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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I loved this. I'm not sure I totally understand what happened at the end.
"Your science can save a man’s life, but imagination makes it worth living."
Natasha Pulley used to live in my flat; in fact, she might have even written this book within the very walls where I am now writing this review, so this book has been a priority for me ever since I moved in.
All that to say, I wish I could find it in this to give it a rating higher, but the plot was such a wash that I simply can't justify it.
Pulley's worldbuilding was wonderful, her sense of character fascinating, her imagination invigorating. The mystery that opens the book and sparks Thaniel to seek out Mori was immediately engaging, and I simply devoured the first half, eager to see where Pulley was taking the story.
However, as many other readers have pointed out, the clear drive of the narrative in the second half suddenly starts to unravel past that halfway point. Thaniel finally meets Grace, and from there things just got more and more discombobulating (a word I do not use lightly). Grace herself is, I think, an entirely superfluous and very selfish character. Though she was technically a major part of the plot, the whole book would have been better without her, which just goes to show you how poorly constructed it was. By the climax, none of the character's motives made sense anymore. Why was
Spoiler
Mori not arrested sooner? What was even the point of Grace's little nighttime sojourn? Why did she set off that explosion? For all of that just to be out of spite towards Mori was simply preposterous.The plot that was established in the beginning, namely the Yard explosion, was almost forgotten and suddenly not a part of the core events by the end. We do get some answers, but almost as afterthoughts.
Spoiler
The fact that the culprit of the explosions was Clan na Gael all along, and that we never really interact with anyone involved in the group, nor do we really get any historical context explaining their motivation, was severely disappointing and such a waste of potential.This was Pulley's debut, so I am willing to forgive poor plotting to an extent. But in general, the events of the second half were a bit of a mess and really a waste of the book's initial setup. I would like to perhaps try another more recent book by Pulley to see if those abilities have improved, but, overall, I felt a little let down by this, flat solidarity aside.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street caught me by surprise. I did not expect to love it as much as I did. I had trouble sleeping one night, and began reading this as a distraction from my headache and lack of sleepiness. Green tea, a quiet morning, and a beautiful book. It's no wonder I was a goner.
This book is breathtaking. The writing is absolutely gorgeous. Natasha Pulley brings every scene to life: from a cold, dreary London morning to golden sunlight and quiet comfort. The pacing was good too: starting out slow, but then coming together faster as the story progressed.
The characters were interesting and I liked following the witty banter that flowed across Mori and Thaniel. Grace herself was a work of art, and I mean that in a positive way: she had backbone, determination, and grit. I loved how strong and independent she was, although I didn't always agree with her methods.
The relationship between Thaniel and Mori was subtle but warm. There were small moments scattered throughout the novel that hinted at their pairing. I loved their pairing: from the way Thaniel feels at home around Mori to the way the two of them protect and value each other fiercely, I was rooting for them every step of the way.
I loved reading about all of Mori's inventions. Katsu, of course, is my favorite by far. I loved every scene with the beloved metal octopus. Pulley describes Katsu, watches, and clockwork with such genuine wonder that it was a joy to read about that part of the story.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is the writing. Pulley's writing is lush and atmospheric. It reminds me a bit of Erin Morgenstern's style, except I prefer Pulley's book. This story pulled me in from the first page, and I loved the journey it too me on.
This book is breathtaking. The writing is absolutely gorgeous. Natasha Pulley brings every scene to life: from a cold, dreary London morning to golden sunlight and quiet comfort. The pacing was good too: starting out slow, but then coming together faster as the story progressed.
The characters were interesting and I liked following the witty banter that flowed across Mori and Thaniel. Grace herself was a work of art, and I mean that in a positive way: she had backbone, determination, and grit. I loved how strong and independent she was, although I didn't always agree with her methods.
The relationship between Thaniel and Mori was subtle but warm. There were small moments scattered throughout the novel that hinted at their pairing. I loved their pairing: from the way Thaniel feels at home around Mori to the way the two of them protect and value each other fiercely, I was rooting for them every step of the way.
I loved reading about all of Mori's inventions. Katsu, of course, is my favorite by far. I loved every scene with the beloved metal octopus. Pulley describes Katsu, watches, and clockwork with such genuine wonder that it was a joy to read about that part of the story.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is the writing. Pulley's writing is lush and atmospheric. It reminds me a bit of Erin Morgenstern's style, except I prefer Pulley's book. This story pulled me in from the first page, and I loved the journey it too me on.
