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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
sad
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
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Characters: 8, while Tania's disability has center stage throughout the story, there is an adventure story outside of it. The secondary characters were distinguishable from each other, though a bit slippery in trying to understand their motivations and weaknesses. Of all of them, I identified most strongly with Portia (and only after I finished the book did I realize she's probably the Porthos character, so that makes sense). Tania herself undergoes an internal journey of learning to trust (others and herself), discovering a cause greater than herself to take inspiration from, and learning to accept people as multi-faceted. It's a journey that rang true, given her disability was around since she was a child, and the story is set in the 1700s, before POTS was a believed diagnosis. The author herself has POTS and was a fencer, so she clearly attempted to stay true to her experience, as well as stick as close as she could to the source material. There were a few times that Tania made a leap to some revelation, or acted in a way that was revelatory to other characters, but we didn't see the starting point and so it had less impact than it was meant to.
Atmosphere: 7, for the most part, the tension was consistent and threaded throughout the narrative. But I couldn't really picture the physical setting, outside of the fencing room, the carriage interior, and the pulley to the second floor. I could picture the clothing a bit, but not the characters themselves- features were described, but not mannerisms in a way that stuck in my head- the exception being Henri.
Writing: 6, I'm unlikely to pick up another book by the author, unless the concept intrigues me. Some aspects of her writing style I vibed with, but some (like scene changes that felt sudden or mid-conversation) threw me. On a side note, this seems to be something I notice and am bothered by more and more, so it may be less that this book did it often, and more that I've gotten overly sensitive to it for some reason.
Plot: 9, of all historical fiction retellings, picking the Three Musketeers and gender bending it was already charming me. And it felt plausible enough- Cardinal Mazarin is a brilliant strategist, and as such I imagine he would entertain the idea of secretly trying something radical and new. Finding young women who could fence is also plausible (some of the best fencers in history have been female). The MC having POTS is realistic (from historical documents, the disease has existed for a long time). But this is the first time I've seen all those elements come together. And also for them to straddle the necessary balance between feeling plausible and still being a swashbuckling adventure story with sorority at its heart.
Intrigue: 7, I did see the twist coming a mile away, but the MC didn't and that mattered more in the story. Also, the thrust of this tale isn't the whodunit, but the character growth and the gelling of the Musketeers themselves as a sisterhood. The final showdown was well executed and allowed each character to shine for a moment, which was awesome. And I admit that one red herring did have me convinced for awhile.
Logic: 10, both the logic within the story and the logic of the history overlaying it held true. The MC is careful to say things that didn't undermine the effect of POTS on her (so her struggle wasn't made any less and readers with POTS weren't suddenly invalidated). The logic of the executed spycraft also holds true, which was nice.
Enjoyment: 8, I don't know that anything about the story will remain in my head, except for the fact that a woman with POTS was able to fence (both in the story, and the existence of the author). I don't just have POTS, and my POTS is pretty mild, but my chronic illnesses have nixed all sustained physical activity, so the idea of a fencer with chronic illness kindles a little spark of joy within me. Here's hoping we see more MCs with disabilities whose stories aren't about overcoming or embracing them, but are essentially the same character growth arcs non-disabled MCs have, just a bit bent.
I don't know what it is, but somehow I couldn't really get into the story... I feel like I don't really care that much for any of the characters, and also like the main plot still hasn't started 46% into the book — it still feels like exposition or setting up the story ?
I really liked the premise of the book though, and might pick this back up at a later time, but for now I'm gonna DNF it.
I really liked the premise of the book though, and might pick this back up at a later time, but for now I'm gonna DNF it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
Interesting. There were parts I really enjoyed, but overall, there just wasn’t enough plot. It felt like the majority of the book was nonessential content that didn’t really go anywhere or add anything to the story. It could have been half as long!
4.5 because the "mystery" was fairly obvious but it was still a fun and engaging story, and I wanted to keep going to see how the big reveal would happen. Rounded up because I've never seen a portrayal of POTS in YA, let alone one that is this well done!
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
Less of a retelling than a continuation of the Three Musketeers except now it's four instead of three. Very cute but nothing groundbreaking with the writing and stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Blood
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I saw somewhere before reading this that this is comparative to Six Of Crows. It’s not. That is why I rated it so low. It’s not a bad book. Actually, without the Six Of Crow comparison, it’s a great book. But I saw that. And that is irreversible.
I read this for my YA class on our discussion on disability. While this book has strong disability rep, I think my lens tainted the book for me. That is all I saw. Objectively this is an interesting book with compelling characters and disability, female, queer representation. That being said it is a YOUNG ADULT NOVEL and feels as such. A lot of dialogue. Not super super deep. You know how some YA feels heavy and adult? Well this YA feels YA. Nothing wrong with that, just not for me. If I had a library collection to manage, though, I would happily add it to my teen section. This is a great YA book. It has good and accurate representation. It’s a cool feminist twist on the three musketeers. Not a bad book! Just not one I would recommend to adults. Definitely a teen recommendation. Keep that in mind if you pick this up :)
adventurous
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
just as phenomenal the second time