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kristiinaness's review against another edition
3.0
This is a teen mystery but I'm a very immature reader and I loved the whole series.
claudiamccarron's review
4.0
The uncritical imperialism/Orientalism at work here hasn't aged well, but the mystery is great and the characters and setting are beautifully described. I just wish it was longer!
stephxsu's review against another edition
2.0
Well. Erm. Humm.
After meaning to read this book for years, I wanted to like this so much more than I did!!!!! Yes, I am using an excess of punctuation here because I feel like my disappointment is justified. So many readers I know say that this book was one of their favorites; that they wanted to be, or be friends with, Sally Lockhart; that rereading this beloved gem never failed them.
My biggest qualm with THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE is that Sally Lockhart feels like the quintessential "un-protagonist." For a character with an eponymous series name and lots written up about her in the back cover synopsis, Sally spends a lot of time off the page. The narration divides its time between Sally, the villains, Jim the plucky errand boy, Frederick the photographer, and who knows who else. While it was not bad that we spent some time following Jim's, Frederick's, the villains' footsteps around, I felt like the synopsis misled me to believe that I'd learn more about Sally, that I'd come to understand how she thinks, how she operates.
Alas, not only does Sally not have much narration time, rendering her still unfamiliar to me, but she also doesn't DO much of anything in this book. The synopsis makes her out to be this female wunderkind detective force to be reckoned it, when actually I feel like she does a lot of sitting at home, waiting for others (read: the male characters) to get back from their excursions and fill her in on what they've done. For a character that's supposed to be the protagonist, Sally really feels two steps behind everyone else on this case. Cementing my view that the series was named incorrectly was the fact that. Then the climactic scenes occur in which the guys get to do a lot of fighting and Sally is merely hormonal. Puh-lease. I don't care whichever way you spin it, Sally is not "intrepid" for tearfully enduring the consequences of her unknown history and for figuring out something that another character already figured out before her.
For a book with a female protagonist, THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE spends a disappointingly disproportionate time showing us that actually it's the boys who still get to do the exciting and essential parts of crime-solving. Feminist I find this book is not. Try Y. S. Lee's impressive The Agency Victorian mystery series if you truly want to see a smart and resourceful teen female detective in action.
After meaning to read this book for years, I wanted to like this so much more than I did!!!!! Yes, I am using an excess of punctuation here because I feel like my disappointment is justified. So many readers I know say that this book was one of their favorites; that they wanted to be, or be friends with, Sally Lockhart; that rereading this beloved gem never failed them.
My biggest qualm with THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE is that Sally Lockhart feels like the quintessential "un-protagonist." For a character with an eponymous series name and lots written up about her in the back cover synopsis, Sally spends a lot of time off the page. The narration divides its time between Sally, the villains, Jim the plucky errand boy, Frederick the photographer, and who knows who else. While it was not bad that we spent some time following Jim's, Frederick's, the villains' footsteps around, I felt like the synopsis misled me to believe that I'd learn more about Sally, that I'd come to understand how she thinks, how she operates.
Alas, not only does Sally not have much narration time, rendering her still unfamiliar to me, but she also doesn't DO much of anything in this book. The synopsis makes her out to be this female wunderkind detective force to be reckoned it, when actually I feel like she does a lot of sitting at home, waiting for others (read: the male characters) to get back from their excursions and fill her in on what they've done. For a character that's supposed to be the protagonist, Sally really feels two steps behind everyone else on this case. Cementing my view that the series was named incorrectly was the fact that
Spoiler
Sally basically gets gypped out of having her crowning moment! Through putting herself in an opium-induced trance, she figures out the secret behind the ruby, but it turns out that JIM already figured it out chapters ago, but just didn't tell her for fear of disappointing her or whatnotFor a book with a female protagonist, THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE spends a disappointingly disproportionate time showing us that actually it's the boys who still get to do the exciting and essential parts of crime-solving. Feminist I find this book is not. Try Y. S. Lee's impressive The Agency Victorian mystery series if you truly want to see a smart and resourceful teen female detective in action.
ligiandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Dacă Indiana Jones și Sherlock Holmes s-ar fi întâlnit având în rol principal un personaj feminin, asta ar fi seria.
S-a citit extrem de repede, nu am prevăzut plot twist-ul, lucru care mi-a plăcut și nu pot decât să continui să o recomand.
Sally Lockhart e cu siguranță unul dintre personajele feminine cele mai captivante din câte am întâlnit în acest an.
S-a citit extrem de repede, nu am prevăzut plot twist-ul, lucru care mi-a plăcut și nu pot decât să continui să o recomand.
Sally Lockhart e cu siguranță unul dintre personajele feminine cele mai captivante din câte am întâlnit în acest an.
kitdunsmore's review against another edition
3.0
My rating is actually a 3.5. I wanted to like this book more than I did. Lots of characters and lots happening, but I can't help thinking that things were more convoluted and outrageous than they needed to be. Perhaps that was the point and I am just being obtuse. It's a setting I love (Victorian-era London) and a clever parallel between the beginning and ending of the book raised my opinion of it at the last moment.
northernlights's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
olivia_b2509's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.0
ptothelo's review against another edition
4.0
i enjoyed this trilogy. i think it's more traditional than the dark materials trilogy, but i "got" it :p
moonmama's review against another edition
4.0
It was a bit dry, but a great adventure book with an interesting cast of characters and a great and vile female villain. It was also a very good mystery that kept me guessing. Would like to read the rest of the series. While not nearly as interesting as the Golden Compass series, I forgot the actual name of the trilogy, still a good book.
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite a mystery for young adults. While Sally Lockhart is solving a mystery and facing peril, the true motives of villains and heroes are never masked. You know from their introduction where they're going to side. The history of the titular ruby is the only bit you don't know until the very end, though, luckily, it winds up being an interesting reveal.
It's the kind of book that leaves you interested, but not ravenous. Like, if I didn't have the next two books queued as audiobooks, I might wind up reading the plot on Wikipedia. Not bad, but not entirely sure it's worth my reading time, due to that issue of the obvious motives and alliances. Perhaps future books will have more surprising things happen?
The audiobook version is typical audiobook quality. Nothing to really make it stand out in the mind. Just a reading, without errors, and with a fair amount of emotion. It's not bland, but it's not above the average.
It's the kind of book that leaves you interested, but not ravenous. Like, if I didn't have the next two books queued as audiobooks, I might wind up reading the plot on Wikipedia. Not bad, but not entirely sure it's worth my reading time, due to that issue of the obvious motives and alliances. Perhaps future books will have more surprising things happen?
The audiobook version is typical audiobook quality. Nothing to really make it stand out in the mind. Just a reading, without errors, and with a fair amount of emotion. It's not bland, but it's not above the average.