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killerwhaletank's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The story covers three “cases” that sisters Augusta and Julia partake in, each one with some dark themes of abuse and mistreatment of women and children. Essentially it’s like three novellas tied together with overarching main story. It starts with the sisters retrieving a letter for a friend, which sets them on a path of what Augusta feels is true usefulness… helping those women that have no one else. Along the way they enlist the aid of their butler Weatherly, Lord Evan Belford (former nobleman turned highwayman) and others. They’re a Regency sort of “A-Team”.
The characters are fantastic. Rich, well-developed… particularly Augusta who is the one we follow (told from her perspective). They are realistic, compassionate women… and unlike in a romance novel, their reactions and the restrictions, particularly for two spinster women, is very darkly realistic.
The book is satisfying in its resolution, but has left a lot of stories unfinished (Augusta’s relationship with her brother Duffy, Lord Evan’s future, Mr. Kent and Julia, etc.). I hope that this means there is another book in the works. I would love to read more about these wonderful and amazing women.
This book is what Sarah Maclean’s Hell’s Belles SHOULD have been… if it had been more realistic, and the writing is fantastic.
Read the afterward by the author as well, it’s very, very interesting.
Such a great read, I was completely blown away by the quality of this book.
Graphic: Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Trafficking, and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape, Racism, and Homophobia
bessadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Violence, Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Gun violence, Classism, Trafficking, Cancer, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Death, Child abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Racism, and Child death
magnetarmadda's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Torture, Cancer, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Ableism, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Child death, Homophobia, and Miscarriage
smiti_nathan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Cancer, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Grief, Classism, Death, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Child death, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Racism, Slavery, Murder, Outing, and Rape
goldseamedglass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Confinement, Classism, Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Medical trauma, Torture, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Suicide, and Trafficking
Moderate: Sexual violence, Child death, Torture, Gun violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity and Slavery
idesofmarch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Medical content, Trafficking, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Excrement, Cancer, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, Rape, Incest, and Racism
aseel_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Murder, Outing, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Excrement, Homophobia, Confinement, Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death of parent, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Trafficking, Death, Racism, and Violence
lyricallit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Excrement, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Trafficking, Racism, Cancer, and Homophobia
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a feminist tirade against the abuse of women in the 18th and 19th Centuries, and nothing about it is gentle. I am not one to cry at books but I had tears in my eyes reading about the conditions at the private insane asylum - women chained half-naked in feces up to their ankles is just one example of the many cruelties and injustices.
The author has done copious research on the Regency period of England (1811-1820), and it tells in the detail she brings to the story. This would be a good companion to Jane Austen’s books and the somewhat later ones of the Bronte’s. They focused on polite society whereas this book shows a part of England they may not have known existed.
Unfortunately for me, this book was only just published so I’ll have to wait all too long for the sequel. I know it will be well worth the wait, but still….
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Cancer, Deportation, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Incest
alyssajp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Graphic: Excrement, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Cancer, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Misogyny, and Classism
Minor: Rape