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lastblossom's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy.
tl;dr
A consistent entry in the series for fans of the books. The return of Cecily in peril made me sad.
About
Lady Cecily has once again gone missing, this time of her own accord. She's on the run from a controlling father, and Sherlock Holmes has been hired to find her. But even though the streets of London are dangerous for a young lady, Enola's not so sure that bringing her back home is any safer.
Thoughts
Lady Cecily cannot catch a break. This is the third time Enola's had to come to her rescue, and I feel worse for her every time it happens. Anyway, Enola's back, but not necessarily with a mystery. Lady Cecily is under duress again, and this time she's decided to run away. While Enola does wonder where she is, our young detective spends most of her time trying to secure a way to make sure Lady Cecily is not placed under duress again, once found. It's a departure from the usual unfolding of clues and more of an adventure story. Writing is easy to read, fast-paced, with a strong character voice as one might come to expect from the previous books. There's a brief prologue for readers who haven't read the books pertaining to Cecily, so this book can be read on its own (but hey, why not read the previous books anyway?). Cecily has dissociative identity disorder, which factors fairly strongly into this book. I am not educated enough to speak on the accuracy of the portrayal, but I can confirm that at the very least, one of the personalities isn't an evil murderer.
The series is also shifting the framework of Enola's "alone-ness." Previous books painted it as a mother equipping her child to be strong, but this narrative (highlighted with a thoughtful comment from a new character) starts to frame it as perhaps also not a kind thing to thrust on a child. As much as I love the message that Enola CAN do it on her own, I'm not sure I like the idea that she HAS to. I very much hope that this is explored in the future.
tl;dr
A consistent entry in the series for fans of the books. The return of Cecily in peril made me sad.
About
Lady Cecily has once again gone missing, this time of her own accord. She's on the run from a controlling father, and Sherlock Holmes has been hired to find her. But even though the streets of London are dangerous for a young lady, Enola's not so sure that bringing her back home is any safer.
Thoughts
Lady Cecily cannot catch a break. This is the third time Enola's had to come to her rescue, and I feel worse for her every time it happens. Anyway, Enola's back, but not necessarily with a mystery. Lady Cecily is under duress again, and this time she's decided to run away. While Enola does wonder where she is, our young detective spends most of her time trying to secure a way to make sure Lady Cecily is not placed under duress again, once found. It's a departure from the usual unfolding of clues and more of an adventure story. Writing is easy to read, fast-paced, with a strong character voice as one might come to expect from the previous books. There's a brief prologue for readers who haven't read the books pertaining to Cecily, so this book can be read on its own (but hey, why not read the previous books anyway?). Cecily has dissociative identity disorder, which factors fairly strongly into this book. I am not educated enough to speak on the accuracy of the portrayal, but I can confirm that at the very least, one of the personalities isn't an evil murderer.
The series is also shifting the framework of Enola's "alone-ness." Previous books painted it as a mother equipping her child to be strong, but this narrative (highlighted with a thoughtful comment from a new character) starts to frame it as perhaps also not a kind thing to thrust on a child. As much as I love the message that Enola CAN do it on her own, I'm not sure I like the idea that she HAS to. I very much hope that this is explored in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Confinement, and Sexism
Minor: Classism
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