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mahoganymystery's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Originally, I wasn't aware that it was in fact part fantasy, but after the flying houses it all connected!
A mesh between The Princess Bride, Monty Python, and Bridgerton, this book kept you on your toes with wonderfully strange happenings. Ned is certainly swoon worthy and the tension is worth it in the end!
Cecelia is such a vivid character and remains the constant throughout the book. And I love the poetry cameos and literature references! An easy lighthearted read!
A mesh between The Princess Bride, Monty Python, and Bridgerton, this book kept you on your toes with wonderfully strange happenings. Ned is certainly swoon worthy and the tension is worth it in the end!
Cecelia is such a vivid character and remains the constant throughout the book. And I love the poetry cameos and literature references! An easy lighthearted read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
kermodebear's review against another edition
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
3.75
There were predictable points in the book and it sometimes felt a little "down-your-throat feminist," but I found that these actually aided in the charm of the book. Given that it's a lighthearted, fast-paced, comedic story about women whose strength and attitudes in relation to the time period are satirical, there was no need for it to provide deep messages. Characters down to the Queen Victoria were wackily characterized, and normal people act in insensible ways that help advance the plot, but I find it perfectly it adds to the intended zany nature of the book; it's unfair to judge a story meant to be crazy, adventurous, and whimsical by the more realistic standards of human personality.
Another thing I want to note is that characters are unrealistically strong in some circumstances, or just seem to have Lady Luck kneeling for them constantly. If you're someone who dislikes things always working out for characters, as well as the cast of characters being a particularly keen group that's the best of the best (ex.Ned is a commander (somehow) in like, three different countries, the characters can beat up any bad guy that comes their way with ease, or things they need such as a carriage to rob are always conveniently located nearby ) then this could be aggravating to read. In my opinion, I enjoyed this aspect. I mentioned above that the book isn't meant to be a tense work with deep themes-- it's light, and the author lays out her intended messages clearly in the text. Because of this (in addition to its fast-paced theme), the book is a great pick-me-up, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
As for dislikes, I wasn't a fan of Ned liking Cecilia in part because of her innocence. So often when looking at her, he'd describe wanting to protect her and her innocent nature; I didn't like that because her character is supposed to be a do-it-all pirate who conquers any challenge that comes her way, whether it be robbing a bank, thwarting assassins, or stealing from international duchesses. Granted, most of this innocence was based around her experience with "scandalous doings," but I found her naivety (such as when Ned says they need protection and she replies saying she can go grab a gun ) contradictory to some of her earlier actions, like when she immediately understands that Constantinopla and Tom "going to the library" meant they were off having sex . Although, this example is minor since I know it was used for comedic effect, and most of the time, the author calls herself out on it, such as when Ned would be thinking about how he'd have to protect Cecilia and then look off in the distance and she's doing something like robbing a carriage at gunpoint. However, my point still stands: I'm tired of seeing female characters that are liked largely in part because of their innocent and virgin nature. There are many other reasons why Ned likes Cecilia (he often reveres her strength, cunning nature, and quick wits), but he seemed to keep circling back to this one; if the author wanted to express it in a form of him just appreciating her genuinity, then words other than "innocence" could have been used.
It does make sense, however, given that she has grown up under her helicopter aunt and is only 19 at the time of this story (which also takes place in the late 1800s, so virginity is an even larger construct than what it currently is), but regardless, I still get tired of seeing this books. Given how many creative liberties the author took with social constructs of the time, I'm surprised the importance of a woman's virginity wasn't skewed a little more. There were instances, such asMiss Darlington's vast sexual history that pointed to the construct of virginity not burdening other characters the same way it did Cecilia, or even Constantinopla. Like I mentioned, I know it's realistic to the time--and for the most part--the author used it consciously and specifically, choosing interactions (such as when Ned said sex with him would ruin Cecilia, not referring to her lack of virginity, but more so that sleeping with any other man from that point on would be bland in comparison to him ) carefully, so as to ease the nature of the construct and demonstrate that not every character upheld it. Therefore, even though I was presented with some things I didn't like in the book, for the most part, the author handled them well; it felt like she was saying, "yeah, this exists in this timeline, but the good characters ignore it." In summary, I appreciate the conscious nature India Holton wrote in, since she'd often bash on tropes or expectations within the work to ease and justify their existence.
Extra note: I haven't read this book in a while, but the nature of it reminded me a bit of Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman because of the zany nature, light-heartedness, quick pace, and convenient solutions.
Another thing I want to note is that characters are unrealistically strong in some circumstances, or just seem to have Lady Luck kneeling for them constantly. If you're someone who dislikes things always working out for characters, as well as the cast of characters being a particularly keen group that's the best of the best (ex.
