Reviews

Miranda in Milan by Katharine Duckett

midici's review against another edition

4.0

*spoilers*

I purposefully did not read the summary for this novella before I read it, and was enthralled. In The Tempest Prospero is a magician, and the rightful Duke of Milan. He is cast out to sea, along with his infant daughter, after his brother betrays him and takes the dukedom for himself.

But there's so many different ways to tell a story. Who's to say that Prospero's version - a version that comes from a skillful magician, obsessed with power, bitter from being cast out - is the truth?

At the end of the play, everyone except for Caliban and Ariel leave the island and head back to Italy; this is where Miranda in Milan begins. The story has a very gothic feel to it: a naive girl trying to navigate a strange place, one that seems to house ghosts and secrets no one will tell her. She's trapped by her circumstances, and her sinister father, who can spy on her from afar. The story is beautifully told.

In Milan, Miranda's only friend is Dorothea, a servant in the palace. It is Dorothea who encourages Miranda to find out the truth surrounding what happened when Prospero was originally overthrown, and what he is planning on doing now. Miranda is slowly building herself into a person, not just a being of the island or an obedient vessel for her father. She has to take risks and make choices and decide what her own fate will be.

I really enjoyed this novella, and it felt just the right length, with such a hopeful ending.

rmcquade's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

chaifanatic18's review

adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

ally_o's review against another edition

4.0

Fun, quick summer read.

aktreich's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

3.0

emilyrandolph_epstein's review against another edition

4.0

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which expands upon one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, I wish it had been longer and delved deeper.

books_and_keys's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

lezreadalot's review

3.0

“What must you never do, when dealing with the Devil, girl? Turn your back to him, and give him time. Time, and books, and the sanguineous sea.”

2.5 stars. This was... fine? I'm a little disappointed overall. I reread the Tempest a while ago in preparation for this, and found it pretty dull and racist. This, happily, was not racist. And it was gay. And that's pretty much all I can say about it.

Well, no, that's not fair. The story is an imagining of the events that might have transpired after the end of the Tempest, as well the events in the history/lives of the characters that would have led to everything. We're following Miranda as she tries to get used to her new life in Milan after returning with Prospero. But she trusts her father less and less with every day, she hasn't heard from Ferdinand in weeks, and there's a sinister mystery surrounding the castle. Miranda slowly gets to the heart of it, alongside a new friend and confidante.

Duckett has a lovely writing style, and some parts were pretty striking. I think the beginning of this showed promise, and the story as was told was definitely interesting, but for some reason it just didn't capture my attention. The middle part dragged a lot, and I really think the author could have found a better way to tell the same story. Thankfully, the ending did pick up a lot. The romance was really cute, and I loved all of the Shakespearean courtship language. But it moved way too fast to have any impact on me, even for a novella. Dorothea was a great character, but I never felt like we got to know her enough. 

I definitely liked the idea behind this, and I can safely say I enjoyed it more than the original? But that was a pretty low bar to clear.

leesmyth's review

3.0

I liked the premise, and very much enjoyed the build-up of the central mystery, but I was disappointed in its resolution. And while I liked the ending, it really did seem a bit too easy in a way.

cimorene1558's review

5.0

This is amazing! Miranda and Prospero after the Tempest, in which we discover that Prospero is evil and nuts, and Miranda is suffering from PTSD after being brought up by an evil nut on a remote and magical island, and is also a fairly serious lesbian. Milan is also less than grateful to have them back (see above), and Antonio wasn’t actually that bad, and high jinks ensue, luckily ending well despite all appearances to the contrary.
I am a huge Shakespeare nerd, and I love fantasy, and lesbian romance, so this is absolutely the right book for me!