Reviews

Prosperity by Alexis Hall

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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.

ginger_slam_becs's review

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5.0

This was amazing. I had been sitting on this title for a while - I don't know why - but I needed it this weekend and it did not disappoint. The audiobook narration by Nicholas Boulton (super swoony narrator of Flowers From the Storm, Glitterland, Something Fabulous, my dreams??) is amazing and does a fantastic job bringing Alexis Hall's brilliant writing to life - and is especially helpful for the cant vernacular. It's a bit steampunk-y, a bit SFF-y, romance-y and FUN.

I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Dil and Byron Kae and everyone aboard the Shadowless. I am also tragically attracted to Milord.

I also love anything that leads me on a path of further reading so have been enjoying exploring cant dictionaries and the Prospertyverse extras on AJH's website.

"Oh dear, I do so wish I was hammered" - Miss Gray

"Love isn't earned, it's given" - Byron Kae

musebeliever's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

tropes's review

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4.0

Absolutely wonderful. What a romp. I want more!

mobooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

lapon's review

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.5

soft_reads's review

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adventurous challenging 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

4.5

I love the concepts presented in this book. Of towns built in the sky and the krakens that lie beyond our world wanting to break through. The world building is holistic and vivid, I can see clearly what I'm reading and imagine what is looks like and feels like.
I really like Dil's narrative voice and how personal it feels - although it made it a bit of a hard slog to read with my dyslexic brain, I found myself fumbling for words a lot and I caved about half way through and found an audiobook I could listen along with while I read, I honestly don't know if I've gotten through it otherwise.
Byron Kae is one of my favourite characters, I love their mysteriousness and affections of Dil so much!
Ruben, Milord and Miss Grey are all so vivid and complex characters, it's brilliant.

veethorn's review

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5.0

This book is glorious. Triumphantly good writing, a narrator that stays consistent and interesting, a cast of supporting characters so diverse as to fascinate anyone, steampunk and Dickens and an original mythology, AIR SHIPS and krakens in the sky, oh, I enjoyed this so much. More, more, give me more.