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highlanderajax's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This was boring to start. Then it was fun for a little bit. Then it was still fun but utterly predictable.
Doing the bad first, because it was so obvious here. Caper & con authors, especially fantasy/sci-fi ones, I am begging you - PLEASE LEARN A NEW PLOT TWIST. This particular set-up is just becoming so fucking overdone, and I am struggling to find it at all entertaining, because it is just too predictable. There are so many ways to introduce complications and plot twists, stop going to this damn well, especially in this way. You need to be such a good author, with such a good plot, to make it a viable plot device, and frankly most of you are not up to it.
The first half of this book dragged, majorly. The character introductions and plot background felt sluggish and dull, and the details of the world were fine, but nowhere near as interesting as they could have been. I just couldn't connect to most of what was going on, and I kept wanting more actual PLOT. The setting, especially the clock punk vibes, felt like it could have been a lot more interesting than it was. It just felt like detail thrown in for the sake of making a different world, rather than something that really connected to the plot. A shame.
Now, once the actual PLOT started, it was pretty cool! The characters worked pretty nicely together, I thought there were some really strong elements, and during the actual action and caper parts I was entertained pretty solidly. This was a pretty solid sign that WHEN all the elements - the different characters, the actual pacy plot, the worldbuilding, everything, all came together, there was a good story in there. However, it took way too long to get there, and that one dud note really made me roll my eyes.
Overall...it was fine. MIGHT pick up a sequel, so the rating may change up to 3.5 if I still remember and care about this plot in a month.
Doing the bad first, because it was so obvious here. Caper & con authors, especially fantasy/sci-fi ones, I am begging you - PLEASE LEARN A NEW PLOT TWIST. This particular set-up is just becoming so fucking overdone, and I am struggling to find it at all entertaining, because it is just too predictable. There are so many ways to introduce complications and plot twists, stop going to this damn well, especially in this way. You need to be such a good author, with such a good plot, to make it a viable plot device, and frankly most of you are not up to it.
The first half of this book dragged, majorly. The character introductions and plot background felt sluggish and dull, and the details of the world were fine, but nowhere near as interesting as they could have been. I just couldn't connect to most of what was going on, and I kept wanting more actual PLOT. The setting, especially the clock punk vibes, felt like it could have been a lot more interesting than it was. It just felt like detail thrown in for the sake of making a different world, rather than something that really connected to the plot. A shame.
Now, once the actual PLOT started, it was pretty cool! The characters worked pretty nicely together, I thought there were some really strong elements, and during the actual action and caper parts I was entertained pretty solidly. This was a pretty solid sign that WHEN all the elements - the different characters, the actual pacy plot, the worldbuilding, everything, all came together, there was a good story in there. However, it took way too long to get there, and that one dud note really made me roll my eyes.
Overall...it was fine. MIGHT pick up a sequel, so the rating may change up to 3.5 if I still remember and care about this plot in a month.
beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
I was excited to pick up this book and read it. It sounded really good. In fact, the world that the author built for this story is good. Additionally, I did like the characters. What was lacking and I agree with another reader is that overall the whole package was not here for this book. It was lacking in the "interesting" department. It started out good and this lasted for about several chapters and than I was bored. It was not until I picked the book up again that I realized that I was just going through the motions of reading. I won't be continuing on with the rest of the books in this series.
erincataldi's review against another edition
4.0
The first book in what looks to be a promising new series from debut author, Tracy Townsend. Part steampunk, part urban fantasy, all around badass; this story will captivate readers and wanting more. When a young courier fails to deliver her intended package to The Alchemist all hell breaks loose. Who stole the package and why? What was in it? The Alchemist, his daughter, the spunky young courier and a former mercenary find themselves working together to not only save themselves, but to save the package before it gets into the wrong hands. It has the potential to turn their world upside and rewrite everything they know about God and religion. This unlikely rag-tag team must learn to trust each other if they plan on living. Fun, inventive, and fast paced, the memorable characters and scenery make this book a must read. I'd love to see this on the big screen, the story plays out so good and the characters, creatures, and city seem like they were made to be visualized.
tani's review against another edition
4.0
A long delayed review. It's been weeks now since I read this, so I hope that I can do it justice. I received it as a Christmas present from my lovely husband, and as usual, he did a good job of picking for me. I ended up enjoying this quite a bit, and even though I didn't remember ever having heard of it before, when I went and checked, it was already on my to-read list.
