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petealdin's review against another edition
4.0
I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars because it really was pitch perfect. I reserve 5 stars for books that remain favourites.
This was pitched in Australia as "teen fiction" but as an adult, I loved every page. It's pacy, erudite, witty...and interesting! Brilliant melding of concepts, sharp characters. The Neanderthal "voice" was drawn slightly differently from Homo sapiens and Pryor pulled it off masterfully.
Brilliant book.
This was pitched in Australia as "teen fiction" but as an adult, I loved every page. It's pacy, erudite, witty...and interesting! Brilliant melding of concepts, sharp characters. The Neanderthal "voice" was drawn slightly differently from Homo sapiens and Pryor pulled it off masterfully.
Brilliant book.
melbsreads's review against another edition
3.0
Plot summary: On the brink of the 1908 Olympics, Kingsley wants nothing more than to launch his career as a conjurer and escapologist. But Kingsley has a secret wild side that he sometimes can't contain, and besides - there's a group of immortal magicians who want his brain. And if the immortal magicians aren't bad enough, a group of Neanderthals want him (and all homo sapiens) dead too. With the help of Evadne, a mysterious albino girl, and Rudyard Kipling, Kingsley is about to have the adventure of his life.
Thoughts: I think I would have liked this more than I did if it hadn't been so blatantly the set up for a new series. There was a lot of world building to do, and the action suffered as a result. Kingsley's a fascinating character - I loved his backstory, and it'll be interesting to see how it develops in the following books. Evadne is a total badass, with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos up her sleeve. The Demimonde was fascinating, and much better executed than China Mieville's UnLundun. The Neanderthals were great too. Oh, and bonus points for including time travel.
But despite liking all of the elements, the overall story didn't particularly grab me at this stage. I'm not sure if there was too much left unanswered or if I missed some key part of the story, but I never felt like the story gelled for me. Still, it was an enjoyable read and I'll probably keep an eye out for future additions to the series.
Thoughts: I think I would have liked this more than I did if it hadn't been so blatantly the set up for a new series. There was a lot of world building to do, and the action suffered as a result. Kingsley's a fascinating character - I loved his backstory, and it'll be interesting to see how it develops in the following books. Evadne is a total badass, with all kinds of gadgets and gizmos up her sleeve. The Demimonde was fascinating, and much better executed than China Mieville's UnLundun. The Neanderthals were great too. Oh, and bonus points for including time travel.
But despite liking all of the elements, the overall story didn't particularly grab me at this stage. I'm not sure if there was too much left unanswered or if I missed some key part of the story, but I never felt like the story gelled for me. Still, it was an enjoyable read and I'll probably keep an eye out for future additions to the series.
caitieh97's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Was a good read, but I felt like there was so much going on in terms of plot that a lot of it didn't get fleshed out properly. As far as I can tell there is only one sequel, and I'm not sure if that is enough to finished off what has been started
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