DNF - The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

I really hate that I'm writing this. I wanted to love this book so much. It really is a good story. But I dreaded picking it up. I found excuses not to read. I stopped in the middle and took a break and read another book. I intended to finish The Mime Order, but when you can't make yourself read, and don't enjoy the time you spend reading, it's time to give it up.

I gave The Bone Season a 4/5 rating, so I was looking forward to getting back to this complex world. I read 300 pages (58%), so I think I gave it a fair chance. Here's the thing. It's hard work to read The Mime Order. Lots of characters, settings, weird new vocabulary, magical lore. The names for every place, every person, and every type of being are all unusual. Sometimes the same thing or person had multiple names or ways of being referred to. I even used the glossary at the back of the book, and still some things were not defined. It's all complex. I couldn't fly through this one. But I do want to make it clear that I've read plenty of books that I couldn't fly through and loved them, so that's not why I quit.

The Mime Order is too long. There are going to be seven books, I think, and I really think this one was padded too much. Too many details. I get that you want to build this complex world -- otherwise you won't sustain it for seven books -- but maybe spread it out a bit. I don't know. I'm not a writer.

I'm sad because I do want to know what happens to these characters and this world. But I cannot make myself pick up The Mime Order anymore. If you enjoyed The Bone Season these thoughts should not make you hesitate to read The Mime Order. But it may serve as a warning as to the mood you need to be in when you decide to tackle it.

Published by Bloomsbury USA, January 27, 2015
eARC obtained from NetGalley
306/528 pages

Rating: DNF

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