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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
There was only one thing I could think while reading this book: "This feels like a superhero origin story". It felt like I should already know and love the characters from their subsequent exploits and that this book was giving me the background on how they came together rather than it being the start of a series. While I did like the characters, it always felt like there was something missing that I couldn't quite put my finger on.
I did like the characters, but for a book that's billed as teenage girls who fight evil/crime together, they spend only a fraction of the book actually in each other's company. There was a lot of time spent developing their individual characters and their motives, and it was only in the last quarter of the book that they were all "We should have secret identities and go fight the evil person who's threatening to blow up the city!".
So yes. It was fine, although the writing was a little choppy sometimes, and the dialogue was very modern. I liked the characters and it was a fun story. It just felt like the whole thing was set up for what comes next, rather than being a story in its own right.
I did like the characters, but for a book that's billed as teenage girls who fight evil/crime together, they spend only a fraction of the book actually in each other's company. There was a lot of time spent developing their individual characters and their motives, and it was only in the last quarter of the book that they were all "We should have secret identities and go fight the evil person who's threatening to blow up the city!".
So yes. It was fine, although the writing was a little choppy sometimes, and the dialogue was very modern. I liked the characters and it was a fun story. It just felt like the whole thing was set up for what comes next, rather than being a story in its own right.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. True, there didn't seem to be real logic to why the girls got together, but that didn't take away from their spunk, the fun whodunit plot, and the wonderfully steampunk/London setting.
Oh, man was this a great book! Strong female characters at a time where things were vastly unfair for those of the female gender. So just fitting that the villain was female. Hope we have a sequel!!!
There was a Chekov's gun joke. It was glorious. Four stars for that and that only. The rest of the story was meh.
2.5 stars--it started out really promising and lost steam (ha ha) about halfway through.
On the blog: The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
I liked the premise of this book: three young ladies who work as assistants to a scientist/inventor, a magician, and a fencing teacher. The girls team up to solve murders and save all of steampunk Victorian London, proving that they are just as capable and intelligent as their bosses. It's just good fun!
The plot moved a little too slowly for me. This 440 page book could have been told in 200 pages. It dragged on a bit in places, setting up relationships, setting up dialogue, explaining this and that.
I liked the characters of the girls, but I didn't love them. They are spunky and sweet and sassy and intelligent and independent, but somehow.... I wasn't particularly impressed.
Of course, the author killed off the ONE supporting character that I actually loved!
And then there was the S-word, which popped up about 10 times, and annoyed me every time.
The chapter titles are boring. This shows a lack of creativity. meh.
The villains and henchmen were decidedly unoriginal and one-dimensional; the sort that twirl their mustaches and laugh in deep baritones. double meh.
The one really good thing was Michiko, a Japanese girl living and working in London, trying to learn to speak English and feeling very out of place in a new and strange society. Her culture shock was well-described, and I loved her dignified attempts to learn a new language. She's a treasure!
The plot moved a little too slowly for me. This 440 page book could have been told in 200 pages. It dragged on a bit in places, setting up relationships, setting up dialogue, explaining this and that.
I liked the characters of the girls, but I didn't love them. They are spunky and sweet and sassy and intelligent and independent, but somehow.... I wasn't particularly impressed.
Of course, the author killed off the ONE supporting character that I actually loved!
And then there was the S-word, which popped up about 10 times, and annoyed me every time.
The chapter titles are boring. This shows a lack of creativity. meh.
The villains and henchmen were decidedly unoriginal and one-dimensional; the sort that twirl their mustaches and laugh in deep baritones. double meh.
The one really good thing was Michiko, a Japanese girl living and working in London, trying to learn to speak English and feeling very out of place in a new and strange society. Her culture shock was well-described, and I loved her dignified attempts to learn a new language. She's a treasure!
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
These girls can really kick it. I love the steampunk and how the girls use their unique abilities. Great fun.
I love this book. More specifically, I love the characters. The writing style was ok, but the characters definitely made up for it. There were so many well-rounded characters. Cora, Nellie, Michiko; they were all amazing. I love how each of them are strong female characters, but they aren't strong-female-characters. They were all different, and they all had their own issues to deal with, and their own character arc outside of the main plot line.
I'd also like to give a shout-out to whoever made this cover. Somehow, the character impersonators actually look like the characters! It may not be the most ascetically pleasing cover, but I appreciate the attention to detail.
There are quite a few bad steampunk books, so I'm glad I found this one :)
I'd also like to give a shout-out to whoever made this cover. Somehow, the character impersonators actually look like the characters! It may not be the most ascetically pleasing cover, but I appreciate the attention to detail.
There are quite a few bad steampunk books, so I'm glad I found this one :)