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caitlinemccann's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, Death of parent, Classism, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Body shaming
Minor: Chronic illness
bookishmillennial's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless of the lack of stars. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
Fun Fact: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) based on the novel by Alexander Dumas remains one of my favorite vengeance/adventure films ever, and this book did it such stunning justice! I love when a character is wronged, and is set on making a comeback, specifically with the objective of exacting revenge on the ones who caused their suffering. I support women's rights, but more importantly, I support women's wrongs. Ela/Lyra did nothing wrong, and I stand by everything she did hahaha.
I absolutely adored this! I am a historical romance honey and when you add in an entirely diverse cast of characters? IT IS MY CAT NIP! Amalie Howard took such great care in representing both people of color during the Regency era, as well as recognizing that queer folks were present too! I'm so glad we had bisexual/pansexual representation in Blake, even if he was a side character.
The first-person POV of Ela, along with dual-timelines (one timeline starts at 1814, while the present day is 1817), drove the story perfectly. Ela's voice was bitter, funny, and determined, and we are given glimpses into the three years she spent away from the ton at a girls' boarding school, under the care of Church, a thirty-something year old woman whose identity is a bit of a mystery at first. This dynamic perfectly mirrors Edmond Dantes's relationship with his fellow prisoner, the elder Abbe Faria. I squealed when I realized what Amalie was setting up. I yelled, "IS SHE KIDDING? THIS IS PERFECT!"
Ela took these three years to plan the demise of her mortal enemy and ex-best-friend, Poppy, and I was rooting for Ela the entire time. Poppy felt reminiscent of every jealous, vindictive, deflecting, pick-me friend we see in YA who projects their insecurities onto seemingly malleable people, and only wants sycophants around them. Poppy would absolutely weaponize ww tears on bookstagram when being called in for doing better lmao.
As far as the romantic subplot of the second-chance, hidden-identity, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance between Ela/Lyra and Ridley (the son of a duke), I appreciate accountability but I still think Ela can do better. My CountESS of Monte Cristo deserves ONLY THE BEST! Hahaha. Rosalin (whose parents are from China) was my favorite side character in the group of friends, because she felt the most fleshed out.
One thing to note, is that the dialogue can sometimes be anachronistic, but it never took me out of the story. If anything, I found it funny and truly had a silly, goofy, delightful time reading this!
Quotations that stood out to me:
Stays were a lady’s battle armor—after all, I was going to war, the glittering ballrooms of London my battlefield.
A splendid come-out. A glittering social season. An impressive suitor. All stolen. And I intended to take them back.
Revenge was much like chess—a game of positioning and strategy. A game of patience. A game of power. A game I intended to win. Poppy Landers was going down.
I was no longer Lady Ela Dalvi, but Miss Lyra Whitley, the enigmatic heiress about to own this season and deliver justice to her enemies.
There was room for only one queen. And that would be me.
“Waltzing gives me conniptions.” A huff of laughter left those perfect lips, making me instantly imagine how those plush, pillowy curves would feel on mine. No, no, no. Not soft. Not warm. Not anything. Terrible. He’d be a terrible kisser.
“Allow me to be the remedy to your ills, then,” he said.
Ruination was a terrible thing. It was the very spectacle that meant complete and utter social annihilation for a woman. One whisper of ruined virtue, and she would be summarily kicked to the curb like yesterday’s rubbish
Someone had to settle the score. That someone would be me. Someday. I vowed it.
Not that I didn’t like his appreciation. I reveled in it, but the intensity of his stare made my insides feel like an inferno.
“When a person behaves badly, that ugliness comes from them, no one else. We can only control ourselves…what we do.”
“You can’t save me, Church,” I told her softly. She smiled.
“I’m not trying to save you, Ela. You need to do that on your own. But I am determined to show you how much you are loved and wanted, so that one day, maybe, you decide to save yourself.”
“I do not understand why you can’t let the past go,” she said.
“This burning desire for vengeance upon those who have wronged you will eat away at your soul.”
“It will eat away at me if I turn the other cheek.” Church glared, showing some healthy fire for the first time in weeks.
“Isn’t that your Christian duty?”
I glared back. “Don’t you dare turn your malleable theology on me, Church."
“What’s best for me is for me to walk my own path, even if it leads to my fall.” I held her trembling palms in mine.
“Because I have a friend like you to help me up. We have each other.” I swallowed hard.
“Even if you might not believe in my choices, I know you believe in me. Don’t you?” Church’s face crumpled.
“You know I do. More than anything else.”
“Then trust me to find my own way.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she whispered.
“A smart person once told me that pain is a lesson in itself and I’ll only learn from it.”
Oh, God, I wasn’t going to swoon, was I? I wasn’t a swooner. Never had been. My constitution was as strong as iron, yet in this boy’s presence, I felt like I was made of nothing but gossamer.
