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aubryn's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.75
Fun read with a lovely queer story line. I wasn’t super hooked by the plot and felt myself not as invested at the end as I should have been
cateasp's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
wyattparks19's review against another edition
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
While not quite as perfect as the first of the trilogy, this book is still incredibly well-done. Marske is a master of using every page to her advantage, never letting a scene go to waste. While I missed the lovable relationship of Edwin and Robin, it was still great to explore Maud's life and her ambitions, strengths, and desires. I'm looking forward to reading the last book!
max_the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an absolutely stellar sequel to Marske's previous book in the series, A Marvellous Light. It was equal parts fun, heart-pounding, and wonderous.
The book has a relatively simple premise: Maud must find an item key to the survival of magicians across England with only the hazy visions her brother has given her while stuck on a trans-Atlantic ship for six days. Along the way she encounters plenty of wild characters - some new and some old - and lots of twists and turns.
I really think the highlight of this book lies in the characters. Quite frankly, I adored them all. Maud begins the book quite naive (and at times a bit annoying), but her character really develops into someone fierce and cunning. Violet was such a fascinating juxtaposition to her, as well as all of the other side characters.
Overall, it was an exciting romp and I am desperately excited for the next book in the series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor.com for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.
The book has a relatively simple premise: Maud must find an item key to the survival of magicians across England with only the hazy visions her brother has given her while stuck on a trans-Atlantic ship for six days. Along the way she encounters plenty of wild characters - some new and some old - and lots of twists and turns.
I really think the highlight of this book lies in the characters. Quite frankly, I adored them all. Maud begins the book quite naive (and at times a bit annoying), but her character really develops into someone fierce and cunning. Violet was such a fascinating juxtaposition to her, as well as all of the other side characters.
Overall, it was an exciting romp and I am desperately excited for the next book in the series!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor.com for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.
bongaca's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.75
maschram's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
1.5
I am very much not the audience for this book. The first few chapters, I felt relief, that I was enjoying it more than book one. By a third of the way through, I was gritting my teeth and wishing that I could learn the plot without having to read the story. At two thirds of the way through, I gave up, and started flipping through, getting a paragraph or two of the story every couple of pages, to at least have the satisfaction of knowing some of what is going on. I did rather like Maud more than Robin, but I think that has to do with the author having got stronger at writing characters.
And while I would very much like to know how the overarching plot turns out, I am not going to be reading the third book.
So: great world-building, great plot, characters are well rounded and fascinating, writing is competent. They just don't add up into something I enjoyed. The author's afterword describes it as a "bubbly Wodehousian romp", which probably does as good a job of summarising why I hate it. I've never met a Wodehouse book I've committed to finishing, and I've read summaries of enough more that I chose not to start. If you like farce, lots of shiny plot strands flying in all directions at high speed all the time, this might be your thing. But it is very much not mine.
And while I would very much like to know how the overarching plot turns out, I am not going to be reading the third book.
So: great world-building, great plot, characters are well rounded and fascinating, writing is competent. They just don't add up into something I enjoyed. The author's afterword describes it as a "bubbly Wodehousian romp", which probably does as good a job of summarising why I hate it. I've never met a Wodehouse book I've committed to finishing, and I've read summaries of enough more that I chose not to start. If you like farce, lots of shiny plot strands flying in all directions at high speed all the time, this might be your thing. But it is very much not mine.
msmollyb's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.25