So this one was an interesting journey. I can't recall the last time it took me so long to finish a book (not counting the Song of Ice and Fire books and that was only because I was reading along with the t.v. show one episode at a time). Was it two weeks about to get through Lies of Locke Lamora? I don't even know now but it took for-flipping-ever. 
 You'd think if the book was so hard to soldier though, I would have quit out. Well Crystal and I were buddy reading this and I think we both stubbornly decided to finish even if it killed us! 
 Lies of Locke Lamora was not a bad book. I just know now that I am not the intended audience. This was a quiet sort of fantasy. There were no dragons, no wide array of alternate races, no multi-faceted magic system (although there was some magic), and no major epic battles (don't get me started on that anti-climactic showdown of an ending). 
 Who this book would appeal to : 
 If you're the type of person who likes intrigue, politics, blackmail, low-key world building (descriptive yet somehow not large in scale) and such, you will probably enjoy this book. There was less of an emphasis on character building. Instead, the focus was shifted to the inner workings of this society. 
 If you're the type of person who likes scams, cons, plotting, scheming, etc. you'll dig on this book. In fact, the cons were my favorite parts of the book. The tricks that this group of gentlemen bastards pulled off were impressive. 
 Why it didn't work for me : 
 It took me a couple of chapters to even figure out what genre I was reading. Never have I been so confused by reading a book. Was it fantasy? Was it alternate history? I think I settled on fantasy but it doesn't read like high fantasy. Again, I want to go back to that word quiet. Perhaps someone else might use the word crafty. That could potentially be an apt word but it wasn't crafty enough for me. 
 The biggest hurdle for me was that I need to attach to the characters in my books, and I never felt an attachment to any one person, which means I didn't much care who lived or died. That's not good. 
 Why I felt the book worthy of 3 stars and not a lower rating : 
 I recognized that the style just didn't suit my personal preferences but this doesn't mean that I didn't appreciate some things about the book. There were several moments of humor, as well as a few fun scenes (referencing the cons I mentioned above). The magic system wasn't as fleshed out as I'd like but some of the creatures were interesting or scary. The huge spider scene was actually amusing. 
 Final thoughts : 
 The first few pages were interesting. The last few pages were interesting. A few scenes scattered throughout the book were interesting. The rest of the book dragged. It felt like the longest book I'd ever read, even though I'm pretty sure I've read quite a few books that were much longer. 
 You know you're in trouble when you're having to consult with your buddy reading partner to get encouragement to continue! 
 I said in an earlier comment that I might continue eventually but the more I think about it, the more I think that this is the end of the line. There are too many books out there and several other fantasy series I'd rather be reading. I love the genre but this book didn't work for what I want and expect out of a fantasy. Maybe I'm just not as analytically minded as the intended audience. Who knows?