“We don’t get do-overs, Lord Ridley. We only get to do better.”
Fun Fact: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) based on the novel by Alexander Dumas remains one of my favorite vengeance/adventure films ever, and this book did it such stunning justice! I love when a character is wronged, and is set on making a comeback, specifically with the objective of exacting revenge on the ones who caused their suffering. I support women's rights, but more importantly, I support women's wrongs. Ela/Lyra did nothing wrong, and I stand by everything she did hahaha.
I absolutely adored this! I am a historical romance honey and when you add in an entirely diverse cast of characters? IT IS MY CAT NIP! Amalie Howard took such great care in representing both people of color during the Regency era, as well as recognizing that queer folks were present too! I'm so glad we had bisexual/pansexual representation in Blake, even if he was a side character.
The first-person POV of Ela, along with dual-timelines (one timeline starts at 1814, while the present day is 1817), drove the story perfectly. Ela's voice was bitter, funny, and determined, and we are given glimpses into the three years she spent away from the ton at a girls' boarding school, under the care of Church, a thirty-something year old woman whose identity is a bit of a mystery at first. This dynamic perfectly mirrors Edmond Dantes's relationship with his fellow prisoner, the elder Abbe Faria. I squealed when I realized what Amalie was setting up. I yelled, "IS SHE KIDDING? THIS IS PERFECT!"
Ela took these three years to plan the demise of her mortal enemy and ex-best-friend, Poppy, and I was rooting for Ela the entire time. Poppy felt reminiscent of every jealous, vindictive, deflecting, pick-me friend we see in YA who projects their insecurities onto seemingly malleable people, and only wants sycophants around them. Poppy would absolutely weaponize ww tears on bookstagram when being called in for doing better lmao.
As far as the romantic subplot of the second-chance, hidden-identity, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance between Ela/Lyra and Ridley (the son of a duke), I appreciate accountability but I still think Ela can do better. My CountESS of Monte Cristo deserves ONLY THE BEST! Hahaha. Rosalin (whose parents are from China) was my favorite side character in the group of friends, because she felt the most fleshed out.
One thing to note, is that the dialogue can sometimes be anachronistic, but it never took me out of the story. If anything, I found it funny and truly had a silly, goofy, delightful time reading this!
Quotations that stood out to me:
Stays were a lady’s battle armor—after all, I was going to war, the glittering ballrooms of London my battlefield.
A splendid come-out. A glittering social season. An impressive suitor. All stolen. And I intended to take them back.
Revenge was much like chess—a game of positioning and strategy. A game of patience. A game of power. A game I intended to win. Poppy Landers was going down.
I was no longer Lady Ela Dalvi, but Miss Lyra Whitley, the enigmatic heiress about to own this season and deliver justice to her enemies.
There was room for only one queen. And that would be me.
“Waltzing gives me conniptions.” A huff of laughter left those perfect lips, making me instantly imagine how those plush, pillowy curves would feel on mine. No, no, no. Not soft. Not warm. Not anything. Terrible. He’d be a terrible kisser.
“Allow me to be the remedy to your ills, then,” he said.
Ruination was a terrible thing. It was the very spectacle that meant complete and utter social annihilation for a woman. One whisper of ruined virtue, and she would be summarily kicked to the curb like yesterday’s rubbish
Someone had to settle the score. That someone would be me. Someday. I vowed it.
Not that I didn’t like his appreciation. I reveled in it, but the intensity of his stare made my insides feel like an inferno.
“When a person behaves badly, that ugliness comes from them, no one else. We can only control ourselves…what we do.”
“You can’t save me, Church,” I told her softly. She smiled.
“I’m not trying to save you, Ela. You need to do that on your own. But I am determined to show you how much you are loved and wanted, so that one day, maybe, you decide to save yourself.”
“I do not understand why you can’t let the past go,” she said.
“This burning desire for vengeance upon those who have wronged you will eat away at your soul.”
“It will eat away at me if I turn the other cheek.” Church glared, showing some healthy fire for the first time in weeks.
“Isn’t that your Christian duty?”
I glared back. “Don’t you dare turn your malleable theology on me, Church."
“What’s best for me is for me to walk my own path, even if it leads to my fall.” I held her trembling palms in mine.
“Because I have a friend like you to help me up. We have each other.” I swallowed hard.
“Even if you might not believe in my choices, I know you believe in me. Don’t you?” Church’s face crumpled.
“You know I do. More than anything else.”
“Then trust me to find my own way.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she whispered.
“A smart person once told me that pain is a lesson in itself and I’ll only learn from it.”
Oh, God, I wasn’t going to swoon, was I? I wasn’t a swooner. Never had been. My constitution was as strong as iron, yet in this boy’s presence, I felt like I was made of nothing but gossamer.
“We don’t get do-overs, Lord Ridley. We only get to do better.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Bullying
Moderate: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexism
bookwormbullet's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Sexism
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