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Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
5 reviews
silly_little_clown's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
This was such an interesting read!! Not gonna lie, the book didn’t really pick up for me until after the 30% mark, but I’m so glad that I toughed it out.
I don’t think I’ve ever read any historical fiction written in the modern times that felt so much like I was reading about people that were actually living in that era. Even the parts that were set in Japan, I felt totally immersed into the world. The author has such a way of building up atmosphere and creating dialogues that just makes everything feel so realistic despite the fact that there are some magical realism aspects to it. I also love the work that has gone into researching all the politics at the time. It’s very interesting to have a glimpse of the international power struggles in the past.
One weird thing that I really appreciate about this book is the casual racism that were expressed by multiple characters. As a POC, while I do not condone and tolerate racism, I think it’s important to acknowledge that those were the norm in those days and they usually went on unchallenged. We are growing to evolve out of it, can’t say the same about everyone, but racism is definitely not cool now. It’s not to say that the POC characters just silently takes it, I loved it when Mori casually refuted the police’s own logic when he was confronted at the end. But I’m glad that the author decided to include those things in the story, even though it might be difficult to read for some people. It made the story all the more real, and I think as readers with critical minds, we should be well equipped to understand that depiction of a horrible thing does not mean condoning of said thing.
I love Thaniel and Mori’s dynamic so much!! They’re not the kind of couple that has a lot of tension going on, but I think that made them even more lovable. The simmering longing that is just bubbling under the surface. That’s how I would describe their pining of each other. It’s especially angsty for Mori becausehe’s the person that had seen all the possible happy ever after outcomes and yet reality keeps robbing him of them one by one. Especially when he forgets things that will happen in the future that made him who he is now. My heart ached so much when he started losing his northern accent and then losing English as a language that he knows how to communicate with. However, he’s such a clever and calculating soul that it complements Thaniel’s character so well and just makes sense for him and Thaniel to fall for each other. At least that’s what I think.
I must say I’m not a fan of Grace. Herracism aside, she’s just not a type of woman in STEM that I like haha. Her POV chapter was introduced too soon for me, because I’ve barely go to know Thaniel at that point. So I was a bit confused about what she’s doing here. And I just didn’t really care about her whole weird pining for Matsumoto (I’m not a fan of hetero “forbidden” romance, like get over yourself, seriously). And her chaotic plot of getting herself intentionally hurt so she can prove her point?? With a freaking bomb?? Reckless and stupid and she PUNCHED Keita for it. The police should’ve arrested her. She literally BLEW UP a building because she wants to prove a point and she’s not even punished. At least the Irish had good reasons. She literally did it for the fun of it like. Poor Katsu, he’s just a little clockwork octopus, he didn’t deserve to be blown to smithereens. I don’t know, I know she’s smart but she just irks me the wrong way. She’s also the type of selfish character that I don’t enjoy too, like on what grounds is she standing on to demand Thaniel spend less time with Mori. It was a plain and simple contractual marriage, I was so angry when she just nonchalantly told the workers to destroy the clockwork vines on the pear trees and straight up chopped all those trees down. The audacity. I’m actually kind of pissed that the book ended with her POV. Sorry to the Grace lovers out there. She’s just not the gaslight gatekeeper girlboss she thinks she is.
To end this review with a positive note, I can’t wait to read to spin-off and sequel! :D
I don’t think I’ve ever read any historical fiction written in the modern times that felt so much like I was reading about people that were actually living in that era. Even the parts that were set in Japan, I felt totally immersed into the world. The author has such a way of building up atmosphere and creating dialogues that just makes everything feel so realistic despite the fact that there are some magical realism aspects to it. I also love the work that has gone into researching all the politics at the time. It’s very interesting to have a glimpse of the international power struggles in the past.
One weird thing that I really appreciate about this book is the casual racism that were expressed by multiple characters. As a POC, while I do not condone and tolerate racism, I think it’s important to acknowledge that those were the norm in those days and they usually went on unchallenged. We are growing to evolve out of it, can’t say the same about everyone, but racism is definitely not cool now. It’s not to say that the POC characters just silently takes it, I loved it when Mori casually refuted the police’s own logic when he was confronted at the end. But I’m glad that the author decided to include those things in the story, even though it might be difficult to read for some people. It made the story all the more real, and I think as readers with critical minds, we should be well equipped to understand that depiction of a horrible thing does not mean condoning of said thing.
