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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Well, it's very sad, or at least I found it that way. I would have liked it if there was a female character that wasn't really cruel. Maybe I've taken the wrong lesson from this book, but it just seemed very melancholy.
Maybe that's because of the state I'm in right now though.
Grace, as a character, infuriated me, and not in an entertaining way. She suffers from chronic not-like-other-girls syndrome, is derisive towards suffragettes, participates in unchallenged racism and condemns a character for manipulating situations, only to turn around and do the exact same thing. All the worse, she acts violently and cruelly out of self interest whilst the character she is trying to combat tends to act out of love. She also reoccurringly has a tendency to be ignorant about the cruelty she is enacting upon the main character.
To top it off, this all remains unchallenged at the end and in the final chapter she continues to view herself as a jilted, well intentioned lady. For a book that clearly tries to give closure and not leave an open ending, this wasn't enough closure for me as her character had absolutely no growth.
I hadn't realised that this poor character arc for the only female character of consequence had upset me this much, but because of this I'm rating this book 3 stars, not 4.
I did really like the clockwork and steampunk elements and I thought the author writes really good descriptions.
Maybe that's because of the state I'm in right now though.
Grace, as a character, infuriated me, and not in an entertaining way. She suffers from chronic not-like-other-girls syndrome, is derisive towards suffragettes, participates in unchallenged racism and condemns a character for manipulating situations, only to turn around and do the exact same thing. All the worse, she acts violently and cruelly out of self interest whilst the character she is trying to combat tends to act out of love. She also reoccurringly has a tendency to be ignorant about the cruelty she is enacting upon the main character.
To top it off, this all remains unchallenged at the end and in the final chapter she continues to view herself as a jilted, well intentioned lady. For a book that clearly tries to give closure and not leave an open ending, this wasn't enough closure for me as her character had absolutely no growth.
I hadn't realised that this poor character arc for the only female character of consequence had upset me this much, but because of this I'm rating this book 3 stars, not 4.
I did really like the clockwork and steampunk elements and I thought the author writes really good descriptions.
emotional
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
This book is marked as fantasy but it is so rooted in historical fiction and it is only about 2/3 of the way through that anything seems to happen that couldn't be explained. The author does a great job utilizing Victorian England as a setting and the pace moved well. All mysteries were explained and the end was satisfying!
A bombing at Scotland Yard sets off an investigation in which our main character meets and befriends a primary suspect, a master of clockworks who is as much of a mystery himself as the items he builds and brings to life.
I tried so hard to get this one completed in 2024 but just couldn't quite manage it. This book had all the elements of things that I should like: mystery, historical fiction, a bit of magic and whimsy, some time travel-esque components. Unfortunately, it was just a real struggle for me to get through this one. I'm not sure if it was just a bad time for this type of story or what, but I found it a bit of a slog. I didn't really care for any of the characters except the octopus, and I'd often find my mind wandering even while reading so I'd have to backtrack and re-read some sections so as not to become totally lost. I do want to give the next one in the series a try at some point, but I think it'll be a bit before that happens.
I tried so hard to get this one completed in 2024 but just couldn't quite manage it. This book had all the elements of things that I should like: mystery, historical fiction, a bit of magic and whimsy, some time travel-esque components. Unfortunately, it was just a real struggle for me to get through this one. I'm not sure if it was just a bad time for this type of story or what, but I found it a bit of a slog. I didn't really care for any of the characters except the octopus, and I'd often find my mind wandering even while reading so I'd have to backtrack and re-read some sections so as not to become totally lost. I do want to give the next one in the series a try at some point, but I think it'll be a bit before that happens.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated