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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
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:
Yes
Really loved the descriptions, the octopus and the clockwork elements but the ending has me with a couple of unanswered questions still. Some bits felt a bit slow, but overall enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia
Moderate: Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
3 and a half stars. By Natasha Pulley, English Lit at Oxford. Master’s in creative writing. Born in 1988. Lived in Tokyo for 19 mos.
Debut novel is a mix of genres: fantasy, steampunk, speculative fiction, historical sci fi
She did her homework:
· Victorian London
· clocks and clockwork (engineering of)
· experimental physics
· Japanese language, culture and history
In 1880s London Thaniel is a young man of slender means who works in the Home Office as a telegrapher. He’s good at his job but he aspired to be a pianist. He had to abandon that dream when his sister was widowed with 2 small children; now Thaniel supports them on his meager salary. He works 6 days a week, doesn’t have friends, has a room in a boarding house next to a prison: a pretty bleak life. One day he comes home and someone has left him a beautiful gold pocket watch that he can’t open. He has no idea who left it. He tries to pawn it but the pawn shop owner won’t buy it, saying watches like that “disappear.” Meanwhile, a bomb threat has been made at the Home Office. Clan na gael (irish terrorist group, pre-fenians) have threatened to blow up public buildings in London in 6 months’ time. The day comes and goes and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. While out celebrating with everyone in his office, the watch in Thaniel’s pocket begins to sound a loud alarm like a siren. He doesn’t know how to stop it so he runs outside to figure it out. And then the bomb goes off.
It’s a great yarn with suspense and plenty of action and intrigue. Part of it takes place in Japan The magical realism and fantasy elements are imaginative. There’s a philosophical approach to the book too, with considerations of fate, probability, and what happens in the moment right before you decide to do something, when anything is possible. And an unexpected and very sweet romance.
The pacing is a little slow in the first quarter. I wish the character of Grace had been more developed. It is sometimes difficult to tell who the speaker is. But these are small criticisms in an otherwise excellent debut.
Debut novel is a mix of genres: fantasy, steampunk, speculative fiction, historical sci fi
She did her homework:
· Victorian London
· clocks and clockwork (engineering of)
· experimental physics
· Japanese language, culture and history
In 1880s London Thaniel is a young man of slender means who works in the Home Office as a telegrapher. He’s good at his job but he aspired to be a pianist. He had to abandon that dream when his sister was widowed with 2 small children; now Thaniel supports them on his meager salary. He works 6 days a week, doesn’t have friends, has a room in a boarding house next to a prison: a pretty bleak life. One day he comes home and someone has left him a beautiful gold pocket watch that he can’t open. He has no idea who left it. He tries to pawn it but the pawn shop owner won’t buy it, saying watches like that “disappear.” Meanwhile, a bomb threat has been made at the Home Office. Clan na gael (irish terrorist group, pre-fenians) have threatened to blow up public buildings in London in 6 months’ time. The day comes and goes and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. While out celebrating with everyone in his office, the watch in Thaniel’s pocket begins to sound a loud alarm like a siren. He doesn’t know how to stop it so he runs outside to figure it out. And then the bomb goes off.
It’s a great yarn with suspense and plenty of action and intrigue. Part of it takes place in Japan The magical realism and fantasy elements are imaginative. There’s a philosophical approach to the book too, with considerations of fate, probability, and what happens in the moment right before you decide to do something, when anything is possible. And an unexpected and very sweet romance.
The pacing is a little slow in the first quarter. I wish the character of Grace had been more developed. It is sometimes difficult to tell who the speaker is. But these are small criticisms in an otherwise excellent debut.
adventurous
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:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just feel disappointed by this book, largely because it was described to me as 'found family,' but I found it to be anything but - I almost DNF'd it, but held out for the sake of my book club. By the end, I didn't really like any of the main characters and felt incredibly frustrated and annoyed by their choices, actions, and refusal to communicate. The clockwork devices were a bright spot in the story, particularly Katsu the octopus, who was easily my favorite character!
mysterious
slow-paced
I am confused: I loved the well written Sherlockian steampunky atmosphere of this book. At the same time: where was the plot? I felt like I read a landscape of a city, not a story. It was going nowhere and everywhere at the same time. In the end, I do not really know what I have read. All that remains is a warm feeling for the atmosphere and a big huh?!