Andre
Schwab is masterful at giving us a glimpse of a complex world through the eyes and feelings of a limited set of characters, and this book is a great example of that. Her writing is impeccable and easy to follow, and her characters grow on you as you read.
In this book, however, the focus is too limited to the characters' immediate thoughts. It's easy to understand their motivation, but I was left wanting to learn more about the world, its politics, and its ramifications. By taking the first half to get to the Elemental Games and the second half to go through them, Schwab does a great job at crafting her characters in detriment to world-building and impactful events. This makes the book not be a strong standalone entry, but an interesting setup for the final book in the series.
Schwab is masterful at giving us a glimpse of a complex world through the eyes and feelings of a limited set of characters, and this book is a great example of that. Her writing is impeccable and easy to follow, and her characters grow on you as you read.
In this book, however, the focus is too limited to the characters' immediate thoughts. It's easy to understand their motivation, but I was left wanting to learn more about the world, its politics, and its ramifications. By taking the first half to get to the Elemental Games and the second half to go through them, Schwab does a great job at crafting her characters in detriment to world-building and impactful events. This makes the book not be a strong standalone entry, but an interesting setup for the final book in the series.
Even though the podcast within the book serves as an interesting plot device, the book shines in its portrayal of Lucy. She is not your usual victim who simply suffers at the hands of others. She does suffer a lot throughout the story, but she is not the picture-perfect damsel in distress. Lucy is flawed, sarcastic to her own detriment, and made plenty of mistakes in her life.
The twist at the end is not completely impossible to figure out as it's easy to assume all suspects are too obvious not to be red herrings, but the final sequence as Lucy confronts the real killer is very surprising.
Even though the podcast within the book serves as an interesting plot device, the book shines in its portrayal of Lucy. She is not your usual victim who simply suffers at the hands of others. She does suffer a lot throughout the story, but she is not the picture-perfect damsel in distress. Lucy is flawed, sarcastic to her own detriment, and made plenty of mistakes in her life.
The twist at the end is not completely impossible to figure out as it's easy to assume all suspects are too obvious not to be red herrings, but the final sequence as Lucy confronts the real killer is very surprising.