Scan barcode
flaminia_percuriosa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
SO GOOD AAAH! How are all these books so good? How did I not get into them until AFTER the author visited the bookstore less than 10 min from my house? RIP me, but I'm also pleased as punch that this is the first book where I guessed the murderer halfway thru. Usually I'm reading too fast to try (oops) but I made just stop and pay attention. I wasn't quite as keen on this book at the very start, but it picked up halfway thru and got really good. Most satisfying ending ... Well, second-most! Of the year. (Can't quite overshadow "This Poison Heart", but equal to it.)
The one part with LGBTQ+ rep was awkward for me – why was Lily THAT upset? – it seemed more of a way to squeeze the detail about the aunts being lesbian in, and for a series that is usually does such a good job with historical accuracy, it read as terribly modern. I mean didn't we all know the aunts were lesbian 2 seconds into their very first description multiple books ago? I've read just enough about sapphics back in the day that the way they talked about the topic felt far too contemporary, but of course, it was written for a modern audience... And now I'm curious to see if I can find any definitely sapphic stuff from the era to compare, I mean I know about the BBC show so maybe people WERE that explicit! I admire the author for her attempts to add diversity, since the earlier books occasionally felt VERY straight lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism