Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Lost Future of Pepperharrow

Whay can I say? I am very invested in the story and its characters so I was really excited when I saw that my library had finally gotten a copy and I borrowed it straight away.

This book (and in general all of Natasha Pulley's books) is quite plotty, to put it simply a lot happens and keeps happening, and also the great majority of it is not exactly light stuff, quite the contrary. Still, the story is very intriguing and pulls you along, and it can also be quite funny at times.

Anyway, I think that the plot is very well balanced by a great cast of characters. They are very well-drawn (even the secondary ones) and they are explored in all of their complexities. Also, I think that the descriptions are really well-done, they manage to depict the setting and its atmosphere really well but they are not too long and overdone, they flow nicely.

I know that this book is not perfect (for example I'm a bit sad about the storyline of some of the female characters) but I just love it a lot. It has been a long time since I had such a fun, absorbing and also heartbreaking reading experience. It has a very special place in my heart.

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pineapplesurvivor's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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steffi_23's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense slow-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

The last hundred pages made me lose my mind a bit

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panflutes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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

i definitely enjoyed this one more than the first. the characters all felt much more fleshed out, and i found takiko to be a much better female lead than grace. it does still have a vague feeling plot, which i imagine is what everyone in the novel feels like when dealing with mori--you know something is going to happen, you just have to wait and see.

the chief mystery behind just why mori is doing everything that he is was also disappointingly easy to figure out very early in, and that took a lot away from my ability to enjoy the ending--especially in regard to takiko's death. the second i saw the line about an electron microscope, i said to myself "surely he isn't going to start an international incident to cure thaniel's tuberculosis," and yet here we are.

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graceq22's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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laurenleigh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m so glad The Watchmaker of Filigree Street has this sequel so I could live with these characters some more! I do wish I had read this novel sooner after reading the first book, as I felt a little lost in the beginning. But once I caught up, I fell in love with Thaniel and Mori all over again. Seeing Thaniel is his new fatherhood role was especially sweet. I loved the Victorian England setting of the first book, but Victorian era Japan was even more interesting! I am fascinated by Pulley’s mix of fact and fiction, in how she pulls true historical characters and scientific fact together with compelling plot lines. It was packed with the right amount of action and intrigue for me, and there were definitely parts of the text I didnt want to put down. But at its core, it’s a heartfelt tale of loyalty, love, and sacrifice for the greater good.

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sternbrunchdaddy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Struggled to decide how I felt about this book. I was excited to see the switch to Japan, the more settled lifestyle the main characters embark upon

but much of the tale has Thaniel and Mori quarrelling with each other or not communicating or not even near or in communication with one another.

The action and plot of the story really drives this, and there's noticeably fewer of those moments where the characters share a pot of tea or marvel at a clockwork invention. There's less Mori too, less clockwork, less clairvoyance, less of much that made the first book so special. That said, it was well written and engaging in its own way, just not as much for me.

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