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shadowspinner's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse
samchase112's review
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
4.25
Don't remember much, honestly, but I remember having a blast! And isn't that all that matters? Oh, and it wasn't as good as the first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse and Domestic abuse
alexkudej's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Minor: Physical abuse
evarinya's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Not quite as good as the first one, but I found Lord Blackthorn a lot more enjoyable as a character than I had initially expected!
Also the romance was surprisingly sweet in the end.
A great read if you want something lighthearted with Fae :)
Edit 02/2024: Bumping this up to 5 stars after a year full of reading all kinds of books and finishing a reread of this one. It truly is such a wholesome experience that, despite a few situations, the whole thing truly reads like a whimsical fairytale. And I found it all so funny and cute, I think it does deserve the full score after all. :)
Also the romance was surprisingly sweet in the end.
A great read if you want something lighthearted with Fae :)
Edit 02/2024: Bumping this up to 5 stars after a year full of reading all kinds of books and finishing a reread of this one. It truly is such a wholesome experience that, despite a few situations, the whole thing truly reads like a whimsical fairytale. And I found it all so funny and cute, I think it does deserve the full score after all. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Physical abuse
Moderate: Chronic illness and Emotional abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse
behindpaperbacks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
With the second installment in the Regency Faerie Tales, Olivia Atwater spins a heartwarming and funny Cinderella tale filled with dashing dukes, beautiful ballgowns and an over-eager faerie godfather.
One Thousand Stitches follows Euphemia "Effie" Reeves, a maid of the Ashbrooke family of Hartfield. Her work is hard, but her outlook changes when the family’s youngest son, Benedikt, returns from his tour of Europe and Effie develops a crush on him. Problem is, maids don't marry dukes. Luckily, or maybe not, for Effie, she stumbles upon the faerie Lord Blackthorn, who is eager to solve her problem.
Now I absolutely adored this. This story is as charming as the first one and transports you back to the Regency era. The plot takes inspiration from Cinderella but deviates enough from the source material to still be engaging.
Effie finds herself a somewhat frustrating faerie godfather in Lord Blackthorn. I loved how Atwater portrayed the Elves trying to emulate human ways, but failing to understand them because of their faerie nature. The approach reminded me of Holly Black's or Susanna Clarke's faeries. Lord Blackthorn, for example, agrees to help Effie because he wants to learn about English virtue, which he understands as "being kind to the powerless and cruel to the powerful". As a consequence, he offers to turn her into a lady so she can get close to Benedikt. His other solutions include putting people to sleep for a year or "removing" the other ladies from the ball. While grim, I have to admit I started laughing at that.
Whenever Effie asks something of Lord Blackthorn, he takes her commands literally and causes even more trouble for Effie. The misunderstandings between Effie and the faerie were extremely funny, and I loved watching their friendship blossom. They were so wholesome, you guys. Thus, Lord Blackthorn's optimistic nature and his genuine desire to help Effie were one of my favorite parts of the book.
You could find some Easter eggs for readers of the first book, Half A Soul, but it's not necessary to have read it. I predicted some aspects of the romance, but I still found it to be very sweet. I can't say much more without spoiling, but Atwater writes romantic scenes in an understated, yet genuine way that just makes you smile.
Effie was an amazing protagonist. She was rightfully angry at her circumstances and wanted something more for herself than a life spent in servitude to a family who doesn't even acknowledge her existence. Through her, the book shone a light on the hard work of servants at that time. At best, Effie and her colleagues had to endure constant verbal abuse or worse, have full teapots thrown at them in rage. We tend to romanticize the Regency era nowadays because of period dramas and Jane Austen, but for servants, that era consisted of a lot of hardship. I adore that Atwater addresses those problems in her series. So, while the author emphasized the terrible working conditions, she maintained the lighthearted tone and charm of the story.
All in all, Ten Thousand Stitches was an extremely engaging read with a beautiful, flowing prose, and a dash of faerie magic. I recommend it to fans of Holly Black and Julia Quinn. 4.5/5 stars.
Rating
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Worldbuilding: 3.5/5
Prose: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
With the second installment in the Regency Faerie Tales, Olivia Atwater spins a heartwarming and funny Cinderella tale filled with dashing dukes, beautiful ballgowns and an over-eager faerie godfather.
One Thousand Stitches follows Euphemia "Effie" Reeves, a maid of the Ashbrooke family of Hartfield. Her work is hard, but her outlook changes when the family’s youngest son, Benedikt, returns from his tour of Europe and Effie develops a crush on him. Problem is, maids don't marry dukes. Luckily, or maybe not, for Effie, she stumbles upon the faerie Lord Blackthorn, who is eager to solve her problem.
Now I absolutely adored this. This story is as charming as the first one and transports you back to the Regency era. The plot takes inspiration from Cinderella but deviates enough from the source material to still be engaging.
Effie finds herself a somewhat frustrating faerie godfather in Lord Blackthorn. I loved how Atwater portrayed the Elves trying to emulate human ways, but failing to understand them because of their faerie nature. The approach reminded me of Holly Black's or Susanna Clarke's faeries. Lord Blackthorn, for example, agrees to help Effie because he wants to learn about English virtue, which he understands as "being kind to the powerless and cruel to the powerful". As a consequence, he offers to turn her into a lady so she can get close to Benedikt. His other solutions include putting people to sleep for a year or "removing" the other ladies from the ball. While grim, I have to admit I started laughing at that.
Whenever Effie asks something of Lord Blackthorn, he takes her commands literally and causes even more trouble for Effie. The misunderstandings between Effie and the faerie were extremely funny, and I loved watching their friendship blossom. They were so wholesome, you guys. Thus, Lord Blackthorn's optimistic nature and his genuine desire to help Effie were one of my favorite parts of the book.
You could find some Easter eggs for readers of the first book, Half A Soul, but it's not necessary to have read it. I predicted some aspects of the romance, but I still found it to be very sweet. I can't say much more without spoiling, but Atwater writes romantic scenes in an understated, yet genuine way that just makes you smile.
Effie was an amazing protagonist. She was rightfully angry at her circumstances and wanted something more for herself than a life spent in servitude to a family who doesn't even acknowledge her existence. Through her, the book shone a light on the hard work of servants at that time. At best, Effie and her colleagues had to endure constant verbal abuse or worse, have full teapots thrown at them in rage. We tend to romanticize the Regency era nowadays because of period dramas and Jane Austen, but for servants, that era consisted of a lot of hardship. I adore that Atwater addresses those problems in her series. So, while the author emphasized the terrible working conditions, she maintained the lighthearted tone and charm of the story.
All in all, Ten Thousand Stitches was an extremely engaging read with a beautiful, flowing prose, and a dash of faerie magic. I recommend it to fans of Holly Black and Julia Quinn. 4.5/5 stars.
Rating
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Worldbuilding: 3.5/5
Prose: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Minor: Physical abuse
buttermellow's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Misogyny
Minor: Physical abuse
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