2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss The Rook, the first book in the Checquy Files series by Daniel O'Malley.

Pages: 504 pages

Length: 1 month (September)

Participants: SarahKat, Lorraine

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

Hello SarahKat,
I just received my copy of The Rook! I’m planning to start it in early September so I can finish before leaving on the 14th. It’s my first time reading this author, and since I enjoy fantasy, I’m really hoping this story will be a good fit for me.

Hi Lorraine! Sounds good! I will try to get to the library today or tomorrow to get my copy.

It's my first time with this author as well. I've had it on my list for a while!

I’ve read the first four chapters of The Rook, and my first impression is quite positive. (view spoiler)[The setup is intriguing, though the fact that the main character has either lost her memory or is another person inhabiting her body means the story relies heavily on explanations to bring her (and us) up to speed. Even so, the premise feels fresh and engaging. I’m curious to see how it develops from here. (hide spoiler)]

I'm through Chapter 16 and I agree. (view spoiler)[I like the world and the whole Checquy system. I also like the main character, though I wish I could spell her name without looking... Myfanvwy?
I do not like how heavily the story relies on the exposition in the letters. I tend to zone out during the longer ones, which is unfortunate since I'm sure I'm missing some important things.
She is much more honest and outgoing than I would be if I didn't know what I was doing. She really doesn't spend a lot of time quietly observing. I'm also surprised she told Dr. Crisp that she interfered with the interrogation. She still has no clue who betrayed her, maybe play things a little closer to the chest. (hide spoiler)]

Remember it is supposed to sound like Tiffany! So change the T for an M and you have it! :-)

Through Chapter 24: (view spoiler)[I am not really liking the letters anymore at all. I would rather figure out the history in a different way now that new Myfanwy is more familiar with her surroundings. It's alright though.

We just figured out Gestalt is the traitor. Was he the one who tried to kill her too? I'm not sure we should trust Shantay. They keep mentioning "The Americans" but I think she's really the only one we've seen. Her partner was sick at the hotel when they first met. Her entourage wasn't mentioned/there. When Bronwyn shows up it's like "hey don't trust this person right away, it could be a Grafter!" But, so could Shantay?
And just recently they are all sitting around the table looking at each other suspiciously like anyone could be a Grafter. I don't know! (hide spoiler)]

I just finished Chapter 18. I had to switch languages. When I started Chapter 8, I was shocked—I really thought I was starting to have memory problems! But since that was the chapter where the Grafter storyline begins, I switched to the French edition and quickly realized it was more about a misunderstanding of the English than my memory. OUFFF, what a relief.

That being said, I agree with you: (view spoiler)[ the letters are becoming tiresome. I tend to skim through them, thinking the main chapters should be enough to follow the story. For now, I’m not even trying to guess who the culprit might be, since I don’t feel engaged enough in the story yet. I can’t say I’m enjoying this book as much as I had hoped after reading the description, but maybe the next chapters will pick up and bring more action. (hide spoiler)]

I’ve finished The Rook. (view spoiler)[ To be honest, I ended up skimming through quite a bit of it. For now, I’m leaning toward giving it a 2/5, though I’ll hold off on settling my rating for a few days—I might be judging it too harshly.

Why a 2? First, I found the letters didn’t add much to the story. I understand that Myfanwy needed guidance to play her role at work, but since she was already so different from her former self—more self-assured, more decisive—I think the author could have developed the story in another way. Second, while the premise is original, the book ultimately felt more like a personal Myfanwy tale than a fully realized fantasy novel.

That said, I want to be fair. I’m currently juggling three fantasy books at once, and I suspect that may have made the weaknesses in this one stand out more sharply. Perhaps if I had read it on its own, I’d have a better opinion of it. Or maybe I simply prefer my fantasy books to lean more toward the Medieval side. (hide spoiler)]

Looking forward to see what you thought of it.

I finished and I agree Lorraine.

(view spoiler)[I was holding out hope for the majority of the book but I really just stopped caring. I read the last 100 pages but I can't say I absorbed or cared about it at all.

The letters after the first 3 or 4 were just a waste of time. They didn't reveal anything at all, just the history of what had happened to the previous Myfanwy and since we knew how that ended up, it didn't matter!

Urban fantasy does seem to miss for me more often than high fantasy. I thought the premise was pretty interesting and I enjoyed bits and pieces of the book. However a lot of the plot was either boring or ridiculous, like the screaming, skinless Belgian. Was the author going for funny? It wasn't. (hide spoiler)]