The Rook

I really thought I'd enjoy this. I wanted to like this. I didn't :(

This book features one of the most intriguing opening scenes I've read lately, and it sets the tone for a mysterious dark tale (which is fantastic). Then the entire thing turns into a humorously absurd tale which obviously isn't meant to be taken seriously (which is also fine, I guess, just not the kind of book I prefer reading). The narrative stays uneven, as if the book just can't decide what sort of book it wants to be. Scenes begin with a sober tone only to melt into a pile of giggles. This might appeal to many readers, but unfortunately I'm not one of them.

And the cleverness, oh god, the cleverness. See, this book is imaginative. And clever. Oh so very clever. It's so in love with its own cleverness that it becomes tiresome very, very fast. Everyone's constantly delivering snarky one-liners, everything is either a pun or a juvenile joke, and there's no real way to differentiate the characters because they're all just, well, so damn witty and snarky they basically sound the same.

All in all, this was an overwritten book with a cool premise, some nice ideas and a very tedious execution. I thought I'd give it just one star, but it gets a surprise extra star for the stroke of genius that is the Gestalt siblings.

Honestly, I was really excited about this. I've been meaning to read it for a while. The start of the story was interesting tho weirdly and clearly written by a man.  Like this women just woke up with zero memories and clearly in distress and the first moment she looks at her self and goes “hell yes I am thin” ... Like wtf. I could name more things but to be honest I spend more time trying to ignore them than document them. 

Then we have the main body of the story.  First off there was an awful lot of unnessicary nudity. Tho I loved how the narrative kept switching from current events to letters written by the former Myfanwy Thomas. However, they are supposed to be two totally different people, which is really only clear on one important aspect, being timid vs being assertive, and not anything else was shown clearly different. Which is kinda dumb since her whole personality was supposedly erased, there should be many things different. Which also highlight how incredibly one dimensional her entire character is. 

The villain where also, frankly, kind of dumb. Like Belgiums that were all kinda gross and have the most unbelievable motivations. (The supposed accents in the audiobook were really bad and not Dutch or Belgium and more an off-brand German but that is beside the point)  Another totally unnecessary edition of having Gestalt have the ultimate incest with themselves. (As well as calling Gestalt an it and not just they which seems like a weird and unnecessary choice but also beside the point) 

And the final reveal. Which was the most unrewarding and anticlimactic situation I think I have ever read if it were not for the book I had recently finished before this (The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle). The character who ends up being behind the whole thing  // spoilers ahead // is not at all a prominent part of the story and I honestly forgot he even existed.  The reveal and subsequent explanation was a bit convoluted and uninteresting, especially because many details were suddenly revealed that were never mentioned before and thus completely impossible for me to be able to deduce it on my own. 

All in all a disappointment and yet another example of why I should start reading more books written by women. 

Definitely a page turner! It's an amnesia/mystery/special powers/secret organization plot with a female lead character.
I enjoyed the pace of book: it kept me interested until the end. The sense of humor is delicious and reminded me of Dr. Who.
I still don't know how to say the lead character name, Myfawny Thomas, but I really liked her! It was interesting to get to know her by the letters she wrote to herself.
But you gotta have an open mind and turn on your “suspension of disbelief” mode at full power. Lots of crazy things happen and the characters have all kinds of unimaginable powers.

Started out well enough, a lost memory story. I rarely find these, as well known of a trope it might be. The writing is good, the protagonist witty, intelligent, likeable. But after the introduction the pacing becomes too slow. It feels like a 24 episode season TV series, where most episodes are just filler. Some of the “episodes” in the book are too boring and some even annoying.

Up to the moment there is a mystery regarding who the traitor is it was a good story. But then we are presented with:
- a needless action scene
- a straightforward sequence of events, kind of like the author is describing in details the steps to tying your shoe
- a caricature villain, “oh look at me, I'm so evil”
- the politically correct main character engaging in torture, in one of the most repeated tropes of torture/interrogation in writing history:

“Tell me what I want or we will torture you, even though I think torture is abominable”
“Do your worst, I don't care”
Oh, I think he is pretty though, I'll have to be creative
“Oh really? Then I'll do this to you!”
“Wait what? No no, please no! Okay, I'll talk!”

PLOT