Scan barcode
jafinc's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. True, there didn't seem to be real logic to why the girls got together, but that didn't take away from their spunk, the fun whodunit plot, and the wonderfully steampunk/London setting.
astraia_sun's review
4.0
Catherine, you may be saying, why do you give this book 4 stars, which in Catherine-land is really good, and you give similar books one or two stars?
Great question. My answer is, 'YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE I DO WHAT I WANT.'
Okay honest answer: The Characters. I've said for years that a book can have a ridiculous plot, execution, or high cheese factor, but if the characters are engaging and fun, I can forgive ALL of that. And this book 100% knows that it's ridiculous. It embraces it. It uses it as a selling point. And for me, it worked. The narration was kind of jarring from what I was expecting, because being Steampunk, I figured it'd have a more Victorian Air. It doesn't. In fact, it wouldn't be out of place in most modern YA books. Same with a bit of the dialogue.
I honestly can't remember if there was a year given at the beginning (I listened to the audiobook version as I drove and sewed... not at the same time), but this book obviously takes place in a "fast and loose" version of London. And that's okay with me. That's what steampunk is for. The plot is nothing special: Villain threatens to blow up London unless they get cash and people are turning up dead. Three girls, all from different backgrounds but in similar circumstances, vow to stop it.
THe author definitely knew what she was doing. Sometimes in these types of books it's hard to differentiate each character, and they're only defined by their occupation or gender. Not so with Michiko, Cora, or Nellie. I definitely got the sense that each was a rounded character, with their past and present shaping who they were. I laughed out loud several times at Nellie's antics (c'mon, breaking into the Tower of London in her underwear? Ridiculous but awesome), loved Michiko's storyline and development, and grinned at Cora's tinkering and engineering (some of my favorite stuff in Steampunk). In the end, the villain(s) were a bit of a surprise to me, even though I probably thould have figured one of them out. It was a ridiculous, fun ride and I enjoyed every bit of it.
Oh, and the Nellie and Officer Murphy scenes were the cutest.
Great question. My answer is, 'YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE I DO WHAT I WANT.'
Okay honest answer: The Characters. I've said for years that a book can have a ridiculous plot, execution, or high cheese factor, but if the characters are engaging and fun, I can forgive ALL of that. And this book 100% knows that it's ridiculous. It embraces it. It uses it as a selling point. And for me, it worked. The narration was kind of jarring from what I was expecting, because being Steampunk, I figured it'd have a more Victorian Air. It doesn't. In fact, it wouldn't be out of place in most modern YA books. Same with a bit of the dialogue.
I honestly can't remember if there was a year given at the beginning (I listened to the audiobook version as I drove and sewed... not at the same time), but this book obviously takes place in a "fast and loose" version of London. And that's okay with me. That's what steampunk is for. The plot is nothing special: Villain threatens to blow up London unless they get cash and people are turning up dead. Three girls, all from different backgrounds but in similar circumstances, vow to stop it.
THe author definitely knew what she was doing. Sometimes in these types of books it's hard to differentiate each character, and they're only defined by their occupation or gender. Not so with Michiko, Cora, or Nellie. I definitely got the sense that each was a rounded character, with their past and present shaping who they were. I laughed out loud several times at Nellie's antics (c'mon, breaking into the Tower of London in her underwear? Ridiculous but awesome), loved Michiko's storyline and development, and grinned at Cora's tinkering and engineering (some of my favorite stuff in Steampunk). In the end, the villain(s) were a bit of a surprise to me, even though I probably thould have figured one of them out. It was a ridiculous, fun ride and I enjoyed every bit of it.
Oh, and the Nellie and Officer Murphy scenes were the cutest.
halynah's review
5.0
Fresh, funny, exciting book with awesome characters, interesting style of writing and eventful plot. Highly recommended!
squirrelsohno's review
4.0
A cover alone can draw a reader into a book. Of course, everyone says to not judge a book by its cover, but how can you resist with THE FRIDAY SOCIETY? It has three very strong-looking girls from different backgrounds, including a person of color. And while the story inside isn’t exactly what I was expecting – and unexpectedly was filled with anachronisms galore – I found myself really enjoying the ride. With a few minor reservations.
