I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy of this book. I apologize for the delay in sharing my review. Now that I've recently retired, I’ve been able to tackle my backlog of reviews, and I’m excited to share my thoughts on this one. You can find my review on my Instagram account @shhi_iamreading. Here’s the link: https://www.instagram.com/shh_iamreading

DNF

The opening made it very clear this wouldn't be for me. Both the writing style and the disgusting stuff with the eyeball had me noping out really hard. I was interested because I'd enjoyed Max Barry in the past, but this one was not a good match.

This was not my favorite Maxx Barry, but it was definitely a fun ride. I didn't like Emily at all (I suppose you weren't supposed to, but it was not that enjoyable to follow her around when I didn't want to spend time with her!). The concept was pretty neat, though - and I liked the idea of the schools that trained covert ops agents in word manipulation. Much of the conceptual parts of the book I really loved, but the execution didn't quite do it for me - I know Barry is capable of so much more! An enjoyable romp through the outback, though; I do like that he took the reader around the world with his story. And of course, I loved Wil the entire time. He was a great character.

I was so excited to read "Lexicon". Unfortunately, I didn't research the book well before requesting and it need up not being my cup of tea at all. Even after the rave review and hype on Book Tube I tried again and it never was able to keep my attention.