As for dislikes, I wasn't a fan of Ned liking Cecilia in part because of her innocence. So often when looking at her, he'd describe wanting to protect her and her innocent nature; I didn't like that because her character is supposed to be a do-it-all pirate who conquers any challenge that comes her way, whether it be robbing a bank, thwarting assassins, or stealing from international duchesses. Granted, most of this innocence was based around her experience with "scandalous doings," but I found her naivety (
It does make sense, however, given that she has grown up under her helicopter aunt and is only 19 at the time of this story (which also takes place in the late 1800s, so virginity is an even larger construct than what it currently is), but regardless, I still get tired of seeing this books. Given how many creative liberties the author took with social constructs of the time, I'm surprised the importance of a woman's virginity wasn't skewed a little more. There were instances, such as
Extra note: I haven't read this book in a while, but the nature of it reminded me a bit of Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman because of the zany nature, light-heartedness, quick pace, and convenient solutions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Lesbophobia
I only added lesbophobia because of the brief line by Constantinopla in which she says something akin to wishing she was a lesbian since it'd be easier... I'm just tired of hearing that, especially as a lesbian. It makes it worse that a significant point of Constantinopla's character was her love of men.meghanm404's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Violence
bookhoarder93's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The book was Mary Poppins, meets Kingsman, meets romance, meets Gilmore Girls. It was an enjoyable read that was just clever, whimsical fun. The character interactions were, at times, a lot to keep up with; I think that’s why it took me a bit longer to read. Overall, I recommend this title and I’m excited to read the next book in the anthology series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Murder
j_squaredd's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Do I usually read fantastical rom coms? No. Is this a perfect book or the next great piece of capital-L-Literature? No. Was it the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a very long time? Yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Drug use, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Misogyny, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
rorikae's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
'The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels' by India Holton has a fun premise and some tongue in cheek moments but ultimately is too predictable and populated by characters that I found hard to care about.
The story centers on Cecilia Bassingwaite, a young lady who is working to become a member of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. Brought up by her aunt and amidst the society's collection of eccentric women, Cecilia has plans to deal with the cruel father who murdered her mother and wants to take down the Society as a whole. But Cecilia's plans are disrupted by Ned Lightbourne, a dashing assassin who has been tasked to kill Cecilia but falls for her instead.
I wanted to love this book. The premise is the perfect brand of kooky that I love in a story with its flying houses, a society of women pirates, and just enough magic to pull it all together. The writing is fun in many places when Holton plays on assumptions about Victorian society and utilizes the absurdity of her premise. The problem is that the story isn't much more than that. There is a plot but it felt relatively basic and it was populated by characters that were interesting but only so far as their more absurdist traits. The love story at the heart of the book was a little bit too instalovey for my personal taste though I did appreciate that the characters were forced together so that they had to build a relationship even if Ned's feelings were too instant. There never feels as if there are real stakes to the story and I felt that everything worked itself out as one would guess from the setup. There is a 'twist' but it is only due to the main character not seeing things through in a way that was frustrating and made the twist quite obvious.
I think with a little bit more time, Holton could be an author that I would return to again. If you go into this story mostly just expecting some fun banter and ridiculousness, it is enjoyable but don't expect much more from it. I want to like it so much more than I did.
The story centers on Cecilia Bassingwaite, a young lady who is working to become a member of the Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels. Brought up by her aunt and amidst the society's collection of eccentric women, Cecilia has plans to deal with the cruel father who murdered her mother and wants to take down the Society as a whole. But Cecilia's plans are disrupted by Ned Lightbourne, a dashing assassin who has been tasked to kill Cecilia but falls for her instead.
I wanted to love this book. The premise is the perfect brand of kooky that I love in a story with its flying houses, a society of women pirates, and just enough magic to pull it all together. The writing is fun in many places when Holton plays on assumptions about Victorian society and utilizes the absurdity of her premise. The problem is that the story isn't much more than that. There is a plot but it felt relatively basic and it was populated by characters that were interesting but only so far as their more absurdist traits. The love story at the heart of the book was a little bit too instalovey for my personal taste though I did appreciate that the characters were forced together so that they had to build a relationship even if Ned's feelings were too instant. There never feels as if there are real stakes to the story and I felt that everything worked itself out as one would guess from the setup. There is a 'twist' but it is only due to the main character not seeing things through in a way that was frustrating and made the twist quite obvious.
I think with a little bit more time, Holton could be an author that I would return to again. If you go into this story mostly just expecting some fun banter and ridiculousness, it is enjoyable but don't expect much more from it. I want to like it so much more than I did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
mollyanne624's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Drug use
okays1331's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
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