3.5 stars
The beginning was great, the end was fantastic, but there was just a whole lot of middle that I wasn’t really sure what to do with. I wasn’t a huge fan of most of the characters, but the last part redeemed them and was just so so good. I’m looking forward to reading the next book!

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this one. It’s a very odd, twisted and dark “slice-of-life” type story, more of a character study than a plot. This is only the second of Patrick Gale’s books that I’ve read and while it’s nowhere near as good as A Place Called Winter, it was still a good (if weird) read with intriguing characters and a slight uneasiness throughout that keeps you reading.

3.5 stars
The story and characters were great, and so many twists and turns! It was so outrageous, you couldn’t help but have fun. The pacing was what let it down for me - the first two thirds of the book mostly consisted of describing just how rich they all were, with loads of plot shoved into the last few chapters and an abrupt end. Nevertheless, a very entertaining read!

3.5 stars
I am a big fan of John Boyne’s books, but this one took me a while to get on board with. The blurb declared it to be written in “Dickensian prose”, and for the first few chapters the multiple Dickens references and the slightly odd faux-Victorian writing style detracted from the story and the characters. Once the story really got underway, though, it picked up, with the atmosphere and grip of every John Boyne book.