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thegrimhobbyist's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.0
thelittledeath's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Cockney-ish language made it slow to read at the beginning but as you sink into the character's POVk the story really comes alive. Highly recommend sticking to it if the first couple of chapters are a bit difficult for you to get into.
misssusan's review against another edition
5.0
holy sweet merciful god
that was fantastic. absolutely fantastic
if i didn't have a pretty stringent to read list right now i'd be buying and reading the sequel right this instant
(i'm buying the sequel obviously, i'm just going to have to hold off reading it for a bit)
piccadilly charmed the hell out of me from the very first page, he's a cardshark and thief with so much heart that you start thinking that those sound like entirely nice things to be
within a few dozen pages we're introduced to the rest of the cast who are all interesting and well-delineated to a t: miss grey, opium addict and navigatress with the unfortunate ability to sense the eldritch abominations lurking behind the edges of of the world; byron kae, aethromancer and ship captain and utter break-your-heart-over-them sweetheart; ruben crowe, ex-clergyman and the type to make you start thinking about grace and the potential for goodness inherent to the human soul; milord, crime prince who managed to grow on me a surprising amount for a man who introduces himself to the story by shooting piccadilly
(i don't approve of people shooting piccadilly. leave my love alone, there aren't enough cardsharks with genuine hearts of gold that you can go about hurting such a beautiful example)
this is a steampunk novel about found families and longing and terrifying air krakens and if none of that calls out to you, i honestly don't know what else i can say
5 stars
that was fantastic. absolutely fantastic
if i didn't have a pretty stringent to read list right now i'd be buying and reading the sequel right this instant
(i'm buying the sequel obviously, i'm just going to have to hold off reading it for a bit)
piccadilly charmed the hell out of me from the very first page, he's a cardshark and thief with so much heart that you start thinking that those sound like entirely nice things to be
within a few dozen pages we're introduced to the rest of the cast who are all interesting and well-delineated to a t: miss grey, opium addict and navigatress with the unfortunate ability to sense the eldritch abominations lurking behind the edges of of the world; byron kae, aethromancer and ship captain and utter break-your-heart-over-them sweetheart; ruben crowe, ex-clergyman and the type to make you start thinking about grace and the potential for goodness inherent to the human soul; milord, crime prince who managed to grow on me a surprising amount for a man who introduces himself to the story by shooting piccadilly
(i don't approve of people shooting piccadilly. leave my love alone, there aren't enough cardsharks with genuine hearts of gold that you can go about hurting such a beautiful example)
this is a steampunk novel about found families and longing and terrifying air krakens and if none of that calls out to you, i honestly don't know what else i can say
5 stars
s4r1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
sumayyah_t's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for review.
Welcome to Prosperity, a skytown run by the overload, Milord. Our hero, Piccadilly, a sometime prostitute, oftentime card sharp, manages to cheat in a card game against the famed Milord. Faced with the prospect of death, he runs, gets shot, and lands on deck of the Shadowless, an aethership piloted by Byron Kae. An adventure awaits Dil once he recovers. Learning to read, falling in lust, mining the clouds for phlogiston, and discovering the meaning of "home" fill his days.
"Prosperity" is an enjoyable yarn. I had some difficulty in the beginning with the dialect. Once I grew used to it, the reading was smooth. Warnings for profanity and two, somewhat graphic, homosexual sex scenes. In all, I'd look forward to reading a sequel, especially if it contained more about Dil and the mysterious Byron Kae.
Welcome to Prosperity, a skytown run by the overload, Milord. Our hero, Piccadilly, a sometime prostitute, oftentime card sharp, manages to cheat in a card game against the famed Milord. Faced with the prospect of death, he runs, gets shot, and lands on deck of the Shadowless, an aethership piloted by Byron Kae. An adventure awaits Dil once he recovers. Learning to read, falling in lust, mining the clouds for phlogiston, and discovering the meaning of "home" fill his days.
"Prosperity" is an enjoyable yarn. I had some difficulty in the beginning with the dialect. Once I grew used to it, the reading was smooth. Warnings for profanity and two, somewhat graphic, homosexual sex scenes. In all, I'd look forward to reading a sequel, especially if it contained more about Dil and the mysterious Byron Kae.
leelah's review
5.0
In which this reader gushes shamelessly about [b:Prosperity|22544017|Prosperity (Prosperity, #1)|Alexis Hall|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403127950s/22544017.jpg|41999500] - On impossible, awe-worthy talent of Hall, the wordsmith - Introduction to Piccadilly who bobbed my heart in suspicious game of cards - Fun and adventure ensue - The validity of moral compass is questioned due to swooning over scary fucker Milord - On different view of almighty and faith by very fine Ruben - All the doxy in the world for stoned Ms. Grey - Several acts of laughing out loud - Aetherotouched by captain - Additional note on everybody should fucking read this.
s4r1's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
kentcryptid's review
I can't really give this a fair review because I bounced so hard off the style it's written in. It's narrated entirely in the voice of one character and the author has chosen a kind of pseudo old-timey slang-filled dialect for him, which I found incredibly wearing. You might get along better than I did if you can happily deal with text like:
I know it ain’t honourable, but way I smoke it, any nick-ninny flat can get what he deserves, so the real trick is getting what you don't... Turned out circus was highfalutin for circle. How dingberrying pissed was I? But I kept the name anyways... Once I got ’em lulled, I started skinning ’em, and quite the dance it was cos they weren’t no buffle-noddles... I cast my glims over the assembled vessels, wondering which one of ’em would be least rattlesome and smellsome
And on, and on.
The world-building is nothing special and relies heavily on steam punk clichés without much thought behind them, but I did like the sky krakens.
I know it ain’t honourable, but way I smoke it, any nick-ninny flat can get what he deserves, so the real trick is getting what you don't... Turned out circus was highfalutin for circle. How dingberrying pissed was I? But I kept the name anyways... Once I got ’em lulled, I started skinning ’em, and quite the dance it was cos they weren’t no buffle-noddles... I cast my glims over the assembled vessels, wondering which one of ’em would be least rattlesome and smellsome
And on, and on.
The world-building is nothing special and relies heavily on steam punk clichés without much thought behind them, but I did like the sky krakens.