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leah_reads's review against another edition
5.0
*Copy received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you Net Galley and Angry Robot Books*
*If you haven't read Between Two Thorns, don't read this review*
Ahhhh, I loved this book! This one was even better than Between Two Thorns and I adored that one! There is nothing to dislike about this series. The book covers are beautiful, the content is amazing and the author is a wonderful person. So helpful and has all the time in the world for her fans.
Any Other Name picks up where Between Two Thorns left off. Cathy is being prepared to marry William and she finally has a heart to heart with her father - something I thought would never happen. Her initial plan to escape has just been thwarted through her Mother's drugging of her and the stupor that Cathy is continuously in. It's a torturous first scene to the book; I was willing Cathy to come around and to just get right out of there! I was dreading her having to succumb to a marriage organised by the patriarchy that she so despises.
Max the arbiter and Sam are still working on sorting out the same issues from the previous book, but things have gotten much murkier. Sam's wife is in danger and they are working on finding out a way to help her. It appears that things aren't exactly what they seem in her new job in London. There are many twists, turns and revelations. Alongside this, Sam is being continuously sucked into Exilium by Lord Poppy and getting deeper and deeper into trouble as he goes. As well as this, Max is trying to sort through The Agency to discover what the murky situation is there. There is so much going on in this book!
I found Will and Cathy's marriage heartbreaking. Neither of them are married to the ideal person. Cathy is a strong independent woman with role models in the form of the Suffragettes. I absolutely love that Newman is exploring the issues of women's rights. It's amazing to see her create a new feminist figure out of Cathy as Cathy contemplates escaping or staying around to fight for the rights of women in her own world. Will is such a conflicting character. Sometimes I really, really like him and I pity him; then his patriarchal side makes an appearance and I get so cranky. Yes, he isn't as bad as the majority of the men but still. Infuriating. I'm looking forward to finding out what develops with Amelia (Will's mistress) and Cornelius in the next book!
This book is filled with action. There is murder attempts, upheaval of patriarchal structures and plenty of threats circulating amongst the characters. The world building continues to be phenomenal and the writing is beautiful. I really can't get enough of this series. In fact, my dissertation supervisor is reading it at the moment and loving it! It would be amazing if it ended up on the syllabus! I really cannot wait for the next book. Highly, highly recommended.
*Thank you Net Galley and Angry Robot Books*
*If you haven't read Between Two Thorns, don't read this review*
Ahhhh, I loved this book! This one was even better than Between Two Thorns and I adored that one! There is nothing to dislike about this series. The book covers are beautiful, the content is amazing and the author is a wonderful person. So helpful and has all the time in the world for her fans.
Any Other Name picks up where Between Two Thorns left off. Cathy is being prepared to marry William and she finally has a heart to heart with her father - something I thought would never happen. Her initial plan to escape has just been thwarted through her Mother's drugging of her and the stupor that Cathy is continuously in. It's a torturous first scene to the book; I was willing Cathy to come around and to just get right out of there! I was dreading her having to succumb to a marriage organised by the patriarchy that she so despises.
Max the arbiter and Sam are still working on sorting out the same issues from the previous book, but things have gotten much murkier. Sam's wife is in danger and they are working on finding out a way to help her. It appears that things aren't exactly what they seem in her new job in London. There are many twists, turns and revelations. Alongside this, Sam is being continuously sucked into Exilium by Lord Poppy and getting deeper and deeper into trouble as he goes. As well as this, Max is trying to sort through The Agency to discover what the murky situation is there. There is so much going on in this book!
I found Will and Cathy's marriage heartbreaking. Neither of them are married to the ideal person. Cathy is a strong independent woman with role models in the form of the Suffragettes. I absolutely love that Newman is exploring the issues of women's rights. It's amazing to see her create a new feminist figure out of Cathy as Cathy contemplates escaping or staying around to fight for the rights of women in her own world. Will is such a conflicting character. Sometimes I really, really like him and I pity him; then his patriarchal side makes an appearance and I get so cranky. Yes, he isn't as bad as the majority of the men but still. Infuriating. I'm looking forward to finding out what develops with Amelia (Will's mistress) and Cornelius in the next book!
This book is filled with action. There is murder attempts, upheaval of patriarchal structures and plenty of threats circulating amongst the characters. The world building continues to be phenomenal and the writing is beautiful. I really can't get enough of this series. In fact, my dissertation supervisor is reading it at the moment and loving it! It would be amazing if it ended up on the syllabus! I really cannot wait for the next book. Highly, highly recommended.
geekcliche's review against another edition
4.0
The Split Worlds story continues and everything steps up a level from [b:Between Two Thorns|15797394|Between Two Thorns (The Split Worlds, #1)|Emma Newman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355162536s/15797394.jpg|21520287]; more depth, more plots and intrigue, more jeopardy, more butlers and most definitely more tea.
