Thank you to Ecco Books for the free finished copy to review. All opinions are my own.
These are the hardest books for me to review/rate. I loved the writing, but I hated the pace of the book. It felt like there was a great big build up, but the story ultimately fell flat and didn’t feel like it really supported that big build up. I was invested and I cared what happened. It wasn’t a huge surprise in the end, although I am left a little confused by the last twenty pages.
One thing that definitely saved the book was the setting. Mangan describes it so well it felt like I was actually there. I could see the crowded marketplace, I could smell the spices, I could feel the intense heat of Tangier. After hearing Annie B. Jones talk about the setting, I added this to my TBR. It was masterful, almost like it became its own character in the story.
I can’t say I loved this one and I can’t say I hated it. The writing was fantastic, but the plot could have used a little better pacing.
I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews. Have you read this one? Thoughts?
Happiest When Reading 
I landed about where you did and my review (which goes up on Wed) echoes yours. She did a marvelous job describing Tangier, but maybe because I watch too many movies- the plot felt derivative. And because it felt recognizable to me, there was no building of tension. I thought it was OK, not great.
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