Beth Morrison
Rating Breakdown
Plot: 3 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Setting: 5 stars
Personal enjoyment: 4 stars
Emotional impact: 3 stars
Themes: 2 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars
The best thing about this book is the time period. The setting is a solid five out of five for me. We're right on that glorious line between stuffy Victorian life and the start of the swinging Edwardian age. Think women starting to realize they can do more than just manage a house, but still having to navigate the whole "find a respectable husband" circus. I eat stiff in this time period up! Plus, the neighborhood has that fantastic quirkiness—we're talking vanishing objects and the occasional rumored sighting of The Roman ghost!
While the plot is just getting started, (it feels like Volume 1 is setting the table) the characters are five-stars,
I honestly loved every single one of them. The dialogue is what makes it sing. It’s all really subtle, sneaky wit and sharp banter. You really have to pay attention because the best, cheekiest lines are easy to miss if you're reading too fast! This character chemistry is what kept me glued to the pages. Emma M. Lion herself is amazing—smart, sarcastic, and dealing with life's garbage like a champ.
Overall, I had a good time! It was a quick read that managed to make me chuckle with Emma's snark one minute, and then feel genuinely bad for her the next when she's dealing with her sad stuff. The themes—like how we handle loss, grief, and leaning on your friends—are classic, but they definitely hit you right in the feels.
I am dedicating all my emotional energy to the hope that Cousin Archibald loses every single one of his pompous robes in a humiliating accident in the next book. Fuck that guy.
Rating Breakdown
Plot: 3 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Setting: 5 stars
Personal enjoyment: 4 stars
Emotional impact: 3 stars
Themes: 2 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars
The best thing about this book is the time period. The setting is a solid five out of five for me. We're right on that glorious line between stuffy Victorian life and the start of the swinging Edwardian age. Think women starting to realize they can do more than just manage a house, but still having to navigate the whole "find a respectable husband" circus. I eat stiff in this time period up! Plus, the neighborhood has that fantastic quirkiness—we're talking vanishing objects and the occasional rumored sighting of The Roman ghost!
While the plot is just getting started, (it feels like Volume 1 is setting the table) the characters are five-stars,
I honestly loved every single one of them. The dialogue is what makes it sing. It’s all really subtle, sneaky wit and sharp banter. You really have to pay attention because the best, cheekiest lines are easy to miss if you're reading too fast! This character chemistry is what kept me glued to the pages. Emma M. Lion herself is amazing—smart, sarcastic, and dealing with life's garbage like a champ.
Overall, I had a good time! It was a quick read that managed to make me chuckle with Emma's snark one minute, and then feel genuinely bad for her the next when she's dealing with her sad stuff. The themes—like how we handle loss, grief, and leaning on your friends—are classic, but they definitely hit you right in the feels.
I am dedicating all my emotional energy to the hope that Cousin Archibald loses every single one of his pompous robes in a humiliating accident in the next book. Fuck that guy.