Torn

I want preface this review by saying I really wanted to like this book. It had an interesting concept and an imperfect protagonist. I also appreciated that the focus was on sewing and the character was allowed succeed without becoming Buffy. Also the cover art is swoon.
Unfortunately, this book had a lot of problems. I'm hoping the sequels solve at least some of them. These problems include:
* Not thinking through the politics enough. If you are going to make politics a central theme they need to be fleshed out and believable in terms of human nature.
* Certain aspects of romance felt like they went to0 fast and the protag caught damsel syndrome when I wanted her to be awesome instead. She flip flops on things that are supposedly significant to her.
* The magic system was okay but as one reviewer mentioned, one particular person gaining powers was just...annoying.

This was not the book I was looking for. The blurb mentions it is French Revolution-inspired in a fictional world with magic. The magic system is interesting: a few seamstresses can cast charms into their stitches, making charm protected garments. The protagonist, Sophie, is one of those expert seamstresses and has her own business. Her brother, Kristos, is a revolutionary that wants to overthrow the monarchy (hence the French Revolution inspiration). But the revolution didn???t seem convincing. It was a bit of a slow burn towards political revolution from the POV of someone who is connected to it (Sophie) but doesn???t really want to get involved. Sophie was so reactive and her lack of agency annoyed me at times. There was not enough texture in the story to make it a compelling revolution inspired story.??

Pros: complex protagonist, slow moving romance, political commentary

Cons:

Sophie Balstrade's unique skill of sewing charms into garments has given her shop steady business, but she's hoping to catch the eye of noble ladies. She's overjoyed to receive a commission from Viola Snowmont as well as an invitation to the lady's salon, both of which propel her into a higher class of clientele and a potential love affair. But her brother's a leader in the Laborer's League, and as tensions build among the disaffected lower classes, she finds herself torn between his goals and her own. When he disappears, she's blackmailed into helping the League by doing something against her moral code - sew a cursed object.

I really enjoyed this book. While I wouldn't say it's cribbed from the French Revolution, the salons, the court fashions, the presence of guns and the social tensions did remind me of that period of history.

I loved Sophie, especially the fact that she actually works at her shop and when she takes time off she either has to make up the work later or rearrange the schedule so everything is done on time. I appreciated that she had goals and that she'd considered the consequences of marriage (her husband and his family would gain control of her shop) and decided it wasn't for her.

The romance thread was slow paced, which I appreciated. The couple actually talked about the realities of their situation and acknowledged that due to their stations things could only go so far.


The magic - attaching charms via thread into garments - was very original. Sophie has to learn how to do curses and there's a physical cost to her for doing them.

There was just enough of the politics to keep things interesting without slowing the pacing. Through Sophie we see that the nobility have duties to perform and that their lives aren't all given to leisure, while the workers have legitimate grievances.

This is a fun read and I'm looking forward to the sequel.