I decided to read this book after enjoying the TV series so much. This in itself is unusual for me, I like to make an effort to read books before their screen counterpart. Even more unusual, is the fact that I actually enjoyed the TV series more. *GASP* BLASPHEMY I KNOW! Let me explain.

The book has so much to offer. I love the plot, I mean, who doesn't love the idea of a female chess player taking the male dominated chess world by storm and showing them who really deserves the crown. Walter has made Chess sound beautiful and appear so much more than a game. The plays are fast-paced and high stakes.

But the writing, I just struggled to get past it. It just felt so much like a script with stage directions. She walked here. She did this. She felt sad. There just wasn't any... finesse (for lack of a better word) to the writing. And because of this, I struggled with the characters. They were just sort of there, many of them had no real purpose, the relationships fell flat, the personalities just molded together.

Now I understand that Beth is a neuro-divergent character, that much is obvious. So maybe this is just how she sees the world. We read it how she interprets it, coldly and as it is. This point would have hit a lot harder if it was first-person though, I was in her mind and hearing it straight from her. The third-person, however, just made it feel simple and boring.

I feel that the producers of the TV show did an excellent job. They kept true to book with almost everything but just tweaked it slightly. And I found those tweaks to be exactly what this book needed.

I would still recommend this book, despite my raving on up above, I did enjoy the story. I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn't already seen the show and knew what was coming. The Queen's Gambit is a good book, but a phenomenal TV show.