Gina Lucia

This book is what 5 stars are reserved for. I feel like the bar has been raised significantly, and I'm not sure what to do about it.

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Gideon the Ninth is perfection in book form. It's funny, weird, unexpected, charming, outrageous, and so much fun to read.

I absolutely loved the way it's narrated. The narration flits between objective and opinionated. It's almost a Hitchhiker's Guide-like in its sarcasm and casual observation. It's wonderful.

I adore Gideon as a character. Although she is confrontational and indifferent, she has many moments of strong emotion and real conscience. Which makes her slightly unpredictable but very, very likable.

Gideon has such a complicated personality. At first glance, she judges quickly (and we see other characters the way she sees them), but the more time she spends with these characters, the way we see them or the way they're described changes.

This is another case of character-focused world-building. Rather than telling us what on earth this weird necromancer universe is right at the start, we're gradually shown what it is through the characters and plot.

The reason the absolute nonsense works is because Gideon also knows nothing. So while we're following her around, we're in exactly the same position she's in. Discovering and learning along with her. Her thoughts and the thoughts of the narrator mirror ours. At least they did for me.

There are so many modern phrases, references, and jokes made throughout. Which in any normal book wouldn't work at all. But in this, they do, and I'm completely at a loss every time I read them.

This is one of those books you have to read alone. Don't read anything else at the same time because your other book will suck in comparison. It just will.

I ended up reading it slowly because I enjoyed it so much and didn't want it to end, which is silly because I have the second book sitting on my shelf.

This is a book I couldn't stop thinking about. A masterpiece.

P.S. Don't think I don't see those Greek Mythology references, because I do!

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The House of Many Ways revisits more of what you'd expect from a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. Although, of course, it's the third book in the trilogy.

Gone are the racist stereotypes, fatphobia, and sexism (for the most part), and instead, we're left with a magical story set inside an even more magical house. This book is whimsical, joyful, and quite creative - much better.

Although this book has a lot of charm, it's also kind of boring. Not a lot happens until the latter half, and although usually, that can lend itself to cosy vibes (being in a magical house and all), it sadly doesn't.

The MC was also quite frustrating. Clueless at one moment, incredibly intelligent in the next. I wanted more from her.

All in all, it felt like this book was written as fan service for the series. Re-visiting many fan-favorite characters in interesting ways. But for me, it felt a little flat. Enjoyable, but not something I'd read again.

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3.5 stars

Royal Assassin was like a breath of fresh air compared to the first book in this series. The endless telling, political conversations, and generally slow plot have all but gone.

In its place is a plot and character-driven story which moves, twists, and turns just as an assassin-themed book should.

Royal Assasin does start with a slow build, but this time, it seems to make sense. Rather than a means to do slow world-building (as it was in the first book). Things happen and although it did drag in parts with an overload of information, it was much better in terms of pacing and action.

There are some characters within this series that are fun and entertaining to read. One of those is the Fool. He has just enough subtlety and chaotic energy that sucks you into a scene.

Another is Kettricken. While reading, I started to wish I was reading the story from Kettricken's perspective. I wanted to learn more about her upbringing, and her journey to this new place. The struggles she went through and the change she brought about. At points in the book, I felt her story would be much more interesting and fascinating to follow.

For such a long book though, it feels weird for it to be so focused on such a small set of characters and plot points. I understand court intrigue and murder plots are interesting enough, but it feels a little too confined to one location. Towards the end of this book, it felt as though it should have reached out more. I guess that's the result of focusing on just one character.

I did feel the overarching ‘big bad' wasn't threatening though. In fact, it felt kind of mundane and normal. Although the characters talk about it a lot and there is some focus on it, they're doing nothing substantial about it. This is probably because we're following an assassin as the main character, not a king.

Having said all this, I did feel myself getting sucked into the story. The last handful of chapters were incredibly emotional and violent. Honestly, it's one of the things I like about this series. It doesn't shy away from the reality and the violence of what's happening.

The end was beautifully written, almost as though the author had really gotten into her stride. It was emotional and atmospheric. I really enjoyed it. If only the series started out that way.

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Neverwhere is a slightly trippy adventure ride through the fantasy world that exists below London.

Honestly, I'm not sure how else to explain it. In Neverwhere, you'll find everything from hidden tube stations to huge beasts, talking rats, and monks. Doors open to once lost places, nothing is explainable, and it's all so very weird.

... in a good way.

The book is incredibly British and not just in its location. For me personally, this made it incredibly entertaining to read.

Neil has a very good handle on dialogue and describing personality through dialogue alone. It makes it extremely easy to grasp onto characters.

He also has personality in his narration style. It's not the personality of the characters' voices but his personality as a narrator, and it comes through beautifully.

There's something incredibly comforting about a British author being British in their writing style. That dry humour comes through and makes me feel at ease.

Neil has this technique to show the flaws of a person first. Make you feel frustrated and annoyed at them and gradually show their good side. Which makes them seem way more human and relatable.

There's also something about Neil's fantastical, almost surreal descriptions that gets me every time. You can tell they're plucked from his brain.

They don't have to make sense, they just exist, and that's okay. It's like walking through a series of surrealist paintings and not knowing what you'll come across next. You just accept what it is and move forward, a bit like the main character Richard, I suppose.

A great read, really absorbing and engrossing. It almost felt like it was written to be a film. Neil's writing throughout was very atmospheric and cinematic. His storytelling is like that too. It's less formulaic and more experimental, so you'll likely predict nothing.

The only reason I bumped it down a star was that I felt the ending was a little too drawn out. Like we'd had the ending already, and it carried on for some reason.

Neverwhere truly is, as Neil says himself, ‘Alice in Wonderland for adults.'

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I'm pretty sure I said this with the second book in the series, but this book doesn't mess around. We're literally right back into the action.

V. E. Schwab is a master at not only writing fantastic plot, but structuring her work so you read how she wants you to read.

Longer sentences are used to help you linger on the description. Shorter ones are used to help you read fast. Single words are even positioned on their own lines to give them even more emphasis. It makes her work flow. It makes it better.

The start of the book was exceptional in typical Schwab style, but I did find it dragging a little in the middle.

I think it's just too long. The previous two books were shorter, more concise, and action-packed. This one has plenty going on, but the story feels drawn out.

Perhaps this last book struggles simply because there are so many characters. Backstories are told amongst the action, which draws the story out. Not necessarily a bad thing, but when certain characters have been in the series since the start, it feels weird to learn more about them now. I almost didn't care.

The end though, was fantastic. Action-packed, tense, and honestly really satisfying. A great series to read if you want adventure, magic, and romance thrown in for good measure.

3.5 stars

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