Apr 30

Apr 30 Gifted & Talented

About the book

Author: Olivie Blake
Publisher: Tor Books

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

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My Review

I’m not much of a television watcher, so I haven’t seen Succession, but it definitely seems like this is a spin on that concept but ~with magic~. I can’t speak to whether it feels stale to those who’ve watched the show, but I had a hell of a good time.

Meredith (a tech founder), Arthur (a politician), and Eilidh (a former professional dancer) are the children of the recently deceased CEO of the world’s biggest tech+magic company. They travel back to his estate to plan the funeral and see who he trusted (or loved?) enough to leave them his shares in the company. But there are questions about the will, so while the lawyers figure it out, the three siblings turn toward their own personal crises and their relationships to one another.

Admittedly, this book starts off slow. I spent the first 25% or so wondering if I was pushing myself through yet another set of unlikeable characters in a dysfunctional family. But then I laughed for the twentieth time and the side characters were fantastic and suddenly I was deeply attached and rooting for each of them and MY HEART WAS IN IT. The plot was a little predictable, but I didn’t mind at all.

Do I think this is a “can’t miss” book? Probably not. Was it deeply entertaining? Absolutely. If you’re looking for something funny and unserious and also heartfelt, pick this up.