I love Thaniel and Mori’s dynamic so much!! They’re not the kind of couple that has a lot of tension going on, but I think that made them even more lovable. The simmering longing that is just bubbling under the surface. That’s how I would describe their pining of each other. It’s especially angsty for Mori because
I must say I’m not a fan of Grace. Her
To end this review with a positive note, I can’t wait to read to spin-off and sequel! :D
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Classism, Death, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Murder and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Suicide attempt, War, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
tinkeringcheck's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
It's hard to review this book. It took me a bit to get into, then I practically devoured the rest. The pacing was meandering in a charming way then skipped along too quick. The style has an inscrutable plainness that leaves a lot unsaid. On one hand it felt like it was respecting my intelligence as a reader to put things together, but as it went on it felt like most of the emotion, deeper thoughts, and motivations of the characters were left offscreen. I loved the idea of the world and the clockwork wonders it evoked, but I felt distant from it - like watching it behind a foggy pane of glass - because of the sparse style.
As for the characters, the concepts were fantastic and bursting with not-quite-realized potential. I adored every little bit of information we got about the talented and mysterious Mr. Mori, but I felt that much of Thaniel's character was left between the lines to the point of him becoming quite boring as things went on. (How this was managed despite having unique narration tics with his synesthesia, I've no idea). And while I found the drag-wearing, anti-suffragette physicist Grace quite fun and offbeat in the beginning - especially her banter with Matsumoto, the dandy friend who lets her raid his closet - she had an abrupt change of priorities and comprehensibility halfway through the book that left me disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing Mori and Thaniel's relationship growing, especially since this book's been recommended for its LGBTQ+ representation, but all the heart of it was left offscreen in a way that left me feeling hollow - like Katsu curled around the cold space in Mori's bed where he should've been.
But what soured what had still been an enjoyable read for me was when I figured out where the final act was going. I nearly threw my phone at the wall. I almost DNF'd with just chapters left. I only skimmed through to the end to see ifKatsu was alright (more on this in the content warnings) and then reluctantly turned back for the characters I still cared about - ie. Mori and Matsumoto. Grace, who I'd enjoyed despite her purposeful dash of unlikability, made some truly baffling choices in the back half the book that felt like the author's invisible hand squashing a square peg in a round hole marked 'villainess' instead of an organic character arc and was ruined for me. Thaniel still felt like a rudderless mystery even after spending so much time with him. Convoluted plots and character arcs were introduced then quickly wrapped up in neat little bows in a way that felt more like a convenient epilogue than a true finish. Even now I feel overly critical writing about it, but that's how much the climax soured me on the rest of the story. It made those things I'd brushed aside before weigh a little more heavily against it.
There's also an honestly uncomfortable amount of casual racism and xenophobia from the white characters' perspectives. It's clearly meant to be period-typical and reflect the society they grew up in because it disappears in the POV chapters set in Japan, but it still felt excessive. Japanese and Japanese-British characters (including Mori) are constantly referred to as small and delicate and juvenile, and they're described by these racialized features exponentially more often than the white characters, even late into the story. For example, Thaniel's grey eyes and other physical descriptors are mentioned offhandedly, meanwhile each time Mori is described physically - like his tanned skin or short height or small hands - it's always tacked on with some remark inexplicably tying it up with him being Japanese. (Matsumoto, being a tall man, is described as being 'English-raised' instead.) At some point I was just desperate for ANY descriptor for these characters that wasn't racialized and was left disappointed.
Overall, I wanted to fully love this book (and nearly did for awhile!) but the overall execution and the plot choices in the climax unfortunately killed a lot of my enjoyment. I did love the premise of a mysterious, talented-beyond-his-time clockwork maker in his wondrous workshop - and I felt the middle portion of the story was the strongest in part because it focused on unveiling Mori's world. But as the book went on and we were moved from his workshop into the strange 3rd act drama with less compelling characters, I wondered if what I loved about it was more about the possibilities I was imagining for myself than what was on the page. Katsu the adorable clockwork octopus, kind and lonely Mori, and dearly underused Matsumoto were the shining stars for me, though I'm not sure I'll be tuning into the next book to see how they fare.
