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gaderianne's review against another edition
5.0
This was a completely unexpected read - one that I expected to enjoy but not one that I expected to love! What was especially surprising to me was that after reading the first 2 chapters...I didn't like the book at all. But it sucked me in and I loved it! I liken it to the first time I watched Moulin Rouge. I spend 1/2 the movie thinking - what the heck is this? What the heck is going on? But by the end I was crying my eyes out absolutely loving every minute of the movie. It was sort of like that with this book - except the book ended so abruptly in the middle of the story I wasn't crying but dying to find out more. (I now know it ended so abruptly b/c the initial publication wasn't put out in 2 volumes but one...so volume 1 and vol 2 were part of the same book.)
Okay, into the book. First of all, I don't even know how to classify this book. It seems like historical fiction and it reads like a Victorian novel should. However, it's not really as there are no discernible dates nor recognizable historical figures. It's part scifi/fantasy and part mystery suspense.
It all starts when Celeste Temple receives a note from her finance breaking off the engagement without any word of explanation. Rather than acting like a scorned woman (although she does for a day or two) she decides to discover the reason why and uncovers a sinister plot.
The most unusual thing about this book is it's organization. Rather than chapters it's organized into parts and told from the perspectives of the 3 main characters. The first part by Celeste Temple, the second by Cardinal Change (an assassin who also stumbles into the plot) and the third part by "The Surgeon" (who - you guessed it also stumbles into the plot). By the last part of this book, all three converge and begin working together. What is so unusual is that each part picks up where the other left off not bothering with tedious rehashing or retelling to same exact story but from another point of view. It took me a little while to adapt to this flow - BUT I loved it.
One downfall of this book is the sheer amount of characters beyond the main three. There are so many on the periphery that it's hard to keep them all straight (and to be honest, even at the end I'm not sure I have straight who is who).
I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd volume. In fact I'm heading to the library right now to pick it up!!
Okay, into the book. First of all, I don't even know how to classify this book. It seems like historical fiction and it reads like a Victorian novel should. However, it's not really as there are no discernible dates nor recognizable historical figures. It's part scifi/fantasy and part mystery suspense.
It all starts when Celeste Temple receives a note from her finance breaking off the engagement without any word of explanation. Rather than acting like a scorned woman (although she does for a day or two) she decides to discover the reason why and uncovers a sinister plot.
The most unusual thing about this book is it's organization. Rather than chapters it's organized into parts and told from the perspectives of the 3 main characters. The first part by Celeste Temple, the second by Cardinal Change (an assassin who also stumbles into the plot) and the third part by "The Surgeon" (who - you guessed it also stumbles into the plot). By the last part of this book, all three converge and begin working together. What is so unusual is that each part picks up where the other left off not bothering with tedious rehashing or retelling to same exact story but from another point of view. It took me a little while to adapt to this flow - BUT I loved it.
One downfall of this book is the sheer amount of characters beyond the main three. There are so many on the periphery that it's hard to keep them all straight (and to be honest, even at the end I'm not sure I have straight who is who).
I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd volume. In fact I'm heading to the library right now to pick it up!!
gaderianne's review against another edition
4.0
The sage continues with Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang, and the Doctor. This volume seemed to drag a bit more than the first. I'm glad that I read it in two parts rather than in one (I think that would have frustrated me) but even though only days went passed, I did have trouble keeping up who everyone one is the story and what exactly was going on.
Still - I really liked it and can't wait to get started on the 3rd book!
Still - I really liked it and can't wait to get started on the 3rd book!
morningstardust's review against another edition
3.0
The first half was really fun and engaging but this second half lost me. I felt like the author started randomly introducing characters and just rambled on way too long. Chang died about 6 times but kept going. The characters would survive a battle they couldn't possibly survive and then get captured, then escape then survive another battle. That seemed to be the entire thing. This book should have either been condensed to 500 or less pages, or it should have been written as two separate books with separate plots. As one behemoth it got tedious and lost its luster.
sandraker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dbarcelon's review against another edition
3.0
This book would have been more exciting if it were a third shorter. This Victorian thriller-mystery-adventure is told from the points of view of three unlikely allies, an English country girl(Celeste Temple), an assassin (Cardinal Chang), and a German doctor (Abelard Svenson). Each accidentally find themselves in the midst of a complex conspiracy that involves exploiting basic human desires and alchemy to gain absolute wealth and power. In their curiosity to find out more about the mysteries they chance upon, they end up joining forces to fight something more terrible than they had imagined.
I loved the plot, but the author spent far too much time on the details. Sometimes I felt like I was reading stage directions since each action was meticulously chronicled in the story. Halfway through the book, I found myself skimming through these bits because I really wanted to find out what happened next, but the pace of the writing wasn't keeping up with the building excitement of the story as a whole. You definitely need patience to get through this book.
I must say though, I think this is one of those stories that would work really well as a movie.
I loved the plot, but the author spent far too much time on the details. Sometimes I felt like I was reading stage directions since each action was meticulously chronicled in the story. Halfway through the book, I found myself skimming through these bits because I really wanted to find out what happened next, but the pace of the writing wasn't keeping up with the building excitement of the story as a whole. You definitely need patience to get through this book.
I must say though, I think this is one of those stories that would work really well as a movie.
tmarthal's review against another edition
5.0
The characters were almost too real. Self-doubt, not knowing what is going on, yet still capable of things that surprise everyone including themselves (except the reader!). Inner-strength and self dialogues, make for a very interesting take on exposure to seemingly supernatural elements. Information movement, how certain people know certain things along with perspective shifts which make the reader understand exactly what is going on, all the while discovering the suspense unfolding as the plot moves on.
What I liked the most about this book is that each character approached situations completely differently. The bourgeois mentality is strong and people that default to physical violence is low. The ability for the seemingly oppressed to overthrow the yokes of their oppressors (I will leave it up to the reader to determine who is oppressed) is very well ascertained.
What I liked the most about this book is that each character approached situations completely differently. The bourgeois mentality is strong and people that default to physical violence is low. The ability for the seemingly oppressed to overthrow the yokes of their oppressors (I will leave it up to the reader to determine who is oppressed) is very well ascertained.
emilybryk's review against another edition
2.0
This was basically The Secret of Monkey Island, only with more blood, plus occasionally breasts. I didn't find it difficult to follow like some people seem to have, but I did find it . . . over the top. The plot was at a constant frenzy, which certainly kept me involved, but it was essentially one heavy metal crescendo, over and over and over again. (I wish, now that I'm done, that I'd kept a body count, because I'm still wiping the blood from my shirt.)
Here's my real issue: In terms of unbelievable coincidences, split-second timing that works out just so, and (especially) spectacularly overheard conversations, it really plays much more like a video game, where your little avatar happens to wander into the bad guy's lair just in time to hear the full explanation of the secret plans. Each object a character stumbles upon is (miraculously!) exactly what he needs to solve a puzzle later.
Here's my real issue: In terms of unbelievable coincidences, split-second timing that works out just so, and (especially) spectacularly overheard conversations, it really plays much more like a video game, where your little avatar happens to wander into the bad guy's lair just in time to hear the full explanation of the secret plans. Each object a character stumbles upon is (miraculously!) exactly what he needs to solve a puzzle later.
charlotteklopfer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.25