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heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit, Mental illness, Incest, Dementia, Terminal illness, Murder, Confinement, Suicide, and Stalking
zzara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Incest
pm_me_book_recs'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
A fast paced cat-and-mouse, lite courtroom drama, loaded with deception and intrigue! Red is a resourceful and clever main character, driven to unravel her family's history and secrets. From the Cornish countryside to the social court of London, we follow her from childhood to adulthood and experience all her heartbreaks and triumphs as an elaborate mystery unravels to reveal that not everyone is who they say.
The story is peppered with Tarot, as the key plot device is her Pellar father's signature technique, a little bit of star charts and mysticism. We get so many settings that all feel lived in and full- from her adolescent home full of antiquities, to creepy countryside manors, to grungy smelly London streets, and cozy but wretched taverns. The characters are believable, dogged, and loyal to their creeds. The dialogue matches the settings and historical context. There are little peaks into other characters perspectives, but the narration is mostly from Red's point of view, so the reader does build empathy even for the aggressors (sometimes).
The twists at the end had my head reeling! I don't usually get caught off guard, but dang!
I listened to this via Libro.fm, the narrator was excellent! The physical book is also gorgeous with card illustrations at each chapter head, and a few diagrams and a map of 1730's London.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Classism, Confinement, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
bookswithlydscl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Incest, Violence, and Murder
gidgetdraws'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? Yes
5.0
Fortune telling, family secrets, unreliable narrators, romance, danger, and expertly plotted prose, I loved everything about this novel. I typically pride myself on being fairly good at discerning where a plot is leading and how a book is going to end but I was wonderfully surprised all the way to the finish!
Red, our main character, is reminiscent of an Enola Holmes archetype with her quick wit and schemes that land her in more than one precarious situation. Even in her moments of lapsed judgment, you can’t help but root for her.
This is definitely going on the shelf as “books I could read for the first time again.” And I’ll definitely be reading again to catch any details and hints I may have missed the first time around!
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Body horror, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Death, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Incest and Adult/minor relationship
rhi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Classism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Torture, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
elmewhy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Incest, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Rape, Misogyny, and Pregnancy