GIRL POWER
This is the reason you should read this book. The main reason. The biggest reason I am going to harp about this book to everyone who will listen.
A main character ditches her controlling, demanding, drunk love interest and finishes the novel without a boyfriend. In YA, it’s super refreshing, especially because in the majority of YA novels, the girl will take him back or, even worse, will think that a boy demanding sex and kissing her without her consent or getting drunk and trying to grab her is ROMANTIC. Ms. Kress, thank you for doing the logical thing and presenting a heroine who is strong without needing a boy to complete her, especially when the boy is quite frankly crazy.
On top of this, our heroines do not need boys to help them. They are strong and take matters onto their own shoulders in an era where modesty, subservience, and loyalty to their male caretakers wasn’t only expected but frankly demanded. Cora, Nellie, and Michiko are some of the fiercest, most determined girls in 2012’s YA offerings, and in this YA debut, we are treated to three girls who blew the boys out of the water in their quest to prove their worth, their skills, and their strength of mind.
Despite their differences – intelligent, powerful inventor Cora; giddy and hyper magician’s assistant Nellie; strong-willed and quiet former Samurai student Michiko – they make a wonderful team. And their cast of characters around them for the most part is well thought out, even if there are SO many characters that several get lost.
VICTORIAN STEAMPUNK WITHOUT THE VICTORIAN STEAMPUNK
Even though I quite frankly loved the characters in this, there were some other issues that need to be mentioned – particularly the fact that this was pitched as a Victorian-era steampunk novel when in fact the steampunk aspects got lost. Of course there were mentions of steampunk devices and other anachronisms you expect to see in novels of this sort. The problem was that, for a steampunk novel, the details that I desired were never there, only found in brief mentions. What’s the point of a steampunk novel without the steampunk goodness?
Another issue I had was the dialogue. Instead of going for a traditional Victorian-era way of speaking, we end up with three girls that sound like they could be from now – a Cockney girl, a Cockney girl pretending to be a prim and proper Englishwoman, and a Japanese girl that speaks about much English as I speak Japanese (note – have I told you that my minor from college is Japanese?). While this is nice to read, it doesn’t really pull you into the time period, once again losing the time.
CUTE, ACTION-PACKED, AND EXPLOSIVE
Looking past the anachronisms and wonderful kick butt girl power, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY has a lot going for it. It’s action-packed, fast-paced for being almost 450 pages long, and EXPLOSIVE. Like seriously, things blow up, there is a serial killer, evil scientists, grave robbing, and magic. I could easily overlook the timeline flaws when I was served a heaping platter of fun on a bun.
So am I recommending that you go and pick up a copy of THE FRIDAY SOCIETY right now? Yes. Now. This book might have flaws, but it is going to go down as one of my favorite reads of early 2013 most likely, even if I wish maybe it had stayed true to the time period.
VERDICT: A story with amazing YA heroines kicking butt and kicking bad love interests to the curb automatically is awesome. Pair it with explosions, adorkableness, and intrigue, and you have a winner. THE FRIDAY SOCIETY wins. Period.
♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS
GIRL POWER
This is the reason you should read this book. The main reason. The biggest reason I am going to harp about this book to everyone who will listen.
A main character ditches her controlling, demanding, drunk love interest and finishes the novel without a boyfriend. In YA, it’s super refreshing, especially because in the majority of YA novels, the girl will take him back or, even worse, will think that a boy demanding sex and kissing her without her consent or getting drunk and trying to grab her is ROMANTIC. Ms. Kress, thank you for doing the logical thing and presenting a heroine who is strong without needing a boy to complete her, especially when the boy is quite frankly crazy.
On top of this, our heroines do not need boys to help them. They are strong and take matters onto their own shoulders in an era where modesty, subservience, and loyalty to their male caretakers wasn’t only expected but frankly demanded. Cora, Nellie, and Michiko are some of the fiercest, most determined girls in 2012’s YA offerings, and in this YA debut, we are treated to three girls who blew the boys out of the water in their quest to prove their worth, their skills, and their strength of mind.
