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willrefuge's review
2.0
4.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/05/04/a-long-day-in-lychford-by-paul-cornell-review/
Beware possible spoilers for the Lychford series Books #1 & 2
It’s a period of turmoil in Britain, and Lychford has not escaped unscathed. The townsfolk are torn once again over Brexit, immigrants, and the economic downfall. Autumn, as the only ethnic person of any worth in the surrounding area, is especially affected, and feels targeted by the looming change.
Not to mention the town’s reaction to it.
After a drunken argument, Autumn wakes up with a hangover, no memory of what has happened, with the police on her doorstep, and every magical ward anywhere near Lychford going haywire. Apparently someone bungled through all the wards and has strewn their threads all around, more or less opening the plane to intrusion from any magical entity that wants in.
Wouldn’t happen to be a guilty autumn witch with a hazy memory and a nasty hangover? Yeah, of course it was.
—
I have the nose of a bloodhound…. in my pocket.
—
Third book in the Lychford series, each one featuring a new narrator. I mean, they’re all good—each in their own way—but with the change-up, it’s quite difficult to get into a good groove with any one of them.
But that’s not what I want to focus on.
The entire plot of A Long Day is one of our own making. That is, the characters—Autumn, specifically—screws up, and it threatens the survival of Lychford as a whole, and sets up ramifications for future books. What I want to critique here is that something as ancient as the system of wards in Lychford are shouldn’t be so fragile that they can be wrecked by one apprentice getting drunk and bumbling through them—no matter how strong that apprentice is.
There’s also an undertone of race and ethnicity and Brexit within, but that’s largely ignored come the end, with no lessons learnt whatsoever. It just seems like the entire plot was a screw-up of the character’s own making, of the author’s incomplete world-building; an important step in the series to get it focused on whatever’s supposed to happen next. That being said, it’s not too bad a story, once we get going—it’s just the manner of how we get started is disappointing. The setup. The execution. The world-building. The point where it all comes together.
Note: While it’s the third in a 5+ book series, I may recommend skipping this one entirely. With none of the charm or grandeur of the previous entries, it’s a bit of a mess. The narrator does her best, but when you’re the third one-off in three books, there’s only so much you can save. Further installments will feature Emma Newman in a consistent role, and hopefully the author can get the series back on track. Hopefully.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/05/04/a-long-day-in-lychford-by-paul-cornell-review/
Beware possible spoilers for the Lychford series Books #1 & 2
It’s a period of turmoil in Britain, and Lychford has not escaped unscathed. The townsfolk are torn once again over Brexit, immigrants, and the economic downfall. Autumn, as the only ethnic person of any worth in the surrounding area, is especially affected, and feels targeted by the looming change.
Not to mention the town’s reaction to it.
After a drunken argument, Autumn wakes up with a hangover, no memory of what has happened, with the police on her doorstep, and every magical ward anywhere near Lychford going haywire. Apparently someone bungled through all the wards and has strewn their threads all around, more or less opening the plane to intrusion from any magical entity that wants in.
Wouldn’t happen to be a guilty autumn witch with a hazy memory and a nasty hangover? Yeah, of course it was.
—
I have the nose of a bloodhound…. in my pocket.
—
Third book in the Lychford series, each one featuring a new narrator. I mean, they’re all good—each in their own way—but with the change-up, it’s quite difficult to get into a good groove with any one of them.
But that’s not what I want to focus on.
The entire plot of A Long Day is one of our own making. That is, the characters—Autumn, specifically—screws up, and it threatens the survival of Lychford as a whole, and sets up ramifications for future books. What I want to critique here is that something as ancient as the system of wards in Lychford are shouldn’t be so fragile that they can be wrecked by one apprentice getting drunk and bumbling through them—no matter how strong that apprentice is.
There’s also an undertone of race and ethnicity and Brexit within, but that’s largely ignored come the end, with no lessons learnt whatsoever. It just seems like the entire plot was a screw-up of the character’s own making, of the author’s incomplete world-building; an important step in the series to get it focused on whatever’s supposed to happen next. That being said, it’s not too bad a story, once we get going—it’s just the manner of how we get started is disappointing. The setup. The execution. The world-building. The point where it all comes together.
Note: While it’s the third in a 5+ book series, I may recommend skipping this one entirely. With none of the charm or grandeur of the previous entries, it’s a bit of a mess. The narrator does her best, but when you’re the third one-off in three books, there’s only so much you can save. Further installments will feature Emma Newman in a consistent role, and hopefully the author can get the series back on track. Hopefully.
stepriot's review
5.0
A few reviews are upset by the political part of the novella. It made me hesitant to listen to it. Turns out there isn't actually much in the way of politics in it. The political argument in a bar is just the catalyst for the events. I thoroughly enjoyed the disorienting aspects of the story. I think they were used well in character development.
delixi's review
4.0
Always a pleasure to go back to Lychford. However, this time I think I would have liked a longer story. It seemed like everything was a little rushed and confusing. I think the author could have explored the whole Brexit thing a lot more than he did in the novella.One thing is clear: this is not the last time we'll read about these group of witches
qalminator's review
4.0
Frenetic continuation of the series, which focuses much more on Autumn than the first two books. I didn't like it quite as well as the first two books, but I think that was due to the pacing more than anything else. There aren't too many spots to pause for breath in this one. Note that this one ends with a bit of cliffhanger: While the primary plot is resolved, it sets off a reaction that will likely be the seed for the next book.
samuelson_obi's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn't get passed the narration sadly. It wasn't bad, not at all, Robin Miles' narration was very skilled. But not skilled enough to pass off as british. Her random switches from one british accent to the next, sometimes in the role of the narrator, was distracting. This novella felt more topical and it felt a bit more immersive, as it featured current affairs; it still wasn't as fun as the previous installments.
bookswithbets's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cekwrites's review against another edition
you could tell it was not the first book in the series so i don’t think it’s fair to star rate it since i haven’t read the two that precede this book
however the writing was strange and inconsistent. lots of rhetorical questions for some reason. characterisation was minimal, and descriptions felt both too long and rushed at the same time.
it was a quick read (maybe two hours) so i’m not incredibly mad or anything at it. just, y’know, not an author i’d personally be excited about reading again.
however the writing was strange and inconsistent. lots of rhetorical questions for some reason. characterisation was minimal, and descriptions felt both too long and rushed at the same time.
it was a quick read (maybe two hours) so i’m not incredibly mad or anything at it. just, y’know, not an author i’d personally be excited about reading again.
soubrielka's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25