Read this as part of CBR15Bingo: sex-banned. This book is about the pursuit of a centuries old erotic text that is said to give its participants magic powers if they follow the rules. It’s also “banned” in some places…the titular book, not this actual book. Although, given its content, I wouldn’t be surprised if it made the list sooner than later.
This is one of those books where I wonder if the author being a favorite makes me too biased to judge it accurately.
There was a lot to like about The Book of the Most Precious Substance. Lily as a main character was great, the occult angle was fascinating, the sex stuff handled well and adult-like and honestly. There’s erotica here but it’s not a book you read with one hand. I liked the journey and I kind of saw the whole story as a metaphor for the pursuit of sex, the problems with it, the thrill just before the act and the inevitable disappointment when it’s done and not as satisfying as it was in the fantasy.
But this book needed a better editor. This is the first time Sara Gran struck out on her own with her own publishing label. Her other books were so sparse and cutting. This one feels languid and uninspired at times. Also, I love the characters she creates in other books but outside the MC, the ones here come off as bland and uninteresting, even when she tries to give them nuance. And the ending was rushed too, though I appreciated the resolution from the ending even if I found the latter to be too predictable.
I feel like this is really a 3-star read but my heart says 4 because I came in expecting certain things from a Gran novel and she mostly hit them. And that’s hard to do with a high concept book like this one. I do feel surprised at the book’s shortcomings but I also enjoyed the experience. So it exists in this kind of weird space for me and I think I’ll stick with 4-stars because I do like her work so much.
