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What Members Thought
After a couple weeks of forcing myself to sit down and read a few pages at a time, I finally quit reading this book about a quarter of the way through. I just can't do it anymore. None of the characters mattered to me a bit, and the writing style, with its affected wannabe 19th century prose and the overabundance of footnotes wore out its welcome very quickly.
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This is one of those books that is more about the journey than the destination.
Normally I'm all about plot in a novel, but this is one of the rare occasions where I am happy just immerse myself in the setting and writing. I loved the commitment to distinctive setting and style. ...more
Normally I'm all about plot in a novel, but this is one of the rare occasions where I am happy just immerse myself in the setting and writing. I loved the commitment to distinctive setting and style. ...more
There was so much good and so much bad in this book. The historical writing style with footnotes was fun at first, then it good to be tedious by the end. The pacing was never very consistent - most often it was slow but other times (namely the better parts) it was quicker. I like the ordinariness of magic/magicians, but sometimes it felt inconsistent.
I'm not sure what was wrong with me the first time I read this -- and gave it 2 stars! -- but a second read revealed a wonderfully creative story, told with style and character. Ms. Clarke's imagination is just stunningly vast. An impressive freshman effort.
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Apr 25, 2014
Todd Bollman
marked it as to-read
Nov 24, 2014
Eric
marked it as to-read
Sep 08, 2015
Ron
marked it as to-read
Oct 08, 2015
Thomas Kung
marked it as to-read
Dec 21, 2015
Justin
marked it as to-read
Oct 23, 2019
Demian Snipes
is currently reading it
Jan 23, 2020
Bob
marked it as to-read
