Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I was initially drawn to this book due to the simple mention of the words London and urban fantasy. Not to mention that haunting book cover with the warm glow of the lanterns surrounded by a mysterious woman in the darkness! This was my first read of a Neil Gaiman book and as much as it pains me to say this, it wasn't quite what I had hoped for. Perhaps it was my own fault as my expectations were quite high, but I'm going to have to go against the crowd on this one.

Yes, the concept of the story was imaginative. Yes, it takes place in one of my favorite locations--London. Yes, there were select scenes of the book that were amazingly unique and unforgettable. Yes, Richard faced a unique spiral of events on his journey. But....in the most unsettling manner, too difficult to simply ignore, many of the characters, particularly the villains were just cringy. This was noted from the very beginning as soon as Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar were introduced. That odd paragraph devoted to their descriptions gave my mind hiccups and caused my eye to twitch!

Anyway, I hoped pushing forward would bring me enough clarity to feel satisfied. Sadly, it did not. Though as a devoted reader and completionist, I carried through and finished the story anyway. Due to all of the above, I felt compelled to deduct a few stars.