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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
for someone who says she was given assistance by a japanese foundation this book sure doesn't include a lot of actual knowledge about japanese language or culture in it, but rather a lot of made up or not fully understood stuff. i cringed so many times at the number of things she wrote that were just blatantly false. just so much nonsense about japan that seemed rather like a weeb writing fanfiction about japan than someone who actually cared enough about the country and culture to try to write it properly. there was also a lot of casual racism and whatnot against asians and irish people throughout the book, which felt very uncomfortable and like it was just put there to be put there? no discussion of whether it was wrong or anything (especially with regards to the irish; makes me feel like the author herself has some unresolved issues), it was just there. other than that i don't actually know how much i liked the book itself, but i did enjoy mori a lot and his relationship with thaniel. interesting enough for me to read most of it in one sitting i guess. overall i think i'm rather disappointed in this book.
mysterious
medium-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
A book that starts out as a 5-star read but sadly doesn't live up to its early promise.
The author is particularly strong at world-building and has clearly done her research. She draws the reader beautifully into an intriguing steampunkish Victorian England.
The premise is also compelling and the narrative tension and sense of mystery are created early in the book and maintained throughout. However the ending to the story does not quite live up to the sense of intrigue and mystery, leading to a rather disappointing conclusion to the reading experience. The premise is also compelling, the author creates a strong narrative tension and sense of mystery early in the book, and the story takes some unlikely turns which initially seems promising. However some of the twists and turns are rather superficially treated and the ending to the story does not quite live up to the sense of intrigue and mystery, leading to a rather disappointing conclusion to the reading experience.
The characters of Thaniel and Mori, and the relationship between them, are multi-layered and masterfully and tenderly evoked, but the characters of Grace and Matsumoto are a little superficially treated, drawing too much on cliches and without the depth that their roles in the plot would warrant.
The writing also loses points at the sentence level. This a shame as there is some lovely writing, particularly in the earlier parts of the book, but unfortunately this is not kept up consistently throughout and the quality really drops towards the end. I had the impression that the author was trying to employ Japanese zen/haiku-inspired writing devices, such as ending paragraphs and chapters with a poetic last sentence. This works beautifully in some places and fails spectacularly in others, leading to a rather variable writing quality and numerous jarring and at times confusing passages. The book's pacing is also very variable, with some sections dragging out too much and some passing at breakneck speed. This may well be a result of major changes being made to the book, such as moving things around in the plot, without quite enough time and care being taken to ensure that it all hangs together in the end.
Overall a worthwhile read, but flawed.
The author is particularly strong at world-building and has clearly done her research. She draws the reader beautifully into an intriguing steampunkish Victorian England.
The premise is also compelling and the narrative tension and sense of mystery are created early in the book and maintained throughout. However the ending to the story does not quite live up to the sense of intrigue and mystery, leading to a rather disappointing conclusion to the reading experience. The premise is also compelling, the author creates a strong narrative tension and sense of mystery early in the book, and the story takes some unlikely turns which initially seems promising. However some of the twists and turns are rather superficially treated and the ending to the story does not quite live up to the sense of intrigue and mystery, leading to a rather disappointing conclusion to the reading experience.
The characters of Thaniel and Mori, and the relationship between them, are multi-layered and masterfully and tenderly evoked, but the characters of Grace and Matsumoto are a little superficially treated, drawing too much on cliches and without the depth that their roles in the plot would warrant.
The writing also loses points at the sentence level. This a shame as there is some lovely writing, particularly in the earlier parts of the book, but unfortunately this is not kept up consistently throughout and the quality really drops towards the end. I had the impression that the author was trying to employ Japanese zen/haiku-inspired writing devices, such as ending paragraphs and chapters with a poetic last sentence. This works beautifully in some places and fails spectacularly in others, leading to a rather variable writing quality and numerous jarring and at times confusing passages. The book's pacing is also very variable, with some sections dragging out too much and some passing at breakneck speed. This may well be a result of major changes being made to the book, such as moving things around in the plot, without quite enough time and care being taken to ensure that it all hangs together in the end.
Overall a worthwhile read, but flawed.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really enjoyed this book… except for grace. But I can’t decide if she’s meant to be unlikable or sympathetic.
The premise seemed really interesting, but all the blatant racial slurs were very uncomfortable. I don't give a crap if its 'historically accurate', there's literally no excuse for so many casual uses in a modern book, especially when none of the characters seemed to at all give the impression this was a bad thing.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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:
N/A
Wonderfully crafted intricately beautiful narrative.
I enjoyed this book very very much.
There were some glaringly anachronistic bits here and there but i don't think they detracted from the lovely story.
Loved this book a lot.
I enjoyed this book very very much.
There were some glaringly anachronistic bits here and there but i don't think they detracted from the lovely story.
Loved this book a lot.
Wonderfully written. Such evocative language. I really felt the grubby oppressiveness of victorian London. The characters are so well drawn, and so deeply faceted. I can't wait for more of Pulley's work.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated