Joanna

An ok read worthy of any Tudor/medieval/early modern fiction enthusiast. Emerson has a writing style that is easy to read, and it was an ok book. The subject is interesting and a great point of view of a momentous time in Britain’s history.

I did start to get a little bored halfway through though. A lot of things happen but nothing much actually happens. It was a wandering story whose threads only tighten somewhat at around the 80% mark.

The male MC just seems to stumble from one scene to the next, and though expressing emotions often, felt distant and not fully fleshed out. I felt similarly for the cadence and details of the story - all the elements were there, but didn’t much draw me in.

The female MC pops up for a chapter now and then to express anguish at her situation, then do something that doesn’t progress the plot, or just provides a view of men’s actions. Otherwise, women don’t appear to exist. The 16th century great reformation in England is a part of history that has been covered many times in fiction through men’s experiences, so I was disappointed to see a very limited coverage of women’s perspectives. It could have been incredibly interesting to experience this, given how women have been erased from history.

Those unfamiliar with this part of British history may be a bit lost when reading this book: few cohesive details are given, only a smattering of info here and there to push along the plot, so the motives of characters in the book feel distant.

As Emerson’s debut book I think she’s created something good here for those with a special interest in 16th century historical fiction. I do think there’s a lot of potential in her writing for future stories and characters and I’d be interested to see what she produces next.

Thank you P M Emerson, The Book Guild publishers, and NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy.

As an animal lover and appreciator of our natural world, this little tome was just the thing for lifting my spirits.

As we all know, animals are weirdos, and each comic in this book gives you a heart-lifting boost of animal weirdo serotonin with some interesting nature factoids. If you’ve ever watched birds being birds in their bird world and loved it, you’ll know what I mean. And it’s not just birds here - there are lots of other animals and plants that pop their snouts/stems/antennae in. There are also important messages delivered really well around species decline, invasive species, and climate change.

Mosco’s comics convey a childlike wonder with a quiet smile, provoke an amused groan or a chuckle, warm a swelling heart, and make you wish you could just give that crazy bird/salamander/moth/squid/dinosaur/rodent/shrub/microbe a cuddle - and then make plans to act on your renewed resolve to help protect them.

As an Australian, it’s helpful for me - and hopefully others - to know that the author is American, so many species and locations in the book are in reference to North America as well as northern hemisphere seasons and traditions. But there is plenty here to satisfy readers from anywhere.

Mosco clearly knows her biology, and her appreciation for all creatures’ and ecologies’ important places in the natural world underpins her art. We’re living in their world, and we just happen to be lucky enough to observe them going about their business.

This would be a great gift for anyone who appreciates art, animals and nature. It does contain some innocent animal mating innuendo, but I’d say it’s totally appropriate for kids as well as adults.

I loved this game, 10/10.

Side note: I’m glad to see that the balloon in this game gets zero points. Balloons are terrible. ZERO points for balloons!

Thank you Rosemary Mosco, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital advance review copy. All opinions are my own.