As for the characters, the concepts were fantastic and bursting with not-quite-realized potential. I adored every little bit of information we got about the talented and mysterious Mr. Mori, but I felt that much of Thaniel's character was left between the lines to the point of him becoming quite boring as things went on. (How this was managed despite having unique narration tics with his synesthesia, I've no idea). And while I found the drag-wearing, anti-suffragette physicist Grace quite fun and offbeat in the beginning - especially her banter with Matsumoto, the dandy friend who lets her raid his closet - she had an abrupt change of priorities and comprehensibility halfway through the book that left me disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing
But what soured what had still been an enjoyable read for me was when I figured out where the final act was going. I nearly threw my phone at the wall. I almost DNF'd with just chapters left. I only skimmed through to the end to see if
There's also an honestly uncomfortable amount of casual racism and xenophobia from the white characters' perspectives. It's clearly meant to be period-typical and reflect the society they grew up in because it disappears in the POV chapters set in Japan, but it still felt excessive. Japanese and Japanese-British characters (including Mori) are constantly referred to as small and delicate and juvenile, and they're described by these racialized features exponentially more often than the white characters, even late into the story. For example, Thaniel's grey eyes and other physical descriptors are mentioned offhandedly, meanwhile each time Mori is described physically - like his tanned skin or short height or small hands - it's always tacked on with some remark inexplicably tying it up with him being Japanese. (Matsumoto, being a tall man, is described as being 'English-raised' instead.) At some point I was just desperate for ANY descriptor for these characters that wasn't racialized and was left disappointed.
Overall, I wanted to fully love this book (and nearly did for awhile!) but the overall execution and the plot choices in the climax unfortunately killed a lot of my enjoyment. I did love the premise of a mysterious, talented-beyond-his-time clockwork maker in his wondrous workshop - and I felt the middle portion of the story was the strongest in part because it focused on unveiling Mori's world. But as the book went on and we were moved from his workshop into the strange 3rd act drama with less compelling characters, I wondered if what I loved about it was more about the possibilities I was imagining for myself than what was on the page. Katsu the adorable clockwork octopus, kind and lonely Mori, and dearly underused Matsumoto were the shining stars for me, though I'm not sure I'll be tuning into the next book to see how they fare.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Biphobia, Classism, Domestic abuse, Blood, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Stalking
Minor: Body horror, Chronic illness, Animal death, and Grief
Animal death: Personally, even though it's not really graphic andthewordsdevourer's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
rly rly wanted to like this more, but the watchmaker of filigree street doesnt live up to its full potential w/ its lack of focus on stuff that could make it great - ie thaniel and mori's (happier) time(s) tgt - and what it does focus on could be handled even better.
there are a number of plot threads in the novel - yard bomb mystery, mori's ability, grace's conundrum - and imo the way they intersect could be improved. there also loose ends to some of the plot points, such as how grace's experiments in oxford end. things should be elucidated more arent, and pulley spotlights the duller stuff instead.
my biggest caveat, however, is how unsatisfying the book is as a whole bc of its dull focus on mori and thaniel. the story's emotional stakes and reader's engagement, as well as emotional payoff at the end could be much greater and fulfilling if thaniel and mori's interactions are shown more. them ending up tgt isnt surprising but how it gets there doesnt rly have any good buildup; more scenes of their down time tgt or deeper bonding could fix that, but it isnt rly shown in the book. that subtle, gently moving scene in the hospital near the end, i want more of that!
nevertheless, the premise is intriguing and the intellectual, technical stuff is intelligent, if a bit of a mindfvck for my kinda dumb self. the setting that mixes victorian london w/ steampunkish elements and japanese culture is quite original too, tho the latter comes off awkwardly at times. i also enjoy mori and thaniel as characters.
tldr: a potentially good read weighed down by its unwieldy execution and lack of focus on the good stuff.
there are a number of plot threads in the novel - yard bomb mystery, mori's ability, grace's conundrum - and imo the way they intersect could be improved. there also loose ends to some of the plot points, such as how grace's experiments in oxford end. things should be elucidated more arent, and pulley spotlights the duller stuff instead.
my biggest caveat, however, is how unsatisfying the book is as a whole bc of its dull focus on mori and thaniel. the story's emotional stakes and reader's engagement, as well as emotional payoff at the end could be much greater and fulfilling if thaniel and mori's interactions are shown more. them ending up tgt isnt surprising but how it gets there doesnt rly have any good buildup; more scenes of their down time tgt or deeper bonding could fix that, but it isnt rly shown in the book. that subtle, gently moving scene in the hospital near the end, i want more of that!
nevertheless, the premise is intriguing and the intellectual, technical stuff is intelligent, if a bit of a mindfvck for my kinda dumb self. the setting that mixes victorian london w/ steampunkish elements and japanese culture is quite original too, tho the latter comes off awkwardly at times. i also enjoy mori and thaniel as characters.
tldr: a potentially good read weighed down by its unwieldy execution and lack of focus on the good stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Racism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Violence
Minor: Death
cookiecat73's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Racism, Gun violence, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny
Minor: Outing, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Suicide, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, and Classism
clarabooksit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Death, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Blood
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