With a shift of focus away from the Nether version of Bath to the one of London, mysteries surrounding the intentions of the Fae, the sorcerers and the Agency plus an intriguing new player only hinted at before, the pace of events and the stakes for the characters have increased which seems to have had the knock-on effect of me racing through this in under a week and starting book three immediately afterwards.
There's still some aspects of the Regency society of the Nether that aren't to my taste and I've flipped back and forth between loathing and rooting for Will, but with the conflicting agendas and machinations of the various sides, a willingness to kill off some characters and a wealth of plot threads left to resolve it's no wonder I've leapt straight into [b:All Is Fair|17190382|All Is Fair (The Split Worlds, #3)|Emma Newman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374305909s/17190382.jpg|23642533].
So, time for some cake and a cup of tea then right back to see how this all ends.
With a shift of focus away from the Nether version of Bath to the one of London, mysteries surrounding the intentions of the Fae, the sorcerers and the Agency plus an intriguing new player only hinted at before, the pace of events and the stakes for the characters have increased which seems to have had the knock-on effect of me racing through this in under a week and starting book three immediately afterwards.
There's still some aspects of the Regency society of the Nether that aren't to my taste and I've flipped back and forth between loathing and rooting for Will, but with the conflicting agendas and machinations of the various sides, a willingness to kill off some characters and a wealth of plot threads left to resolve it's no wonder I've leapt straight into [b:All Is Fair|17190382|All Is Fair (The Split Worlds, #3)|Emma Newman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374305909s/17190382.jpg|23642533].
So, time for some cake and a cup of tea then right back to see how this all ends.
zivan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This is an intermediate novel. The plot thickens but the ending is the beginning of a new stage in the overarching story.
Emma Newman doesn't pull any punches as to how horrifying it would be for a 21st century woman to find herself in Victorian high society, and with meliciouse fay to boot.
All the coercion, manipulation and backstabbing, got to me and made Any Other Name a hard book for me to stomach. I can handle fast paced action and bodey horror allot better.
Emma Newman doesn't pull any punches as to how horrifying it would be for a 21st century woman to find herself in Victorian high society, and with meliciouse fay to boot.
All the coercion, manipulation and backstabbing, got to me and made Any Other Name a hard book for me to stomach. I can handle fast paced action and bodey horror allot better.
lostinagoodread's review against another edition
3.0
This review and others can be found on Cozy Up With A Good Read
I had a lot of fun with the first book in The Split Worlds series, BETWEEN TWO THORNS, and I was excited to see what was next for the characters. ANY OTHER NAME was just as fun, though I was hoping for a little more world building, I am still a little confused by how these different worlds all exist together. This book begins right where we left off in BETWEEN TWO THORNS, I love when a book continues at the same time and we are not missing pieces.
Cat has now been forced into her marriage with William, and yet every step of the way she still fights for what she believes in. I love that Cat's attitude comes back full force in this book, she was a character that I really admired in the first book and still really love in this story as well. But also in a way, Cat's priorities change in this book and she realizes that instead of trying to run away, things in their world need to be changed and she is in the perfect position to do it. With everything though, I think there should have been a little more focus on Cat and instead we got a lot more of William and other characters.
I still found that there were a few too many stories to follow along with in this book. As interesting as all the stories were, I felt that at times I was missing out on other character's because there is a lot going on. There is an added mystery of Sam's wife in this book that I think helped take away from the bigger picture.
I also found that this book more focused on William's rise to power and not much really happened for the characters until the end of the story. The story dragged at parts and I could tell that as things began happening I was closer to the end. The first book had a lot of action and intrigue, and I felt that this book didn't hold up as well to the first book, though there was still some intrigue. As a reader you get to see more than the characters, and there were parts where I felt that some of the characters were too trusting of others.
The best part of this book for me was actually watching Cat and William's relationship grow more now that they were married. Despite being forced into the marriage, I felt that Cat understood what she needed to do and you could see her beginning to trust more rather than just hide away from everyone around her. Of all the characters in this series, Cat is by far the best one. She changes and learns more about herself and the world she lives in over the course of these books and that is something that I enjoy reading about, Characters need to have a change to make the story work.
Emma Newman has definitely written a fun and interesting series, I think I just had a few middle book issues with this one. I am excited to finish the series after the ending of this book though!
I had a lot of fun with the first book in The Split Worlds series, BETWEEN TWO THORNS, and I was excited to see what was next for the characters. ANY OTHER NAME was just as fun, though I was hoping for a little more world building, I am still a little confused by how these different worlds all exist together. This book begins right where we left off in BETWEEN TWO THORNS, I love when a book continues at the same time and we are not missing pieces.
