The Bookworm's Feast

“This is how it started;
with a sister weeping in her bed;
a child so terrified she sold herself to a thief;
a girl so lovely, the world went to war to possess her”

This book was so promising! I think I may have put just a little too much expectation on it. But I mean, come on – just look at that quote! How could I not!?

I must say, I was it super easy reading, and the last 150 pages or so were a delight. It felt we were finally getting to more of what I expected from the story. Before that, everything is super easy for Nina and it was lacking a bit of depth in my opinion. There are these flash-forwards in time rather than some character development, and a lot of fleeting glimpses of characters with some really juicy tidbits that aren’t really explored.

Whether the fact I haven’t read or watched Les Miserables, which I believe this book leans on for the setting from the promotional material I’ve seen, is a factor in my believing there is a lack of something – I’m not sure. With it also being called akin to Six of Crows, I expected a lot more plotting and scheming – and although we get some similar situations, the scheming is rather thin on the ground.

I feel I have been rather negative here, and I really don’t mean to be. I did enjoy it – I’m just not sure what specifically I enjoyed. With enjoying the closing section so much more, I am looking forward to the next instalment.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4

★★★★☆