Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin SloanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This review is also found on Goodreads! :)
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Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
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Honestly, I wasn't blown away. It wasn't finger-biting neither was it profound nor anything relatively close to addressing any existential crisis I've been having. I enjoyed the book, yes, definitely. It was funny; it was relatable; Clay was an absolute delight (he reminds me of Borgy :p), but the adventures he and his friends have gone through in this book are just so...unbelievable. In addition, the "mystery" of the book was so heavily hyped from the start and shrouded with too much pseudo-mystery. When the denouement came, it was so underwhelming.
I realize that this is fiction--I do. However, most of the details are so conveniently made-up. None seemed so realistic (which actually irked me a bit. I would have loved the idea that there really is an arcane 24-hour bookstore somewhere in the world just waiting for my visit). [spoiler] Google's "Big Box" couldn't even solve the mystery of the Founder's Puzzle. That right there is suspicious. [/spoiler] A lot of details sounded awry and lacking research, maybe? I know writers can practically make stuff up, but I appreciate verisimilitude, and at least a bit more truth behind even the smallest details. The resolution seemed forced, uncompelling, and shaky. Everything just conveniently aligned for Clay and his friends.
Nevertheless, I really did had a bit of fun with this book. I found myself laughing or smiling at Clay's genuine personality. People were right when they say that this is a feel-good story, but it just wasn't mind-blowing for me--the same way Paper Towns by John Green wasn't inspiring for me. The difference between those two, however, is that with Sloan's, it's light-hearted and I actually liked Sloan's characters (except Kat, I hated her because she's selfish).
I'm not exactly sure what I feel about this book. I've debated with myself whether I'd give it 3 or 4 stars, so I'm playing it safe with 3.5 stars. :)
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