The first thing that drew me into this story, and an element that ended up being strong throughout, was the characters. Rowena stole my heart almost immediately. I have a thing for children who have been fending for themselves, but really just need to be taken care of, so her relationship with the Alchemist ended up being a really enjoyable thing for me. And although I would consider Rowena the main character, everyone else in the book ended up being very well-done as well. There's a real sense of reality to each character, and I would definitely say that creating well-rounded characters is a strength of the author, much more so than I would have expected from a debut author.
I also was really fascinated by the concept of the novel. I can't say a lot about it, as the slow reveal of just what is going on was one of the pleasures of the book for me, but it kind of reminded me of His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, where there's a strong theological aspect that I found deeply interesting. I really think the concept has a lot of potential, and I'm excited to see where the author takes it.
In terms of pacing, I felt like this might have been the biggest downfall of the book, and it was still pretty good. The action comes fast and furious for the lot of the book, and if I remember correctly, the book only takes place over the span of a few days. Actually, that short length of time would be my biggest complaint. I felt like there wasn't a lot of time for emotions or relationships to develop, which left the book feeling a bit shallow to me. I really hope that the next book is able to take a bit more time and develop some more depth. If so, I have a feeling that it will be even more enjoyable than this first book.
In short, I felt like this was a truly promising debut, and I'm really looking forward to continuing with the series.
The first thing that drew me into this story, and an element that ended up being strong throughout, was the characters. Rowena stole my heart almost immediately. I have a thing for children who have been fending for themselves, but really just need to be taken care of, so her relationship with the Alchemist ended up being a really enjoyable thing for me. And although I would consider Rowena the main character, everyone else in the book ended up being very well-done as well. There's a real sense of reality to each character, and I would definitely say that creating well-rounded characters is a strength of the author, much more so than I would have expected from a debut author.
I also was really fascinated by the concept of the novel. I can't say a lot about it, as the slow reveal of just what is going on was one of the pleasures of the book for me, but it kind of reminded me of His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, where there's a strong theological aspect that I found deeply interesting. I really think the concept has a lot of potential, and I'm excited to see where the author takes it.
In terms of pacing, I felt like this might have been the biggest downfall of the book, and it was still pretty good. The action comes fast and furious for the lot of the book, and if I remember correctly, the book only takes place over the span of a few days. Actually, that short length of time would be my biggest complaint. I felt like there wasn't a lot of time for emotions or relationships to develop, which left the book feeling a bit shallow to me. I really hope that the next book is able to take a bit more time and develop some more depth. If so, I have a feeling that it will be even more enjoyable than this first book.
In short, I felt like this was a truly promising debut, and I'm really looking forward to continuing with the series.
evenshadow's review against another edition
2.0
Utterly forgettable, particularly the action scenes. By the end of the book, we're where we should have been at 1/3 in. The only reason this is a series instead of a standalone is because Townsend just insists on wasting readers' time. I think she enjoys it.
orlion's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ctiner7's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars is actually my rating.
Th writing is amateur at best. Not only this but it was so dull and extremely boring for at least 75% of the book that I seriously considering giving up on it several times.
About 75% of the way through the book the plot thickens and begins to be a bit more interesting, but is short lived and quickly returns to dull and boring. I cannot imagine reading 2 more of these books. I can just about promise you that I won’t read the next two parts of this story.
Th writing is amateur at best. Not only this but it was so dull and extremely boring for at least 75% of the book that I seriously considering giving up on it several times.
About 75% of the way through the book the plot thickens and begins to be a bit more interesting, but is short lived and quickly returns to dull and boring. I cannot imagine reading 2 more of these books. I can just about promise you that I won’t read the next two parts of this story.
jessfm's review against another edition
I'm dropping this. It has pedophilia vibes all over it. And not the I'm judging you a vile filthy pedophile either. More like justifying paedophilia even glorifying it. Fuck this.