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ewalrath's review against another edition
4.0
A departure from the ordinary line of Benjamin January books. Still amazing.
lvv205's review against another edition
2.0
I really love this series, but this one was a fail for me. Way too many new characters and confusing plot.
cmbohn's review against another edition
4.0
Benjamin January is working hard during the Carnival season. A new opera company has opened and he is in the orchestra. One night during rehearsals he stops an assault on the opera director and is himself wounded. This is only the beginning of an especially bloody and violent season. As usual, I enjoyed this one, especially the setting. But I have to wonder how long January will stay in the rigidly stratified society of antebellum New Orleans. Lots of politics in this one too - it got a little confusing. When that happens, I skip the whys and concentrate on the who and how. Some neat twists. Not the best in the series, but enjoyable all the same.
krisrid's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this, I really tried to like this. It just didn't grab me and I did not finish it.
There were a number of things about this that should have made it a perfect read for me: I love New Orleans and this is set there, I love Shakespeare and there's a Shakespearean connection, I enjoy the Civil War era as a book time period and this is in that era. And I like mystery.
I can't even really put my finger on why I couldn't get into this. It was well-written and I liked the character of January, but something about the pace felt a bit slow for me.
Overall I just wasn't engaged with the story and even though I kept at it to almost page 100, I realized I was just not into this book. With so many on my list, if a book doesn't grab me these days it's on to the next one. Fortunately, I got this at a book sale at my library and only paid ten cents for it.
There were a number of things about this that should have made it a perfect read for me: I love New Orleans and this is set there, I love Shakespeare and there's a Shakespearean connection, I enjoy the Civil War era as a book time period and this is in that era. And I like mystery.
I can't even really put my finger on why I couldn't get into this. It was well-written and I liked the character of January, but something about the pace felt a bit slow for me.
Overall I just wasn't engaged with the story and even though I kept at it to almost page 100, I realized I was just not into this book. With so many on my list, if a book doesn't grab me these days it's on to the next one. Fortunately, I got this at a book sale at my library and only paid ten cents for it.
mcmattiello's review against another edition
3.0
I have loved the Benjamin January series up to now, but this one was so slow I had a hard time finishing it. It did pick up in the last half and I give it 3 stars for that part. Too many characters and the slow plot kept it from being as good as the previous books
threerings's review against another edition
3.0
Much as I'm loving this series, I thought this was the weakest of the books so far. The mystery involves an opera troupe and is just way too confused. So many people with too many hidden agendas. For the majority of the book neither the reader nor the protagonist has any idea what's going on and when the solution(s) finally comes, it's nearly so complex as to be incomprehensible. It feels confused and forced. I enjoyed the bits about the operas themselves way more than the plot. Oh well, I'm still eager to get my hands on the next in the series.
hopeevey's review against another edition
4.0
This book happened to catch my eye at the library. I don't think I knew that Ms. Hambly wrote mysteries before I found this volume. It's actually the 5th book featuring Benjaman January, a free man of color in New Orleans in the early 1800's. Like other Hambly characters, January is prone to omni-competence, which would detract if he wasn't such a beautifully developed character. Yes, he's both a competent surgeon and an outstanding musician, but all of it is part of who he is, not just skills tacked onto him. I feel I would recognize Mr. January if I passed him on the street.
Like all Barbara Hambly's books I've read, the setting is lavish in realism and detail. The plot almost, but not quite, gets lost in the rush and whirl of New Orleans during Carnivalle. The mystery was nicely done, and the characters were all lushly real. I've already requested the first book in this series from my local library.
If you're ONLY interested in the mystery aspect of a novel, skip this one. While the mystery alone is good, it only sings in the context of the setting and outstanding characters. However, if you enjoy historical fiction of any sort, if you enjoy a character-driven story, or if you're interested in what Opera was like in the early 19th century in New Orleans, read this book.
julieputty's review
4.0
Frankly, the mystery left me confused much of the time as people leapt to conclusions here, there, and everywhere. But Hambly's ability to capture and convey a sense of place is really remarkable, and I care about these characters and enjoy watching them wander around.
nilchance's review
4.0
I spent a lot of this book having the emotional equivalent of keysmashing and emoticons. Genuinely tense.
The subtitle could have been "goddamn, it sucks to be a woman in this era." Poor Dominique.
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