Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges death and slavery, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentleman Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying."
The Lies of Locke Lamora is the first installment in Scott Lynch's adult fantasy Gentleman Bastard series.
This was a very complicated read. While Lynch crafted a captivating story about a group of thieves, it found it hard to get through the story. The text was very dense so the book felt like it was way longer than it actually was. There were also some scenes that I found to be a bit...much.
I was unsure how to feel about Locke's character as well. He seemed to go back and forth between concocting a massive successful plan but then panicking the next second because something happens that he wasn't expecting. You would think that by putting yourself in high-risk situations, you would think of every possibility and make a plan to counter it, but he seems to think that his plan would work, and then when it doesn't he can't figure out why.
Is this something I can see myself re-reading, probably not. Will I pick up the rest of the books in the series, probably yes.
If you like books that are really dense and where the fantastical elements are very minor, this might work for you.