Book info

• Title
• Author Lauren Beukes
• Year
• Genres

Thoughts

I stumbled across this book in a HumbleBundle so had absolutely no preconceptions of what it was about or what it would be like. I really enjoyed it! It has a great style, particularly as the story is about magic but it reigns it in. Rather than being of the Harry Potter style of all-out fantasy, this has heaps more realism, tied in with quite a lot of violence.

It’s hard to know where to place your allegiances, because none of the characters are particularly friendly, and all of them are flawed to a high degree. The only one who really seems okay is Sloth, and I’m not sure that counts. This is a world where people who have done bad things wind up with an animal as a companion, which in turn sets them apart in the social scene. There’s vague magic at work, but this is really about crime and navigating an almost disturbing plot set amongst drugs and rock and roll.

Regardless, it was a fascinating book, well-written and completely engaging. It wasn’t unputdownable, didn’t keep me up at night, but there were plenty of times when I didn’t want to stop reading, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next, how it was all going to turn out. Recommended as a slightly odd, off-beat but interesting read.

Rating: Unrated