with impeccable style). Gideon's humour was amusing but could at times come off as too juvenile. Her relationship with Harrow was appropriately complicated and I found their arc very well developed.
I think this is a case of a good book that simply missed the mark for me. It's appropriately intriguing and tense and laugh out loud funny at points, but over its length it couldn't maintain the same level of quality it deserved.
"Maybe it's that I find the idea comforting...that thousands of years after you're gone...is when you really live. That your echo is louder than your voice."