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mariahmmm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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? No
3.0
Cecilia Bassingthwaite, lady pirate, has finally had her first assassination attempt from a charming rake. Thus starts a wild and unhinged adventure of flying houses, double-crossing agents, a slow-burn romance, and a battle royale (literally) - all while maintaining the decorum and quality of an English lady.
What a chaotic story! Nothing makes sense, and that is part of the book's charm. Filled with quirky characters with a strange set of morals and values, this was mostly a fun epic adventure. The book was a 4/5 until the (literal) climax of the slow-burn romance, with the experienced Ned seemingly taking advantage of naive Cecilia that left a sour taste.
What a chaotic story! Nothing makes sense, and that is part of the book's charm. Filled with quirky characters with a strange set of morals and values, this was mostly a fun epic adventure. The book was a 4/5 until the (literal) climax of the slow-burn romance, with the experienced Ned seemingly taking advantage of naive Cecilia that left a sour taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, Misogyny, Murder, Drug use, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Abandonment
ursa_arlo'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Positives. This book has an amazing concept: Victorian lady pirates with flying houses and dastardly banter?? Sign me up! The humour was fantastic and the characters were quirky in their own unique way.
Negatives. In spite of the great premise, I was left disappointed. The book had a flying start but by the end it had committed the greatest crime of all: it was boring. The story slowed down greatly near the middle of the book and never recovered. It's not a good sign when you're left wondering what could happen to draw out the story for another hundred pages. I was also disappointed in Cecilia's character development: she was a great main character with lots of agency but had accomplished little by the end. Instead of keeping an adventurous touch, this novel devolved into a cliché romance story and that was not a great choice in my opinion.
Negatives. In spite of the great premise, I was left disappointed. The book had a flying start but by the end it had committed the greatest crime of all: it was boring. The story slowed down greatly near the middle of the book and never recovered. It's not a good sign when you're left wondering what could happen to draw out the story for another hundred pages. I was also disappointed in Cecilia's character development: she was a great main character with lots of agency but had accomplished little by the end. Instead of keeping an adventurous touch, this novel devolved into a cliché romance story and that was not a great choice in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Blood
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
This book is everything Assistant to the Villain wishes it could be. It’s funny and charming without trying too hard, the characters have enjoyable interactions, and the Queen is an absolute maniac.
Cecelia has grown up with her aunt, training to be one of the most dastardly proper pirates that England has ever seen. They fly about in their house (yes, houses can fly) whichever way the wind and their whims take them. She is blown off course when her aunt and the rest of the Wisteria Society are abducted by her father, whose worst crime is his terrible poetry. Not so random encounters with Ned Lightbourne keep her guessing- is he friend or foe?- as she embarks on a daring rescue.
There are certainly flaws but I cannot in good conscience give this less than five stars given how much it delighted me.
Cecelia has grown up with her aunt, training to be one of the most dastardly proper pirates that England has ever seen. They fly about in their house (yes, houses can fly) whichever way the wind and their whims take them. She is blown off course when her aunt and the rest of the Wisteria Society are abducted by her father, whose worst crime is his terrible poetry. Not so random encounters with Ned Lightbourne keep her guessing- is he friend or foe?- as she embarks on a daring rescue.
There are certainly flaws but I cannot in good conscience give this less than five stars given how much it delighted me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Sexism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Classism, and Drug use
ridesthesun's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
this was such a good time! very very silly, and knew it was silly, and just enjoyed being silly. a good lil romp.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Blood and Violence
grets_reads'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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
jessthanthree's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Drug use, Alcohol, Murder, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Blood
torrentsofhayl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Vomit, Sexual content, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
3.0
I really enjoyed the idea behind the writing and setting. The breezy nonchalance of the wacky situations reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall. I don't think it handled the zany adventures and "witty" tone as well as it could have, though. I strongly disliked the romance and found aspects of it uncomfortable to the point it sort of ruined the book for me. When Cecilia and Ned are first traveling alone together, he encourages her to drink 3+ glasses of wine after he realizes she is getting tipsy after a couple sips and she has no idea she's drunk. He is amused as she makes a fool of herself, and contemplates laying in bed with her because she won't know while she's drunk asleep. She's too drunk to consent to anything. Later when they do have sex, the consent feels a little dubious because Cecilia is apparently so innocent she can't distinguish between foreplay and intercourse. I understand this book doesn't take anything seriously, but I don't think intentionally getting someone so drunk they can't distinguish between what they are thinking and doing is funny. And I think sex scenes where the woman doesn't know what's happening are not sexy. I also think the characters didn't feel much like people, because the tone of the book was more focused on being satirical and humorous than allowing characters to have much depth. The audiobook narration was great.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
emilywemily6's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.25
It took me quite a bit to get into this book (maybe like 75 pages) because the premise is so wacky and writing style is so different than what I’ve read before. But this ridiculously fantastical historical romance was such a fun trip that had me smiling the whole time. I adored the characters and their whimsy and sass. This story was fun and fluffy and yet my brain had to work to understand the satire and writing style, so it was an interesting mix. I definitely want to read the next book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
clairew97's review against another edition
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Body shaming, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual content, Abandonment, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Sexism