I LOVED this. This was everything that has been so fantastic about Brookmyre's writing in one book. Fast paced and funny but with serious themes and emotional moments. Brilliantly done reveals at the end too. Great fun.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was very well written and managed to evoke feelings of nostalgia and feel almost historical as you continued reading. It was almost like it became the story of the house and it made me feel things. HOWEVER, the content was difficult. There was so much incest and paedophilia, which just happened constantly and was completely unnecessary but also was not particularly condemned or seen as problematic. There were also points where it just became quite boring. It seems the type of book to study in a lit class but not a particularly enjoyable book outside of that context.
I started this book being slightly annoyed at the writing. The author uses the odd French word in sentences that are otherwise completely in English and has excessive swearing (like waaay more than necessary, and I'm not a prudish person), but that does slow down a bit as the book goes on. Despite these criticisms/annoyances, this book was SO GOOD. It had me by the throat the whole time and wanting to get to the next part. Despite the main character being a bit of a bastard, I grew to like and understand him. I actually loved this book in the end. It doesn't feel as big as it is at all.
This was a fun read with some devastating burns and also insightful societal commentary. It was very Americanised so some of them don't make sense to us non-Americans but still great!
I loved this book. Rob Bell says things that so many Christians find controversial, and for the life of me, I can't see what is so controversial about it. It MAKES SENSE. He makes great points and does so in such an accessible way. I feel encouraged when Christians say things like I found in this book because so many of them don't.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I decided to read this book because the film is one of my favourite films. I enjoyed it, and I absolutely see what Tim Burton saw when he made this film, but it didn't quite hit the same reading it. I did feel quite emotional at the end, and the book had the same wholesome vibe. It just didn't feel as fantastical or hit as hard as the film did.
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this. It is a brilliant fantasy with such great characters, world building, and story. I loved seeing how Vis thought through every interaction he had. The backstory of The Hierarchy and Vis's personal backstory was built in so well. I laughed, gasped, and cried along with the story. I've never read Islington before, but this cements him as a must-read author for me. The only problem I now have is how long I have to wait to get the next book. I NEED IT.