Belinda Kroll
Fans of The Princess Bride will surely enjoy this ridiculous romp. I certainly got lost among all the names of the lady pirates, and the stylized dialogue was such that it almost didn't matter who was speaking. Regardless, it was funny, quirky, charming, and entirely self-aware of “only being a romance.” I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is exactly the sort of escapist Victorian nonsense (said with loving tones) I hope to write myself.
I like Ceony, but there were some seriously overconfident choices made by an apprentice in this story. I kept thinking about Harry Potter, and how at least in the first books, trouble found him rather than him chasing after it. I wonder how this story may have gone if it had shifted slightly in that direction a little more. An easy, entertaining read otherwise.
Whimsical ensemble fairy tale
I'm usually a fast reader but this tale slowed me down. I feel like the story was well written, with the occasional word that left me seeking a dictionary... But I wouldn't recommend this to readers who prefer character-driven plots. This is about an entire town, so you never get to really know anyone or care about them, beyond the curiosity of what might happen next due to the fairy fruit. So many names, that I honestly gave up trying to remember who anyone was. I enjoyed the whimsy, I just wish I felt more about the story, and despite the length, many of the core mysteries driving the plot are left unsolved.
Kind of an odd story, but in a good way. Definitely has a strong resemblance to Disney's Beauty and the Beast, though I did just hear on her podcast that she didn't have this in mind when writing the book. I feel like she must have watched that movie, and maybe Gremlins, only to fall asleep that night and have the dream that ultimately inspired this book. Easy to read, and the magic system is soft enough that you don't have to question too much. Normally I hate first person narrative, but the fairy tale mood helped me get over that. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a while.
Interesting take on gaslamp fantasy
Hetty isn't a character you have to like, but she is one you admire. She's used to making hard decisions and not apologizing for them, which on the surface, pushes her into the Strong Black Woman stereotype. When we meet her in this book, she's begun to second guess herself, reflecting on those she had to leave behind as a conductor of the Underground Railroad and why she's shut off her softer emotions with her friends and found family. The magic system was cool, just loose enough for me to not care how it works but tight enough that I bought the usage, attacks, and battles. I enjoyed the use of the “fall in love with my husband” trope, and that the story didn't tie everything up into a 100% happily ever after for Hetty. A solid read!
Cute ending, semi-smarmy romance
Honestly, I think I actually really enjoyed this book just like the others in this series... It's just there was so much time spent obsessing over the age difference that I started to feel icky. Of course at the time, the age difference would have been no big deal... Wasn't Mr. Knightly 13 years older than Emma? And in the previous book, we had a marriage proposal between characters who literally could have been father and daughter. I do understand the bed for it as a plot point, but I guess I would have liked to see the gradual change of opinion be a little less so, if only for my comfort haha.
Enjoyable conclusion to the first half of this story, with the right amount of open threads that Holmberg could, if she wanted, write another duology, without making it seem like this story hadn't ended. Felt very much like an extended episode of the original Charmed series but set in Edwardian England, so, clearly, right up my alley.
This had a slow start for me. Right around the halfway point, the mystery plot picked up and the momentum increased until the ending slammed into place. Since this is a duology, the ending is a cliffhanger with more questions than I've seen in a long time for a narrative. I'm glad I kept with it, I'm interested to see how this turns out. I appreciated the slow burn for Elsie and Bacchus... We don't get a resolution until the second book. If nothing else I'm going to read the second book just to root for a interracial romance!
I did notice a funny quirk in a few descriptions... It only happens a couple times but it was enough for me to notice a pattern that Holmberg (or maybe just Elsie) likes to describe things like stomachs and skeletons as “slapping the ground” or “melting into a puddle” to help explain Elsie's dread. I don't know why this pulled me out of the story, but it did, briefly, to make me chuckle at how odd it seemed before moving on.
Solid and satisfying ending to a well-thought out, alternate reality, political thriller fantasy. Some of the writing near the end felt rushed. Sometimes I couldn't tell who the “he” or “she” was that a character was looking at and the previous paragraph didn't provide the right clues. Ultimately, the character and plot strength won. Great finale for Crowley's debut trilogy.
I really enjoyed this book! What a fun read. Part Through the Looking Glass, Howl's Moving Castle, and Jane Austen comedy of manners, I read this over two evenings and never felt like the plot sagged or went on too long. Tight writing, solid characters, satisfying twist and a Stardust sort of ending. Very enjoyable historical fantasy.
I read this back when it was first published as a teenager, and I enjoyed it as much as I did then. Jena Gemcutter, shy and afraid of causing offense or trouble, takes a surprise journey of self-discovery and magical abilities. Perhaps because I've been marginalized myself, I appreciated that the book doesn't end with her winning everything she wants, the way she wants. Jena is left with personal battles to wage and decisions to make, even while the main plot of the story has concluded. And so refreshing that her magic doesn't include romance! This is a true coming of age story, with politics and intuition playing a heavy part.
The magically-focused political thriller continues, along with an exploration of morality, ethics, disguised identities, intentions, and more. First half felt a little slow; not sure we needed to spend that much time with “Plan B.” I loved the irony of the name, btw. Second half made up for it at a roaring pace, though! Very curious to see how this trilogy ends, which says a lot because I generally dislike series and sequels.
Great primer for creators wanting to avoid the broad strokes and stereotypes culture embeds in the subconscious. I do believe there is an error on page 2 (the Uncle Tom stereotype comes from Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, not Huckleberry Finn) but otherwise as a mixed creator myself, I agree with their references, resources, and general advice for someone who had no access or insight into the diaspora.
Reading very much as if Georgette Heyer decided to write fantasy, this book was charming and fun, full of flowery language and round about way of saying simple things that require you to read dialog twice to make sure you're understanding what characters say to one another. Great to have POC main characters, but annoying how obsessed the narrative was with how “other” they were, given the author is also POC. I don't feel we learned anything with this preoccupation other than in order to break free, one must be audacious and assume success until proven otherwise.
I think I'm giving up on this book. The heroine isn't a “thinking woman” and I feel like this is the author's stereotype of Millennials rearing its ugly head. Too reactive, too willing to blame everything on everyone else, and I don't think I can stand the remaining 2/3 of the book since it doesn't seem like the character grows much (I jumped to the last chapter to see what I was in for).
Really enjoyed this book and how she makes it an every day thing for POC and gay characters to be fantasy/Greek heroes. I think Dread Nation was a little better, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope there are more given how it ends. If you tolerated the Percy Jackson series, you might enjoy this book better.
A nice, quick read when you want to escape and not think too hard. It felt like a chick flick in book form, and I was totally ok with that. It doesn't go very deep into potential problems of being in an interracial relationship, which again, I was ok with because it's not always as frought as the movies would have you believe, going off my own personal experience. I read this in the winter, but this would be a perfect Beach Read option.
Good if you don't mind a ton of internal exposition
I loved Uprooted; by comparison, this book took too long to really get started and had WAY too many narrators. I honestly got a little angry when two more narrators were introduced halfway through the book. This might have been better as third omniscient.
It was pretty painful to read this as an ebook because I didn't realize how long it would be to get to the actual plot. I kept going because the reviews are so split down the middle and I was curious where I'd fall. I wish the first half had gone much faster, and I wish we didn't have to live in everyone's head, context switching every scene. At the end of the day, this was a pretty ambitious work, referencing tales like Rumplestiltskin, Persephone and Hades, Beauty and the Beast, and even Snow vs Summer. It's almost too much. But if you have time to savor your books, I can see how this would be an enjoyable read. Since I was reading this between non-leisure stuff, it was pretty stressful.
