Reviews

The sex is less plot relevant, but more introspective and also finally sapphic. The plot thickens and we get a bunch of old lady badasses. Something something sometimes a reluctant found family is a lordling, a pickpocket, a medium, a ghost and an actress.

ooms's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

mellomorissa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

aubryn's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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? It's complicated

3.75

Fun read with a lovely queer story line. I wasn’t super hooked by the plot and felt myself not as invested at the end as I should have been

cateasp's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

wyattparks19's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

While not quite as perfect as the first of the trilogy, this book is still incredibly well-done. Marske is a master of using every page to her advantage, never letting a scene go to waste. While I missed the lovable relationship of Edwin and Robin, it was still great to explore Maud's life and her ambitions, strengths, and desires. I'm looking forward to reading the last book!

max_the_lesbrarian's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was an absolutely stellar sequel to Marske's previous book in the series, A Marvellous Light. It was equal parts fun, heart-pounding, and wonderous.

The book has a relatively simple premise: Maud must find an item key to the survival of magicians across England with only the hazy visions her brother has given her while stuck on a trans-Atlantic ship for six days. Along the way she encounters plenty of wild characters - some new and some old - and lots of twists and turns.

I really think the highlight of this book lies in the characters. Quite frankly, I adored them all. Maud begins the book quite naive (and at times a bit annoying), but her character really develops into someone fierce and cunning. Violet was such a fascinating juxtaposition to her, as well as all of the other side characters.

Overall, it was an exciting romp and I am desperately excited for the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor.com for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.

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