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seedtea's review
Charming but meandering. I read the first one to get to this one but unfortunately never ended up caring about any of the characters this time
thephdivabooks's review
4.0
Quirky, fun, and surprising--I had so much fun reading this!
I wasn't sure what to expect. Waggoner has built a fantasy world that seems to be set historically in a Victorian-esque period where the divide among classes couldn't be more prominent, identity and romantic interests are fluid, and magic is a gift bestowed on a few!
Delly is a girl born in a dustbin in the ally behind a brothel (aka not the wealthy part of town) and she is constantly struggling to pay rent and keep her mother off of the red drip. Of course, it doesn't help that her landlady can cast a wicked binding spell for her rent that will cause her to break out in pustules if she doesn't pay on time!
So when Delly is looking for a way to earn some quick cash, she stumbles across the need for a band of female wizards to protect a wealthy lady as she prepares for her wedding. The band of women couldn't be more strange--but they are just the sort to protect their charge from someone who seems intent on attacking her.
Soon Delly and the others are embroiled in quite an adventure as the case takes twists and turns that lead Delly closer to her home than she realized. She may just be able to afford her rent, save the lady in waiting, and rescue her mother while she's at it!
I loved how delightfully strange this book was! The hardest thing to get used to was the writing, or I should say the dialogue. Delly and the others adapt their speech quite a bit depending who they are speaking to and it took a bit to get used to their style. Once I did, I really had so much fun!
The magic in and of itself was secondary to the other parts of the book, which is a world in which people don't seem to be thrown by a half-troll-half-woman, a shape-shifter, a mouse skeleton who seems to be alive, and much more. The characters that inhabit this world are refreshingly open to one another and to finding a connection with any creature, male, female, or otherwise.
Fans of historical fantasy will love this story! Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
I wasn't sure what to expect. Waggoner has built a fantasy world that seems to be set historically in a Victorian-esque period where the divide among classes couldn't be more prominent, identity and romantic interests are fluid, and magic is a gift bestowed on a few!
Delly is a girl born in a dustbin in the ally behind a brothel (aka not the wealthy part of town) and she is constantly struggling to pay rent and keep her mother off of the red drip. Of course, it doesn't help that her landlady can cast a wicked binding spell for her rent that will cause her to break out in pustules if she doesn't pay on time!
So when Delly is looking for a way to earn some quick cash, she stumbles across the need for a band of female wizards to protect a wealthy lady as she prepares for her wedding. The band of women couldn't be more strange--but they are just the sort to protect their charge from someone who seems intent on attacking her.
Soon Delly and the others are embroiled in quite an adventure as the case takes twists and turns that lead Delly closer to her home than she realized. She may just be able to afford her rent, save the lady in waiting, and rescue her mother while she's at it!
I loved how delightfully strange this book was! The hardest thing to get used to was the writing, or I should say the dialogue. Delly and the others adapt their speech quite a bit depending who they are speaking to and it took a bit to get used to their style. Once I did, I really had so much fun!
The magic in and of itself was secondary to the other parts of the book, which is a world in which people don't seem to be thrown by a half-troll-half-woman, a shape-shifter, a mouse skeleton who seems to be alive, and much more. The characters that inhabit this world are refreshingly open to one another and to finding a connection with any creature, male, female, or otherwise.
Fans of historical fantasy will love this story! Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
crimsoncor's review
4.0
This was a fun romp. don't think that the center relationship was as compelling as it was in the first book in the series.
ggriffin14's review against another edition
Couldn’t get into it as an audio book, might come back to it later
jothelibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lovecurran456's review against another edition
Just wasn’t in the mood for it anymore
readmylife's review
Didnt realize it was book 2 on the series. Mayb I'll pick up book 1
grey_skiess's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
kyyndahl's review
audiobook… struggling to pay attention, probs just need physical, i’ll be back