The Bookworm's Den

I was really torn whether to give this book three stars after all, since the second to last chapter really saved the entire story for me - it was the first chapter which I found truly funny and charming and clever. But I think it wouldn't be truthful to rate an entire book on the basis of one chapter. All in all I have to admit I didn't nearly enjoy the book as much as I wanted too. I think my main problem with it was really the characters - they just felt ... off. I just couldn't imagine them as real people - like, their actions and words were right within the context of the story ... but that in the real world no-one would ever act that way. And for me it's just really important that I can identify with at least some of the characters and understand their way of acting. Hades really was the biggest problem for me, because there didn't seem to be any sense in most of the things he was doing. Maybe (or actually very likely) I wasn't paying enough attention, but why in the world did he enter into the Jane Eyre novel at the end, without having an exit strategy at the ready? He's supposed to be this evil, clever criminal - and yet he'd make such a blunder? That was disappointing to say the least.

So I'm really sorry for the two stars, because I loved the idea of the story - but I just didn't like the way it was realised.