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meeners's review
5.0
marvelous stuff! loved this book, as soon as i made my peace with the world-building and the unexpected threat of DYSTOPIAN VISIONS writ large. dystopian lit and i are not exactly the best of friends; often feels too much like the author is trying to blackmail me into agreeing with her/him. here, though, the caught-in-the-clutches-of-a-dastardly-blackmailer feeling was eventually defeated by a much warmer appreciation for davidson's thoughtful, intelligent engagement with the gendered consequences (!! be still my heart) of the world-building itself. really marvelous.
i use the word "marvelous" with a certain relish, in the same way one (by which i mean...an american =P) might say something like "cracking fun." from the very first pages i was caught by an overwhelming sense of familiarity - this was a world i somehow knew (even though it wasn't) and a girl i knew (even though i didn't), intimately and with great affection, if only because the writing reminded me so much of...someone. i still can't quite pin down who. the closest i've come is the great and very much missed diana wynne jones. like dwj, jenny davidson has a way of pulling together off-hand and slightly off-kilter comments about places and people that pin down exactly what needs to be known about them (and about the person saying the comments, too). also like dwj, her heroes are tougher on themselves than on others but also sensible enough to not let that get in their way when it really matters. i think part of the reason why i didn't mind the dystopian aspect so much is that (apart from all the huge info-dumps) we approach it from sophie's point of view, not the author's necessarily. i knew very early on that sophie was someone i could cheer on and admire (the bit about the latin says it all!) but more importantly someone i could like, quite simply. in the end i think i enjoyed the book because i enjoyed so much getting to know sophie. another similarity to dwj!
note: wouldn't recommend this book for everybody, esp. people who get easily bothered by world-building that isn't fully fleshed out. also people who get easily bothered by rushed non-endings (there's a sequel). but this book is so, so, so much smarter and well written than the average post-twilight YA junk getting churned out these days, and so much more ambitious.
i use the word "marvelous" with a certain relish, in the same way one (by which i mean...an american =P) might say something like "cracking fun." from the very first pages i was caught by an overwhelming sense of familiarity - this was a world i somehow knew (even though it wasn't) and a girl i knew (even though i didn't), intimately and with great affection, if only because the writing reminded me so much of...someone. i still can't quite pin down who. the closest i've come is the great and very much missed diana wynne jones. like dwj, jenny davidson has a way of pulling together off-hand and slightly off-kilter comments about places and people that pin down exactly what needs to be known about them (and about the person saying the comments, too). also like dwj, her heroes are tougher on themselves than on others but also sensible enough to not let that get in their way when it really matters. i think part of the reason why i didn't mind the dystopian aspect so much is that (apart from all the huge info-dumps) we approach it from sophie's point of view, not the author's necessarily. i knew very early on that sophie was someone i could cheer on and admire (the bit about the latin says it all!) but more importantly someone i could like, quite simply. in the end i think i enjoyed the book because i enjoyed so much getting to know sophie. another similarity to dwj!
note: wouldn't recommend this book for everybody, esp. people who get easily bothered by world-building that isn't fully fleshed out. also people who get easily bothered by rushed non-endings (there's a sequel). but this book is so, so, so much smarter and well written than the average post-twilight YA junk getting churned out these days, and so much more ambitious.
somechelsea's review
3.0
Davidson created a fascinating world. We join Sophie in Scotland, 1938, and the world is teetering on the brink of all out war - only in Sophie's world, Scotland is part of the Hanseatic League, and they're skirmishing with England, which was taken over by Europe in the 1920s.
There were some great references to historical figures in extremely different circumstances - my favorite was an offhand mention of Oscar Wilde, the Irish obstetrician. Spiritualism has become a science, with lots of effort and money being expended to figure out more reliable ways to speak to the dead.
The writing didn't live up to the world, unfortunately. The book was full of action - murders, seances, bombings, secret identities, and even a sort-of car chase - but none of the excitement or suspense you would expect with those things showed up in the writing. A minor spoiler - a bomb goes off outside of the school in the middle of the first chapter, and it took me a couple paragraphs to realize something had exploded. It was very dry, and had very little humor.
There were some awkward point of view issues that were enough to bring me out of the story and start trying to rewrite the passage. The narration was third person, but we got enough insight into Sophie's thoughts that it became disconcerting when she was referred by name within the text. It was as if Sophie were speaking in third person, which, as we all know, only professional athletes are allowed to do.
Also, this is the first book in a series, and not much is resolved by the end. I like series, but I like them more when I'm forewarned.
Not a bad book, but nothing amazing. I'll read the next in the series, but I wouldn't pay money for this one.
There were some great references to historical figures in extremely different circumstances - my favorite was an offhand mention of Oscar Wilde, the Irish obstetrician. Spiritualism has become a science, with lots of effort and money being expended to figure out more reliable ways to speak to the dead.
The writing didn't live up to the world, unfortunately. The book was full of action - murders, seances, bombings, secret identities, and even a sort-of car chase - but none of the excitement or suspense you would expect with those things showed up in the writing. A minor spoiler - a bomb goes off outside of the school in the middle of the first chapter, and it took me a couple paragraphs to realize something had exploded. It was very dry, and had very little humor.
There were some awkward point of view issues that were enough to bring me out of the story and start trying to rewrite the passage. The narration was third person, but we got enough insight into Sophie's thoughts that it became disconcerting when she was referred by name within the text. It was as if Sophie were speaking in third person, which, as we all know, only professional athletes are allowed to do.
Also, this is the first book in a series, and not much is resolved by the end. I like series, but I like them more when I'm forewarned.
Not a bad book, but nothing amazing. I'll read the next in the series, but I wouldn't pay money for this one.
stephybara's review
Did not finish. This is an interesting exercise in world-building based on our world in which Napoleon defeated Wellington at Waterloo in 1815. Spiritualism is mainstream, the narrator is trying to solve a mystery, blah blah blah. Gave up around page 300. I just didn't care anymore.
singinglight's review
4.0
I’d heard good things about this book, and they were entirely justified. An alternative history where the ancient Hanseatic League has been revived, this book tells the story of Sophie, a girl in 1930′s Scotland. She is a good main character and the plot is certainly thrilling. I have the sequel now and am definitely looking forward to it!
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I tend to enjoy alternate history type books and this one did a very nice job of identifying exactly when it was that our history and this world’s history diverged (Battle of Waterloo: the French won). Sophie is an excellent character and overall it was just one of those delightful, solid reads that makes you happy. [2010 in books]
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I tend to enjoy alternate history type books and this one did a very nice job of identifying exactly when it was that our history and this world’s history diverged (Battle of Waterloo: the French won). Sophie is an excellent character and overall it was just one of those delightful, solid reads that makes you happy. [2010 in books]
caitlin_bookchats's review
2.0
I had to drag myself through the first hundred or so pages. Most of all the book didn't meet my high expectations, but it picked up immensely near the end and I actually might pick up any sequels.
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