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yourbookishbff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was a reread, and my enjoyment only improved from my first read! The first half of this series-start is very character-driven, and readers should be prepared for a lot of world and character building. The mystery plot takes off in the second half, and its conclusion can be a bit confusing given the wide cast of characters. That said, I loved revisiting Charlotte's launch into the world, and you can't beat narration by Kate Reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Death, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Child abuse, Stalking, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
blewballoon's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I am being a bit generous with my rating for how much I personally enjoyed the book, but that's based on the writing quality and how I can see how other people would like it if they aren't bothered by the things that bothered me. I really wanted to like this, but unfortunately I just kept having issue after issue with it.
Our character introduction is Charlotte getting caught sleeping with a married man. Infidelity really bothers me, so I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle to try to like her. We then spend a big chunk of the first part of the book in a bunch of other character's perspectives (mostly Charlotte's sister, so I was a little confused as to who the main character actually was for a bit) before we even get to hers and learn her poor rationale for her choices. So smart yet so dumb? An argument could be made that maybe the author is going for her being smart with facts and riddles, but bad at interpreting emotions and human behavior. She seems to be strongly coded as autistic as well. There's a bunch of casual fat-phobia sprinkled around because one of Charlotte's other main character traits is that she really likes food, but of course it would be bad if she got too plump. 🙄
I was going to DNF the book, but thenMrs. Watson became a character and I loved her and how she stepped in to help Charlotte so much. I got really into it at that point. Unfortunately, that turned out to be an orchestrated situation by someone else, so the most redeeming part of the book for me turned out to be a lie.
Most of the investigation of the main mystery is not done by Charlotte herself, but by an Inspector. Huge chunks of the book are just him interviewing people and considering their testimony. He's fine at his job. He feels sad and surprised whenhe realizes that his wife may have had any other desires apart from being his wife and that women might actually think about things.
I could not get on board with the love interest. I get that this is historical England and people were in unhappy marriages, but I do not feel the chemistry, I do not feel the friendship, I feel like I'm being told that I should want them to be together (as master and mistress? 🤢) but I don't feel why I should.
The resolution to the big mystery is pretty dark in subject matter, I wasn't expecting that, but I do think it was talked about in a remote enough way not to be overly disturbing.
I think the author did overall do a decent job of coming up with puzzles and mysteries and tying things together for Charlotte and the other characters to solve. I like that other characters had skills and specialized knowledge to contribute,like Mrs. Watson with her ear for accents and acting/costuming skills to create disguises, and Lord Ingram's photo development and manipulation talent. I think the writing quality was good apart from the jarring switches between perspective and how little perspective Charlotte herself gets.
Our character introduction is Charlotte getting caught sleeping with a married man. Infidelity really bothers me, so I knew it was gonna be an uphill battle to try to like her. We then spend a big chunk of the first part of the book in a bunch of other character's perspectives (mostly Charlotte's sister, so I was a little confused as to who the main character actually was for a bit) before we even get to hers and learn her poor rationale for her choices. So smart yet so dumb? An argument could be made that maybe the author is going for her being smart with facts and riddles, but bad at interpreting emotions and human behavior. She seems to be strongly coded as autistic as well. There's a bunch of casual fat-phobia sprinkled around because one of Charlotte's other main character traits is that she really likes food, but of course it would be bad if she got too plump. 🙄
I was going to DNF the book, but then
Most of the investigation of the main mystery is not done by Charlotte herself, but by an Inspector. Huge chunks of the book are just him interviewing people and considering their testimony. He's fine at his job. He feels sad and surprised when
I could not get on board with the love interest. I get that this is historical England and people were in unhappy marriages, but I do not feel the chemistry, I do not feel the friendship, I feel like I'm being told that I should want them to be together (as master and mistress? 🤢) but I don't feel why I should.
The resolution to the big mystery is pretty dark in subject matter, I wasn't expecting that, but I do think it was talked about in a remote enough way not to be overly disturbing.
I think the author did overall do a decent job of coming up with puzzles and mysteries and tying things together for Charlotte and the other characters to solve. I like that other characters had skills and specialized knowledge to contribute,
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: War, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Grief, Classism, Rape, and Incest
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