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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
Problems Encountered
1. A number of typos and editing errors
2. A use of language that seemed more appropriate for younger audiences than the young adult crowd this book is allegedly targeted towards. Appears as though it has been written for middle grade readers but touches on somewhat adult themes thus making it inappropriate for such an audience.
3. Makes no attempt at having dialogue reflect the time period it was set in (1900) instead choosing to utilize modern day slang.
4. In general had difficulty capturing the feel of twentieth century London
5. Scooby Doo-ed the ending: antagonist tells protagonists all about evil plot and would have gotten away with it if it too if it wasn't for those meddling kids.
1. A number of typos and editing errors
2. A use of language that seemed more appropriate for younger audiences than the young adult crowd this book is allegedly targeted towards. Appears as though it has been written for middle grade readers but touches on somewhat adult themes thus making it inappropriate for such an audience.
3. Makes no attempt at having dialogue reflect the time period it was set in (1900) instead choosing to utilize modern day slang.
4. In general had difficulty capturing the feel of twentieth century London
5. Scooby Doo-ed the ending: antagonist tells protagonists all about evil plot and would have gotten away with it if it too if it wasn't for those meddling kids.
Generally not a fan of steampunk AT ALL, but I read this months ago and still remember the plot and characters and the fact that I really liked it. Fun read that didn't have annoying characters being TSTL
I am well above the intended age range for this book but I doubt my much younger self would have finished it either. I got about halfway through and nothing much had happened and I didn't really care enough about any of the characters to find out if something eventually did...
This, and other reviews can be found on Just a Lil' Lost
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ (3.5/5 stars)
The Friday Society follows the lives of three clever & capable women, all three assistants to powerful men in turn of the century London. Cora, a lab assistant to an inventor often found in opium labs, Nellie, a magician’s assistant to the highly-acclaimed Great Raheem, and Michiko, a Japanese fight assistant whose employer can’t understand much of what she’s saying to him. When people are mysteriously killed, the girls take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of it. An unlikely trio who become fast friends, they use their individual skills to work together to solve something the police don’t seem too interested in, before it’s too late.
This was my first steampunk novel, and it was definitely a fun read! I loved the theme of feminism throughout the whole story especially set in olde-tyme England. Perhaps because of the overwhelming sense of girl power, it allowed the readers to really assess the male characters and their motives. I kept suspecting the wrong people, or felt like I was wrong to be trusting others. Told through alternating POVs between the three girls, Kress does a good job of keeping the story moving while still giving adequate time to each girl’s story. I especially loved the tenth chapter, where it was broken out by quarters (10¼, 10½ & 10¾) , indicating it’s still the same scene – but different POVs.
While I found Nellie to be a bit too airheady and Michiko’s disjointed conversations with the other two girls to be a bit tiresome after a while, I definitely loved Cora’s personality and character the most. She was tough, smart and earned the respect of powerful men by seeing her as an equal. I also loved The Great Raheem, who is such a great supporting character in this book. He exhibited the kind of reverence and respect while not being patronizing towards his young assistant and her new friends. I find that it can be a fine line between being a father figure and sounding condescending and Kress writes this dynamic well.
The Friday Society is a great steampunk mystery with a Charlie’s Angels kind of vibe. A very fun & entertaining read!
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ (3.5/5 stars)
The Friday Society follows the lives of three clever & capable women, all three assistants to powerful men in turn of the century London. Cora, a lab assistant to an inventor often found in opium labs, Nellie, a magician’s assistant to the highly-acclaimed Great Raheem, and Michiko, a Japanese fight assistant whose employer can’t understand much of what she’s saying to him. When people are mysteriously killed, the girls take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of it. An unlikely trio who become fast friends, they use their individual skills to work together to solve something the police don’t seem too interested in, before it’s too late.
This was my first steampunk novel, and it was definitely a fun read! I loved the theme of feminism throughout the whole story especially set in olde-tyme England. Perhaps because of the overwhelming sense of girl power, it allowed the readers to really assess the male characters and their motives. I kept suspecting the wrong people, or felt like I was wrong to be trusting others. Told through alternating POVs between the three girls, Kress does a good job of keeping the story moving while still giving adequate time to each girl’s story. I especially loved the tenth chapter, where it was broken out by quarters (10¼, 10½ & 10¾) , indicating it’s still the same scene – but different POVs.
While I found Nellie to be a bit too airheady and Michiko’s disjointed conversations with the other two girls to be a bit tiresome after a while, I definitely loved Cora’s personality and character the most. She was tough, smart and earned the respect of powerful men by seeing her as an equal. I also loved The Great Raheem, who is such a great supporting character in this book. He exhibited the kind of reverence and respect while not being patronizing towards his young assistant and her new friends. I find that it can be a fine line between being a father figure and sounding condescending and Kress writes this dynamic well.
The Friday Society is a great steampunk mystery with a Charlie’s Angels kind of vibe. A very fun & entertaining read!
The Friday Society is a fast-paced, fun, and funny novel set in a steampunk-styled, Edwardian London. While teen girls will certainly get a lot out of the three, strong main characters, Cora, Nellie, and Michiko, one shouldn't discount the pleasure that teen boys would have with Cora's inventions, Nellie's stunts, and Michiko's samurai training. In other words, teens of all ages and genders will like it.
Navigating though three third person narrators (not to mention writing them) found be daunting, especially in a story where the structure as a whole and where the timing of events that each of the MCs experience is crucial. However, through clever authorial decisions, such as the parallel structure of the characters, their masters, and the things that happen to them separately and together, Adrienne Kress makes what she had to accomplish to get this novel finished seem like a piece of cake, not unlike Michiko's swordsmanship. Finally, her cleverly placed allusions to canonical texts gives those teens with literary leanings the opportunity to feel as though they're in on a secret and/or give them reason to delve more deeply into the canon to comprehend them.
Navigating though three third person narrators (not to mention writing them) found be daunting, especially in a story where the structure as a whole and where the timing of events that each of the MCs experience is crucial. However, through clever authorial decisions, such as the parallel structure of the characters, their masters, and the things that happen to them separately and together, Adrienne Kress makes what she had to accomplish to get this novel finished seem like a piece of cake, not unlike Michiko's swordsmanship. Finally, her cleverly placed allusions to canonical texts gives those teens with literary leanings the opportunity to feel as though they're in on a secret and/or give them reason to delve more deeply into the canon to comprehend them.
Sometimes it was boring, and sometimes it was ok, I guess. Nothing extraordinary.
It was something different alright :) Review to come!