'The Serpent' by Claire North
'The Serpent' by Claire North

The good

  • Unique, lovely writing style.

  • Interesting characters.

  • Cool concept of a games house where they play not only games like chess, but also have a higher league where the games they play are of politics: e.g., getting someone elected. It’s intriguing to think of “players” manipulating the world, as if it is all some big game to them.

The not so good

  • Games are all about tactics and strategy, and unfortunately, relatively little of that comes through in the book. The main character, Thene, is obviously making clever moves, but why those are clever, or what her strategy is, or why she wins vs someone else isn’t particularly clear. It felt more like “tell” than “show.”

  • There are a lot of names, and the plot jumps around, so it can occasionally be tough to follow. In part, this is because it’s all about intrigue, mystery, and secrets… And so many things are just implied rather than said.

  • The book is very short and ends just as it starts to get interesting. I suppose that means you need to read the next one.

Rating: 3.5 stars