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monniebiloney's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Had a great beginning and a great climax, but was a little slow in the middle.
I loved the setting alot, and William and Jack were cute together. I loved how even though the "romance" was the main motivator for the main characters actions (it's because Jack liked William that he decided that he had to help William away from his' abusive "family", and it's because William was in love with Jack that he was willing to brave against his abusive "Father" ).
The best part of this book was definitely the climax, the fact the MC told his "mother" about what happened and they all worked together to con Teddy so that Teddy would get arrested was great! I thought it was hilarious when the mom diches out with the gold. It's a slight plot hole that she decided to not tell Jack and just ditch out on him [it felt like that was done just so that Jack could be free, rather then something she would do]
I loved the setting alot, and William and Jack were cute together. I loved how even though the "romance" was the main motivator for the main characters actions (it's because Jack liked William that he decided that he had to help William away from his' abusive "family", and it's because William was in love with Jack that he was willing to brave against his abusive "Father" ).
The best part of this book was definitely the climax,
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Torture, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Sexism, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Stalking, Lesbophobia, and Racism
samthebookdevotee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book was not what I expected it to be. I thought it would be a fun interesting enemies/rivals to lovers magical romance but instead, it was a lot more serious and darker book. Warning mild spoilers ahead. Most of what I am going to mention happens in the first couple of chapters, but feel free to skip to my wrap-up at the end if you don't want to be spoiled.
So, instead of enemies to lovers, we have Wilhelm who is a kidnap victim of Laszlo and essentially a slave to his master. He is only discovered to be a victim by Jack who breaks into their home to try and figure out their magic trick secrets. The rest of the book is spent with Jack trying to free Wilhelm and stop Laszlo's con. While not a bad plot, I do wish this was hinted at in the synopsis. It just wasn't what I expected and just overall not a good twist for me.
With that being said, I absolutely loved the characters. There was not one that I disliked. The author did an amazing job fleshing each of them out even if they were side characters. The characters are the reason I kept reading the book. I loved seeing the relationships between them grow and change. I really liked Jack as he is painted to us as this golden boy, but he really has no ambition and doesn't think of his future or want to further himself. Wilhelm is painted as this shy character but he's bold enough to pursue Jack despite the danger it brings. I also really liked the two of them together. There were no unnecessary understandings. They did their best to openly communicate. Just chef's kiss.
Overall, while I wasn't a fan of the plot, the characters stole the show and were my absolute favorites. They are why I did not dnf this book. I think this is a great read if you're looking for fun interesting characters and a complex plot. I would stay away if you're not interested in reading about kidnapping, torture, racism, and emotional manipulation. I am interested in reading more books by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence and Racism
lastblossom's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
tl;dr
A beautiful queer romance front and center against a historical backdrop that sparks the imagination.
About
Jack Devin's great at sleight of hand, which is a good skill to have when your boss is a stage magician. He's also got flexible morals, which is a good mindset to have when your boss is ALSO a con artist. When Jack and his employer, the Enchantress, find themselves with a show at the Alaska Yukon Pacific World's Fair, it looks like the money's going to start flowing in. At least, until rival magician Laszlo appears with tricks that even Jack can't figure out. But Jack soon discovers he's much more interested in Laszlo's assistant, the quiet and enigmatic Wilhelm.
What I Liked
Stories about stage magicians are great. Even more when the author seems to respect the craft and the work that goes into it. Very little is spent on the actual magic, but all the tricks seem grounded and researched. Huuuge plus in my book. The setting - a World's Fair in Seattle - is full of potential and enthusiasm for the future, and the author does a great job of carrying the reader into that hopeful space. Both POVs are likable, and written with distinct voices, making the narrative easy to follow. The supporting cast are painted clearly with their own lives, dreams, and motivations. I've seen some descriptions liken this to The Prestige. It definitely had some similarities to the film (not the book, though), but it's a lot less dire of an ending, so I think I prefer this.
What Wasn't For Me
For a story about people who are also con artists, there was very little time spent on cons. The one we do get wasn't quite as twisty as I had hoped. But that feels like a very minor complaint overall.
A beautiful queer romance front and center against a historical backdrop that sparks the imagination.
