Secrets of a Sun King - book review

Hi! Sorry for throwing out flat posts for so long, I don't have a lot of time on my hands with this pandemic. I read a book today called Secrets of a Sun King by Emma Carroll, and I decided if I have a topic, I should write something worthy of my blog.

Secrets of a Sun King is a good book. Take note of my use of adjectives here. A good book. Good.

Let's start with the good things. 

The book is gold with imagery. The deserts with sand that shimmers in the sunlight, the grey, wet streets of London, the comforting warmth of Lil's grandfather's house. 

I liked the plot twist at the end, even though it was a bit confusing. I had to read the passage over a few times to really understand what was happening.

When I was reading this book, I felt as if it had been weaved with echoes from different sources, making it solid. It was all familiar and new at the same time, if that makes sense.

But everything has shortcomings, and there are some places where this book needs more time, more love, and just more plot.

Lil, Tulip and Oz need more character. Lily is a little Mary Sue-ish. I don't see any jealousy, anger, or paranoid fear in her character. She just seemed two-dimensional. Tulip was daring, interesting, and odd in a good way, but she also needed more flaws. Oz wasn't a character as major, but he also needed more development.

Second, the story lacked emotion and it needed more side plots. I did not feel frustrated, sad, extremely happy, or any embarassment on Lily's part. The story was straightforward, but sometimes more complicated plots cause characters to develop and also for the climax to be more intense. 

Overall, I'd give it a try. It's worth the read, but you might come out feeling a little underwhelmed.