Cat has now been forced into her marriage with William, and yet every step of the way she still fights for what she believes in. I love that Cat's attitude comes back full force in this book, she was a character that I really admired in the first book and still really love in this story as well. But also in a way, Cat's priorities change in this book and she realizes that instead of trying to run away, things in their world need to be changed and she is in the perfect position to do it. With everything though, I think there should have been a little more focus on Cat and instead we got a lot more of William and other characters.
I still found that there were a few too many stories to follow along with in this book. As interesting as all the stories were, I felt that at times I was missing out on other character's because there is a lot going on. There is an added mystery of Sam's wife in this book that I think helped take away from the bigger picture.
I also found that this book more focused on William's rise to power and not much really happened for the characters until the end of the story. The story dragged at parts and I could tell that as things began happening I was closer to the end. The first book had a lot of action and intrigue, and I felt that this book didn't hold up as well to the first book, though there was still some intrigue. As a reader you get to see more than the characters, and there were parts where I felt that some of the characters were too trusting of others.
The best part of this book for me was actually watching Cat and William's relationship grow more now that they were married. Despite being forced into the marriage, I felt that Cat understood what she needed to do and you could see her beginning to trust more rather than just hide away from everyone around her. Of all the characters in this series, Cat is by far the best one. She changes and learns more about herself and the world she lives in over the course of these books and that is something that I enjoy reading about, Characters need to have a change to make the story work.
Emma Newman has definitely written a fun and interesting series, I think I just had a few middle book issues with this one. I am excited to finish the series after the ending of this book though!
magdon's review against another edition
4.0
Now that I have accepted the darkness of her style, I really like this series.
bellatora's review against another edition
5.0
I could read about Cathy and Will all day long. I found myself skipping the sections focused on the other characters, just to read more about Cathy and Will.
The machinations and political intrigue get darker and twistier in this book. From the fae lords, to the insidious Agency, to the corruption in the Arbiter chapters, to the power-plays in Nether society, there are a lot of challenges for the characters. Newman does an excellent job of infusing a sense of real danger and dread in her series - especially concerning the Fae and their world of Exilium. Lord Poppy, the Fae patron of Cathy's family, is like a powerful toddler - mercurial and jovial and petulant. Depending on his mood, he will bless you or curse you just as easily. Lord Iris, the Fae patron of Will's family, is a cold, manipulative bastard who will always use you for a precise plan, perhaps centuries in the making. Neither is safe to encounter. Both of them are meddling intensely in Cathy's and Will's lives and it is extremely worrisome.
Newman managed to avoid the sophomore slump with this novel, and it actually felt like an improvement on the first book. Likely because Newman had already introduced her world and now was able to delve deeper into it. And because there was more Cathy and Will, although still not enough (never enough).
The machinations and political intrigue get darker and twistier in this book. From the fae lords, to the insidious Agency, to the corruption in the Arbiter chapters, to the power-plays in Nether society, there are a lot of challenges for the characters. Newman does an excellent job of infusing a sense of real danger and dread in her series - especially concerning the Fae and their world of Exilium. Lord Poppy, the Fae patron of Cathy's family, is like a powerful toddler - mercurial and jovial and petulant. Depending on his mood, he will bless you or curse you just as easily. Lord Iris, the Fae patron of Will's family, is a cold, manipulative bastard who will always use you for a precise plan, perhaps centuries in the making. Neither is safe to encounter. Both of them are meddling intensely in Cathy's and Will's lives and it is extremely worrisome.
Newman managed to avoid the sophomore slump with this novel, and it actually felt like an improvement on the first book. Likely because Newman had already introduced her world and now was able to delve deeper into it. And because there was more Cathy and Will, although still not enough (never enough).
cozy_books_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
Good sequel. The mystery is getting more and more interesting, though it's hard to keep track of all the families without a guide. I like Cathy, she's a good female MC, and I like her values and her struggle.
What I didn't like in this book was Will. At all. I could not believe how incredibly not intelligent he was being at the beginning, and the ending was just so frustrating.
I guess there is supposed to be a growing romance between him and Cathy? Well one scene in this second book just ruined that so I hope the next books will go somewhere else.
What I didn't like in this book was Will. At all. I could not believe how incredibly not intelligent he was being at the beginning, and the ending was just so frustrating.
I guess there is supposed to be a growing romance between him and Cathy? Well one scene in this second book just ruined that so I hope the next books will go somewhere else.
aligeorge's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite as good as the first in the series but still really compelling.
urs's review against another edition
5.0
I love how this had me on the edge of screaming the entire time, in a good way
trinforeman's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE these books. The Victorian society,the Fae, the split worlds. It is all absolutely enthralling.