# The Lies of Locke Lamora

DNF

I find most fantasy books are very slow starts as there is an ironclad rule that they must frontload their setting’s new terminology and lore. Usually if I can just endure the first 40 pages, the author will have gotten it out of their system and the fun can begin.

I didn’t find that to be true here. On the other side of that wall of jargon (this world can reuse our curse words, but it needs a whole aside about its special term for “dusk” ?) is a slight, slow story. It doesn’t offend but I kept waiting for the characters to be more than “the big one who eats” or “the twins who are twins.” I gave up about a fourth of the way through. I’m sure from all my friends’ glowing reviews that it gets better, but I lack the constitution to find out.

The story is centered in a dark, rich setting that gave me great vibes of Duskvol or Dunwall but after so much care in building it, I just wanted it to be put to better use.