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mabridgett1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
spicemustflo's review against another edition
3.0
My feelings about this book are very complicated--I wish there was a half star option because I would give it a 2.5, I think. Still mulling it over. I loved the modern take on the Victorian Gothic style, especially as it was interwoven with theology and mythology. I enjoyed this take on a fairy world that is part of Victorian culture, and I have to say that it was beautifully unique while containing enough familiar elements that I still felt like I knew what was going on. It brought up a lot of questions of ethics and morality that are both historical and relevant today. However, there are themes and elements of this story that I distinctly did not like (incest), but I finished it just because I was so fascinated with the world and how the mysteries of it would all unravel. Not sure I would recommend this book to many people and probably won't re-read it, but I did appreciate how well the style was executed and the beautiful and perilous world the author created.
amna99's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely the strangest and most fantastical fairy story I’ve read from the swinging pendulum sun to the machinations of Queen Mab. Watching the protagonists walk deeper and deeper into a nightmare not realising how completely out of their depth they were was a special kind of torture. A lot of the theology went right over my head but I didn’t mind that and I liked the feeling of the story tightening around me like a spider weaving a web.
tani's review against another edition
3.0
Going for the full-on spoiler review because I can't figure out how to talk about this without talking spoilers.
My husband encouraged me to pick this up on a recent book-shopping trip. I had heard of it, and was intrigued by the premise. I tend to enjoy historical fantasy, and although my background in actual Gothic fiction isn't great, it was enough that I was able to enjoy the setting of this, as well as some of the tropes, quite a bit. I thought it was as really intriguing riff on some of the classical works, and I appreciated that.
I also appreciated the setting. It is great. Arcadia is crafted with such loving care and detail that I found myself drawn in by the descriptions of it. Likewise with the descriptions of the Fae who live there. If there are going to be Fae around, this is definitely how I want them to be. The world was imaginative and unique, and the Fae were likewise. A+ for that.
However. Here's my problem, and the real spoiler. It's the incest that really got me. It is a theme in this book, and it wasn't one I enjoyed. I won't say I was shocked when it was revealed, as I'd picked up on some hints, but I wasn't pleased, either. Mostly, I think this is a problem with connection. I didn't particularly care for Laon, and so I had a hard time seeing what was appealing about him to the point that incest is the answer. I like Cathy OK, but again, I didn't feel the connection that I would have needed to in order to sympathize with her plight on this. I can see where Ng made an effort to create that connection with the backstory that she gave and the interactions that she crafted, but it just didn't work for me. I did appreciate that she tied it into the religious themes that also permeate the book. I thought that was a pretty deft touch, and made the incest a bit less annoying. But I still didn't really appreciate it. What can you do?
I did appreciate the play with the changeling concept, and I was really happy with the twist at the end regarding that. However, it wasn't enough to help me recover from the incest.
My husband encouraged me to pick this up on a recent book-shopping trip. I had heard of it, and was intrigued by the premise. I tend to enjoy historical fantasy, and although my background in actual Gothic fiction isn't great, it was enough that I was able to enjoy the setting of this, as well as some of the tropes, quite a bit. I thought it was as really intriguing riff on some of the classical works, and I appreciated that.
I also appreciated the setting. It is great. Arcadia is crafted with such loving care and detail that I found myself drawn in by the descriptions of it. Likewise with the descriptions of the Fae who live there. If there are going to be Fae around, this is definitely how I want them to be. The world was imaginative and unique, and the Fae were likewise. A+ for that.
However. Here's my problem, and the real spoiler. It's the incest that really got me. It is a theme in this book, and it wasn't one I enjoyed. I won't say I was shocked when it was revealed, as I'd picked up on some hints, but I wasn't pleased, either. Mostly, I think this is a problem with connection. I didn't particularly care for Laon, and so I had a hard time seeing what was appealing about him to the point that incest is the answer. I like Cathy OK, but again, I didn't feel the connection that I would have needed to in order to sympathize with her plight on this. I can see where Ng made an effort to create that connection with the backstory that she gave and the interactions that she crafted, but it just didn't work for me. I did appreciate that she tied it into the religious themes that also permeate the book. I thought that was a pretty deft touch, and made the incest a bit less annoying. But I still didn't really appreciate it. What can you do?
I did appreciate the play with the changeling concept, and I was really happy with the twist at the end regarding that. However, it wasn't enough to help me recover from the incest.
sarahreadsabook's review against another edition
4.0
Unforgettable; for better and definitely for worse
iancann's review against another edition
4.0
Weird, edgyish in a jagged spoon sort of a way, this is an utterly gripping historical fantasy novel that plays clever with theological ideas and concepts whilst drawing you along enthralled to the end.
ireneybean's review against another edition
2.0
This book is not my cup of tea but at the same time it's quite obviously a masterpiece for someone else.
brinygherkin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
so4reads's review against another edition
4.0
This meandering book won me over on its first pages. I have not read a book this specifically written for me in some time. (historical fantasy fiction, actually creepy fae, woman pacing the twisted corridors of a Gothic castle, Victorian missionaries, discussions of theology and commentary on colonialism, colonial imagination and the ethics of missionary work all in one book?) The second half was a MESS, both the pacing and *that twist*. Still, an instant favorite.
lvgiddings's review against another edition
2.0
Beautifully written, creepy gothic mystery steeped in evangelism, incest, and guilt.