Despite their differences – intelligent, powerful inventor Cora; giddy and hyper magician’s assistant Nellie; strong-willed and quiet former Samurai student Michiko – they make a wonderful team. And their cast of characters around them for the most part is well thought out, even if there are SO many characters that several get lost.
VICTORIAN STEAMPUNK WITHOUT THE VICTORIAN STEAMPUNK
Even though I quite frankly loved the characters in this, there were some other issues that need to be mentioned – particularly the fact that this was pitched as a Victorian-era steampunk novel when in fact the steampunk aspects got lost. Of course there were mentions of steampunk devices and other anachronisms you expect to see in novels of this sort. The problem was that, for a steampunk novel, the details that I desired were never there, only found in brief mentions. What’s the point of a steampunk novel without the steampunk goodness?
Another issue I had was the dialogue. Instead of going for a traditional Victorian-era way of speaking, we end up with three girls that sound like they could be from now – a Cockney girl, a Cockney girl pretending to be a prim and proper Englishwoman, and a Japanese girl that speaks about much English as I speak Japanese (note – have I told you that my minor from college is Japanese?). While this is nice to read, it doesn’t really pull you into the time period, once again losing the time.
CUTE, ACTION-PACKED, AND EXPLOSIVE
Looking past the anachronisms and wonderful kick butt girl power, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY has a lot going for it. It’s action-packed, fast-paced for being almost 450 pages long, and EXPLOSIVE. Like seriously, things blow up, there is a serial killer, evil scientists, grave robbing, and magic. I could easily overlook the timeline flaws when I was served a heaping platter of fun on a bun.
So am I recommending that you go and pick up a copy of THE FRIDAY SOCIETY right now? Yes. Now. This book might have flaws, but it is going to go down as one of my favorite reads of early 2013 most likely, even if I wish maybe it had stayed true to the time period.
VERDICT: A story with amazing YA heroines kicking butt and kicking bad love interests to the curb automatically is awesome. Pair it with explosions, adorkableness, and intrigue, and you have a winner. THE FRIDAY SOCIETY wins. Period.
♥♥♥♥ - FOUR HEARTS
lemonlaiime's review
4.0
A trio of girls solving mysteries and righting wrongs in London with a hint of steampunk influences. I quite enjoyed this break from reality. Hopefully there will be another book of their adventures!
komment28's review
1.0
It seems like a good book but I just don’t like characters changing through book
I just like one voice only not
Like one chapter it about one character and then next character it about another. I can’t keep up
I just like one voice only not
Like one chapter it about one character and then next character it about another. I can’t keep up
dreizehn's review against another edition
2.0
Quick reaction: This title attracted me because it promised a silly steampunk caper with female teen heroines. However, it seems I underestimated the silly and overestimated the substance.
em_reads_romancex's review
5.0
I love this book! Adrienne Kress really pulled off the steampunk style well, and the characters are so loveable, I could cry. I promise you will fall in love with the author's style. I was really ticked off about the ending, but don't they say that a satisfying ending is a good ending? It was satisfying, but not the ideal ending either. I don't know how to explain it...I knew it was coming, but I really didn't want it to end!!!!
mrz_owenz's review
3.0
This book started really strong for me. The ladies were strong and fun and the setting was London with a quirk which was also fun. I read the first half in a couple sittings but then put it down and I didn't get back to it for a while. After that, the pacing felt a little off and the girls had reservations about what they were doing and it just sort of ended up okay.
fishgirl182's review
2.0
2.5 stars
This had a lot of promise. Plucky heroines with a mystery to solve. It fell apart in the pacing for me and I started to lose interest as the plot sluggishly progressed. That said, I still enjoyed parts of it. I like the idea of these three independent and unusual young women becoming friends and solving their own problems. I'd read another book by this author.
This had a lot of promise. Plucky heroines with a mystery to solve. It fell apart in the pacing for me and I started to lose interest as the plot sluggishly progressed. That said, I still enjoyed parts of it. I like the idea of these three independent and unusual young women becoming friends and solving their own problems. I'd read another book by this author.