Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Comeuppance Served Cold

Finally! A book I actually enjoyed!! Comeuppance Served Cold is set an alternative 1920s Seattle centered on a magical heist and, well, comeuppance. There are explorations of power and prejudice and the combination of hate and fear. Though it’s a short novella, there is a lot packed in and I would love to read more within this universe—like the fair folk, which played a big role even if they never appear on page. The world-building was phenomenal for such a short tale and it helped me truly imagine this world as it could be.
There were some parts that dragged on a bit for me—mostly the description of the houses—but for the most part it kept my rapt attention. Just note trigger warnings like racism and attempted SA.

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bookwyrmknits's review

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dark emotional 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

5.0

This is a great heist/mystery/revenge novel set in the Jazz Age in Seattle, WA. I particularly enjoyed the storytelling style, where we start (nearly) at the end of the story and then the book's timeline jumps backward until we can see the full measure of the plot. It was masterfully done—several times I thought I knew what was going on, only to have a switch pulled so that the resolution was something other than what I had expected. Even though there were multiple twists, though, I never felt like the author was trying to pull a fast one or just add a twist for the sake of a "gotcha" moment. This really worked for me, and I loved it.

One warning, though, for those who like heist novels: this *is* a heist novel, but very little of the storyline is actually dedicated to the heist itself. More of the plot surrounds the mystery behind how the person (or people, I'll leave that for you to decide which is more appropriate) gets away with the job. It worked for me, because I was caught up in the mystery and the character development, but if what you're looking for is a detailed description of how the job is done this might not be the book you're looking for. (I would venture to say it is worth reading anyway, just adjust your expectations.)

I loved how vivid the jazz age setting was, and how realistic all of the characters felt even though they came from such different backgrounds. While it feels very much like a standalone novella, I would be happy to read another story featuring the main character... either with what they get up to in the future, or what happened in the past to bring them to this point in life.

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uranaishi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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caterina_1212's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It needed the nonlinear storyline, even if a bit tricky to follow.

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e_flah's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Comeuppance Served Cold was a fast-paced fantasy mystery that was fun to watch unfold. I really liked the historical urban fantasy setting of late 1920s Seattle with magic. The ways magic was used to make power imbalances even more apparent was incredibly well done. I would happily read another story set in this universe.

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ninjamuse's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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crystalisreading's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

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