Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

14 reviews

ursa_arlo's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? No

3.0

Positives. This book has an amazing concept: Victorian lady pirates with flying houses and dastardly banter?? Sign me up! The humour was fantastic and the characters were quirky in their own unique way. 

Negatives. In spite of the great premise, I was left disappointed. The book had a flying start but by the end it had committed the greatest crime of all: it was boring. The story slowed down greatly near the middle of the book and never recovered. It's not a good sign when you're left wondering what could happen to draw out the story for another hundred pages. I was also disappointed in Cecilia's character development: she was a great main character with lots of agency but had accomplished little by the end. Instead of keeping an adventurous touch, this novel devolved into a cliché romance story and that was not a great choice in my opinion. 

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writteninmagic's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.0

The premise drew me at the beginning. At times, the story was humorous with the narrator's comments. There was also a cast of predominately female pirates and thieves. The dialogue between the characters involved discussing attempted assassinations, weapons, and various exploits in casual conversations while drinking tea. Cecilia mentioning how she wanted to escape everything else that was going on and read some books instead was relatable.

The overuse of humor in the writing dragged down the story for me. The circumstances the main characters find themselves in get resolved quickly, so it didn't feel like there were real stakes involved for them. The characters also didn't really develop throughout the story, except maybe Cecilia's decision at the end. Of course, being a historical fiction book, it had to mention how tight and constricting corsets were—really, it's neither an original nor an accurate comment.

There were also some questionable scenes, like when Ned kept giving more wine to Cecilia to get her drunk, when it was her first time drinking, just because he thought it would be funny.... Another example was where three characters were dismissive of another character's outrage at being lied to about a serious problem.

Overall, the story had entertaining and silly moments, but there wasn't much substance to it. The writing also played off some serious offenses as being silly and harmless.

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clairew97's review against another edition

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2.75


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louisegraveyard's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-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

4.0


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erebus53's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a lighthearted romp humorously told, with a swig of casual gun violence, occasional swashbuckling, and graphic sex.

In this, the first book in the Dangerous Damsels trilogy, we are introduced to a world of magical realism where aristocratic pirates pilot flying houses that are mounted with canon and guns. Raised to be a ladylike scoundrel, with savvy and decorum, our main character is a young woman who has not yet been accepted into her Society as an adult. This coming of age story deals with a woman facing her evil father, choosing her own path, engaging in the martial art of Polite Conversation, and facing the warring parts of her psyche, both emotional and rational.

Although not especially diverse in its lineup of characters, it is fiercely anti-Patriarchy.

Good fun if not very deep. Pass the popcorn, there's a love.

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imds's review against another edition

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

3.0


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saeruh's review against another edition

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adventurous funny

5.0

I think this might be my favorite book of 2022. I loved the audiobook version, the narrator had the PERFECT way of using tone to make things seem gossipy but also deadpan, both of which fit the story so well. I cannot believe I was swooning over a man named Ned. So funny and so enjoyable to read. Basically a different version of Howl’s Moving Castle where posh British women have banded together to become pirates who have flying houses. All of the side characters/plots were so interesting (my favorite was Tom and Jane storyline where she led him around while he thought he had some semblance of control lol). The romance was so good, had me blushing and cheesing and giggling and kicking my feet. Such good banter between them and the chemistry was off the charts. I love a good man-is-obsessed-with-his-girl trope with a bit of insta love on his side. This also works so well for me specifically since I JUST read both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and both stories/the writers of them and their family discussed pretty often in this. If you’re afraid that you’ll miss out on some jokes you don’t want to read those books before this, you can def just read a quick summary and you’ll understand the references.
My only problem was that the end felt like a little weird. I personally thought it could have ended at the 80-85% mark since the story seemed pretty wrapped up by then.

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aromarrie's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

such a gentle romance mixed with an action-packed adventure full of hidden knives and quick wit, i enjoyed this story much more than i ever expected to and am relieved of that fact. 

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Be prepared for the prose of the book, since it is meant to be dry and decorative, thus providing a foil to the outrageous narrative. 

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levesc17's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? No

4.0

This was by far the strangest, most charming thing I’ve read in a long time. The dialogue and references to literature are superb. But I didn’t read the back flap before diving in so I thought I was getting a sweet regency romance. I was gobsmacked by floating houses and pirate women who fly them and pillage. It was fun! But I was shocked.  

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