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buildingtaste's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a 2020s novel with an excellent conceit must be deeply in want of better execution. I feel bad giving this such a low rating, as it is probably one of the better conceived 2020s novels of the ones I've tried, but once again, after the elevator pitch is over, the book collapses like an under-baked teacake. And under-baked is the overarching theme: we are given rather thin sketches of the titular society, a teeming cast of characters, an intergenerational revenge plot nodding heavily to the Brontes, and a requisite romance. All of them are glossed over in favour of comic asides which, after a few repetitions of (and that was rather a funny bit there, er, wasn't it?) seems more like an author's lack of faith in their own prose than a stylistic choice.
Most egregious here, though, is something I can't blame Holton for, because it seems to be more a convention of the historical fantasy-romance genre than anything: Cecilia is just the least interesting person in the bunch. And we have to stick with her a good 80% of the time. When your heroine sums up her role in the story with a glib "I'm afraid I've done nothing to advance the plot," and it's true, a good editor should perk up and recommend doing something about that. Cecilia, despite her bog-standard spunk, finds herself constantly outpaced and outsmarted, by the titular society, by the love interest, and by her villainous father. Not once does she get to be heroic on her own terms, and she's so baldly horny for Ned that her internal refrain of "well-I-never" gets dull.
So. Janky start. But I think the world of Wisteria has some real promise--I'd be interested in reading a short fiction anthology delving more into the lore of historical Lady Scoundrels and the senior ladies.
Most egregious here, though, is something I can't blame Holton for, because it seems to be more a convention of the historical fantasy-romance genre than anything: Cecilia is just the least interesting person in the bunch. And we have to stick with her a good 80% of the time. When your heroine sums up her role in the story with a glib "I'm afraid I've done nothing to advance the plot," and it's true, a good editor should perk up and recommend doing something about that. Cecilia, despite her bog-standard spunk, finds herself constantly outpaced and outsmarted, by the titular society, by the love interest, and by her villainous father. Not once does she get to be heroic on her own terms, and she's so baldly horny for Ned that her internal refrain of "well-I-never" gets dull.
So. Janky start. But I think the world of Wisteria has some real promise--I'd be interested in reading a short fiction anthology delving more into the lore of historical Lady Scoundrels and the senior ladies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, and Sexism
A teenaged character and young adult character have a sexual relationship. It is played for comedy, with the younger character repeatedly lying about her age and the adult acting distraught about the revelation. Characters drink on several occasions and a character gets drunk without real consent or awareness that alcohol will intoxicate her; this character vomits while drunk. The backstory of a character involves being abandoned by his parents. The lower class characters are usually fearful, superstitious, and deemed foolish. Most characters are kidnapped and imprisoned. The backstory of multiple characters involve their mothers being murdered in front of them. The main character's aunt is controlling and overbearing. Alcohol and cocaine pastilles are used by characters. A verbal spar of two characters involves multiple fatphobic remarks. Most characters have and use guns with murderous intent, though no one dies from a gunshot in the text. There is cousin marriage. The villain's primary motivation is named as misogyny. There is a chapter dedicated to a sex scene (Chapter 20).imds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gun violence, Murder, Misogyny, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, and Blood
saeruh's review
adventurous
funny
5.0
I think this might be my favorite book of 2022. I loved the audiobook version, the narrator had the PERFECT way of using tone to make things seem gossipy but also deadpan, both of which fit the story so well. I cannot believe I was swooning over a man named Ned. So funny and so enjoyable to read. Basically a different version of Howl’s Moving Castle where posh British women have banded together to become pirates who have flying houses. All of the side characters/plots were so interesting (my favorite was Tom and Jane storyline where she led him around while he thought he had some semblance of control lol). The romance was so good, had me blushing and cheesing and giggling and kicking my feet. Such good banter between them and the chemistry was off the charts. I love a good man-is-obsessed-with-his-girl trope with a bit of insta love on his side. This also works so well for me specifically since I JUST read both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and both stories/the writers of them and their family discussed pretty often in this. If you’re afraid that you’ll miss out on some jokes you don’t want to read those books before this, you can def just read a quick summary and you’ll understand the references.
My only problem was that the end felt like a little weird. I personally thought it could have ended at the 80-85% mark since the story seemed pretty wrapped up by then.
My only problem was that the end felt like a little weird. I personally thought it could have ended at the 80-85% mark since the story seemed pretty wrapped up by then.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Sexual content
kshertz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is hilarious. Laugh out loud funny. It’s pride and prejudice, if written in 2020, with the humor of The Princess Bride…and they’re in the supernatural world. It’s definitely a niche book but it’s my niche! I’m definitely continuing the series based on the hilarious banter alone. If you need a whimsical laugh, you have to read it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Violence
amavi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
I had to force myself to finish this book. I hate the trope: man whore and virgin goddess and I pray to avoid books like that in the future. At the beginning something didn't click for me but I kept reading and by the end I was kind of mad for wasting my time. I didn't like the characters, the "romance"-where he gets the girl drunk 👍🏻......it wasn't compelling for me, they were just sexually attracted to one another. The plot? Eh.. There is a lot of action but the book felt so boring and flat, with an occasional spike. It had many witty lines-some made ne chuckle and I really did like that. But overall this read didn't do much for me
I do wish my husband would gift me a library, a girl can dream
I do wish my husband would gift me a library, a girl can dream
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder
nolalee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Delightful, witty, and an absolute blast to read. Holton has created such a vibrant and detailed world of high class society and raucous pirate women, written in a style unique to her creative vision. I loved this book and found myself reading cracking up behind the veil of my e-reader in public.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse and Misogyny
briely's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Misogyny
____emily____'s review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse and Misogyny
amberinpieces's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
Minor: Cursing, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Drug use
iamsammie27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Blood
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Misogyny, and Sexism