About
Jack Devin's great at sleight of hand, which is a good skill to have when your boss is a stage magician. He's also got flexible morals, which is a good mindset to have when your boss is ALSO a con artist. When Jack and his employer, the Enchantress, find themselves with a show at the Alaska Yukon Pacific World's Fair, it looks like the money's going to start flowing in. At least, until rival magician Laszlo appears with tricks that even Jack can't figure out. But Jack soon discovers he's much more interested in Laszlo's assistant, the quiet and enigmatic Wilhelm.
What I Liked
Stories about stage magicians are great. Even more when the author seems to respect the craft and the work that goes into it. Very little is spent on the actual magic, but all the tricks seem grounded and researched. Huuuge plus in my book. The setting - a World's Fair in Seattle - is full of potential and enthusiasm for the future, and the author does a great job of carrying the reader into that hopeful space. Both POVs are likable, and written with distinct voices, making the narrative easy to follow. The supporting cast are painted clearly with their own lives, dreams, and motivations. I've seen some descriptions liken this to The Prestige. It definitely had some similarities to the film (not the book, though), but it's a lot less dire of an ending, so I think I prefer this.
What Wasn't For Me
For a story about people who are also con artists, there was very little time spent on cons. The one we do get wasn't quite as twisty as I had hoped. But that feels like a very minor complaint overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racism, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Torture, and Sexism
Minor: Colonisation
meliroo's review against another edition
adventurous
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Racism, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Sexism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Murder
doylee's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
This is another 3.5/5 but also subject to change. Not sure yet.
I needed someone cute & queer & I got exactly that! Love that for myself. I love these fantastical historical fiction stories that allow the past to be a little better than it actually was. I was invested in this story fairly quickly & I was able to get to know & love (or hate) all the characters pretty quickly too which I love.
Sometimes I was confused a bit by the writing. And I almost never notice writing faults. Some scenes were very rushed & not descriptive enough for my taste & then sometimes the descriptions just didn’t really make sense in my mind.
Apart from that, this is a fun story that I really enjoyed after being in such a reading slump for all of February. It was quite sad at times but the overall emotion is pretty happy & I loved that.
I needed someone cute & queer & I got exactly that! Love that for myself. I love these fantastical historical fiction stories that allow the past to be a little better than it actually was. I was invested in this story fairly quickly & I was able to get to know & love (or hate) all the characters pretty quickly too which I love.
Sometimes I was confused a bit by the writing. And I almost never notice writing faults. Some scenes were very rushed & not descriptive enough for my taste & then sometimes the descriptions just didn’t really make sense in my mind.
Apart from that, this is a fun story that I really enjoyed after being in such a reading slump for all of February. It was quite sad at times but the overall emotion is pretty happy & I loved that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Racism and Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Death of parent
aus10england's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
First five star fiction of the year!
Wow, my least reached genres are for sure historical fiction and fantasy, but in this case it just WORKED for me.
I found the main characters charming yet flawed, and their actions made sense with their character development.
I may be biased as a Seattleite, but I very much enjoyed being sent back to that time and learning some new history along the way. It was nice to have characters who were free to love in the 1910’s even though that would be very historically inaccurate for the time period obviously.
Overall, a great read that I’ll be thinking about for the rest of the year!
Wow, my least reached genres are for sure historical fiction and fantasy, but in this case it just WORKED for me.
I found the main characters charming yet flawed, and their actions made sense with their character development.
I may be biased as a Seattleite, but I very much enjoyed being sent back to that time and learning some new history along the way. It was nice to have characters who were free to love in the 1910’s even though that would be very historically inaccurate for the time period obviously.
Overall, a great read that I’ll be thinking about for the rest of the year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Alcohol
greyys_libraryy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Vomit and Torture
erins_bookshelf_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Oh my god I loved this so much :)
It was super cool and I loved the magic/historical fiction stuff going on, it was great.
Honestly I loved every single character in this book except for Teddy and George (Evangeline wasn’t great either but she was slightly better than they were and she was interesting)
Jack and Wil are adorable and every time one of them was in danger I was so scared, this was really really good I really loved it :)
It was super cool and I loved the magic/historical fiction stuff going on, it was great.
Honestly I loved every single character in this book except for Teddy and George (Evangeline wasn’t great either but she was slightly better than they were and she was interesting)
Jack and Wil are adorable and every time one of them was in danger I was so scared, this was really really good I really loved it :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Physical abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Torture, and Kidnapping
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, and Vomit
nicsnovellife's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, and Misogyny
simixfe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-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? No
4.75
The only thing I didn't love were the "inspirational" and "deep" quotes the author threw in at random
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol and Death of parent