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A review by bumblebee
This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really struggled to get into this book at first. The writing is gorgeous and lyrical, but also very abstract, which made it tough for me to parse. I'm a very visual reader, and I automatically build images in my head whenever I read, but with this I often had no idea what to picture with the (lack of) descriptions given, which was kind of frustrating. The book also has very little explanation of what exactly the overarching plot or world is like, which felt purposeful so isn't necessarily a mistake, but means the reader has almost no context for what's going on. Part of me enjoyed the mystery of this, but it did make it extra hard to get into when halfway through the book I still wasn't certain if the main characters were even vaguely humanoid or not.
Nevertheless, the story was captivating and I wanted to see where it would go, so I more or less forced myself to read two chapters every day until I reached the final 50 pages, which I couldn't put down and finished all at once.
Despite my initial struggles, I do recommend this book. The end was beautiful and well-worth the journey.
Nevertheless, the story was captivating and I wanted to see where it would go, so I more or less forced myself to read two chapters every day until I reached the final 50 pages, which I couldn't put down and finished all at once.
Despite my initial struggles, I do recommend this book. The end was beautiful and well-worth the journey.