I kept waiting for this book to come together and it never really did (for me). Beautiful writing, but the story and characters didn't grab me the way I hoped.
I really enjoyed this book altho I got me very confused at times
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars rounded up. Natasha Pulley does it again :) I went into this with super high expectations because I adored The Kingdoms so much (definitely a new all time favorite book of mine) and this book really did live up to those expectations.
The way she writes, to me, is so interesting! Because it definitely has the feel of beautiful writing without like the prose I expect with beautiful writing if that makes sense? I don't find myself wanting to highlight every line, there aren't poignant lines that take my breath away, but there's a (to borrow a friend's word) coziness to her writing that I enjoy. I'm currently basically in hell week of my grad program but grabbing this book to read a little after every day made things feel easier and better. I never wanted to put it down.
I also love how she doesn't linger in the romance? That sounds bad because I do love the romances in her books! But, like in The Kingdoms, the romance creeps up on you. There's no explicit telling to the reader of feelings but they're so embedded in the writing that when there's a singular line about a kiss or a hug or a wake up in bed together scene it feels natural, like this was the natural progression of everything happening in the book without explicitly telling the reader "this is what's happening now".
I think that is what ultimately I love about Pulley's writing. She trusts the reader to pick up what is in the text all on our own. There's no pausing to explain to the reader, there's no character explains how they're feeling moments. She trusts us to notice these things without holding our hands and pointing out the way. She's guiding us without pausing every three seconds to tell us what we're seeing. I spent the first 130-ish pages being so confused but I knew she was leading us somewhere and I trusted her in my confusion that it'd make more sense as I read on. There's definitely a rereadability to her books, I feel like I'd gain even more from this book upon reread which is something I always love in books.
I think her writing has definitely grown in caliber since this book came out. I wasn't disappointed with this one, but I think The Kingdoms is the stronger book and I kinda wish I read her older stuff before reading her newest. I'm excited to finish this series out and see where our characters end up and to just spend some more time in this world Pulley's created.
The way she writes, to me, is so interesting! Because it definitely has the feel of beautiful writing without like the prose I expect with beautiful writing if that makes sense? I don't find myself wanting to highlight every line, there aren't poignant lines that take my breath away, but there's a (to borrow a friend's word) coziness to her writing that I enjoy. I'm currently basically in hell week of my grad program but grabbing this book to read a little after every day made things feel easier and better. I never wanted to put it down.
I also love how she doesn't linger in the romance? That sounds bad because I do love the romances in her books! But, like in The Kingdoms, the romance creeps up on you. There's no explicit telling to the reader of feelings but they're so embedded in the writing that when there's a singular line about a kiss or a hug or a wake up in bed together scene it feels natural, like this was the natural progression of everything happening in the book without explicitly telling the reader "this is what's happening now".
I think that is what ultimately I love about Pulley's writing. She trusts the reader to pick up what is in the text all on our own. There's no pausing to explain to the reader, there's no character explains how they're feeling moments. She trusts us to notice these things without holding our hands and pointing out the way. She's guiding us without pausing every three seconds to tell us what we're seeing. I spent the first 130-ish pages being so confused but I knew she was leading us somewhere and I trusted her in my confusion that it'd make more sense as I read on. There's definitely a rereadability to her books, I feel like I'd gain even more from this book upon reread which is something I always love in books.
I think her writing has definitely grown in caliber since this book came out. I wasn't disappointed with this one, but I think The Kingdoms is the stronger book and I kinda wish I read her older stuff before reading her newest. I'm excited to finish this series out and see where our characters end up and to just spend some more time in this world Pulley's created.
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
This did not really work for me. The historical fiction element of it was badly executed, all of the characters spoke in modern language and in short clipped sentences so they all pretty much sounded the same. The fantasy element to it was executed in a very bizarre way and none of the characters seems to be surprised that one of them was basically magic, their decisions also made no sense half the time. All of the plot was in the last 100 pages, so the first 200 were quite dull and almost in a different style than the end, as if the author had completely changed the story at some point or sandwiched loads of stuff in. Some of the main characters were horrible people, which I am fine with if there is someone else I am cheering on, but there wasn't. Then at the end, one of them has the temerity to call Anna Karenina a boring book!