Sarah M. (merciersj) reviewed Gates of Thread and Stone (Gates of Thread and Stone series) on + 71 more book reviews
I was so excited when I finally got this book in the mail. I had read a lot of really positive reviews on good reads, I adore Greek and Roman mythology, and I was ready to be completely blown away. I am not sure what I expected in a labyrinth retelling, but it was definitely not this.
The references to the original story are few and far between. Aside from a neighborhood name and some mechanical greys very loosely referencing the minotaur, the original story is all but missing from this book. We are, however, treated to several gods throughout the story. I didnt find any of them particularly likable or well-developed, and oftentimes their presence was completely unnecessary or downright annoying.
Since the retelling aspect of the story was clearly a miss for me, I had hopes that maybe I could enjoy the book on a different level. The world building is pretty well done, but I didnt care for any of the characters aside from Death and Irra. Both are complex, safeguard mysterious pasts, and have a way of showing that draws the reader into the story almost instantly. Unfortunately they didnt play a big enough part in the story to save it.
The plot overall also moved painstakingly slowly. The very beginning of the book was lovely, but as additional characters are introduced and the plot thickens, the book goes a bit sour for me. It seemed like important events happened in short sprints and, once the excitement was over, we returned to a snails pace.
Overall I was really disappointed with this book. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I didnt connect with any of the characters and felt the plot moved entirely too slowly for my taste. I dont think I will read any additional books in this series.
The references to the original story are few and far between. Aside from a neighborhood name and some mechanical greys very loosely referencing the minotaur, the original story is all but missing from this book. We are, however, treated to several gods throughout the story. I didnt find any of them particularly likable or well-developed, and oftentimes their presence was completely unnecessary or downright annoying.
Since the retelling aspect of the story was clearly a miss for me, I had hopes that maybe I could enjoy the book on a different level. The world building is pretty well done, but I didnt care for any of the characters aside from Death and Irra. Both are complex, safeguard mysterious pasts, and have a way of showing that draws the reader into the story almost instantly. Unfortunately they didnt play a big enough part in the story to save it.
The plot overall also moved painstakingly slowly. The very beginning of the book was lovely, but as additional characters are introduced and the plot thickens, the book goes a bit sour for me. It seemed like important events happened in short sprints and, once the excitement was over, we returned to a snails pace.
Overall I was really disappointed with this book. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I didnt connect with any of the characters and felt the plot moved entirely too slowly for my taste. I dont think I will read any additional books in this series.
