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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.
leticiatoraci's review against another edition
4.0
This had very important themes and was heart-wrenching at times. I will surely continue this series.
kate_in_a_book's review against another edition
4.0
Great fun. Keeps up the right level of intrigue and excitement, leaving me hungry for book 3!
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!
cupiscent's review against another edition
Setting aside at chapter 5. No harm, no foul, just not working for me right now. I'm interested enough in Cathy's story - arranged marriages of interesting parties likely to turn allies being right up my alley and all - but I find myself completely not caring about either Sam or Max, and mostly irritated by their sections. I do like, in general though, the atmosphere of great ambivalence about this series. Things aren't easy or clear cut, there's not a simple solution that can be reached with enough pluck, and that seems to match very well with the faerie element. I may give these books another try another time, and I'll certainly be interested to see what else the author does.
gwenfrazer's review against another edition
5.0
As the second split world book, this was brilliant. I was so engrossed in the story. I found myself shouting at the character, no don't do it it's a trap you don't know the truth, just like you would watching a scary movie and talking about how a person shouldn't go up the stairs as the murderer is up there waiting or something like that. This book leads you into more of the split world and all the issues of having a fae lord. I can't wait to start the third book although I think I might wait as I have some normal life stuff to do before stepping into another book :)
effusionsofwit's review against another edition
3.0
Re-reading this series has been fun so far! I'm noticing things that I missed last time, and I think, enjoying the characters a bit more. Still, I found it hard not to skim through the last few chapters of this one, and I'm not really sure why. Perhaps because I know the third book ties up some of the parts that I'm anxious to see end? I don't know.
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warning: drugging and rape
Any Other Name is part two of the Split Worlds series. And you absolutely must have read the previous book, Between Two Thorns, first. This installment begins less than twenty-four hours after the end of the last book, and the plot is completely dependent on the last book. This series seems to function more as a single story cut into parts than a series of self-contained stories. Thus this review will be containing spoilers for the previous book.
Any Other Name moves the focus to Londinium as Will and Cathy begin married life. Will maneuvers to become the new Duke, and Max and the gargoyle investigate the Agency. After all, trouble’s afoot in London and it’s Nether mirror…
I still feel like I have very little idea what’s happening, particularly when it comes to Max and the Sorcerer. Not that there aren’t still questions involving Will and Cathy. Why such the focus on them specifically being married? Why does Lord Iris want Will to be Duke when other contenders are centuries old? So far this series has been giving more questions than answers.
My feelings about this book are difficult to pin down because there’s still so much in the air. A large part of how I feel about it depends on the resolution and future handling of some of the plot points. If they are farther explored, all will be relatively fine. If they’re left as is…. I will be very angry. As is I spent a lot of time angry in this book. Mostly during sections involving Will. I’ve pretty much given up on him at this point.
Feminism and women’s rights (or lack thereof) play a large role in this series, particularly when it comes to Cathy’s sections. However I think it’s worth noting that so far the Split Worlds series hasn’t had any intersectionality when it comes to its explorations of gender. Pretty much everyone with focus is straight, white and either upper or middle class. I’m hopeful that the next book might look into the class intersection some more via Miss Rainer and the Agency, but I’ll have to wait and see.
I’m interested in seeing where everything goes, so I’ll be heading into book three. There’s so much that intrigues me about the Split Worlds. What’s going on with the Agency? What about the Sorcerers? The whole subplot involving Sam’s wife? Onward to All Is Fair!
Originally posted on The Illustrate Page.
Any Other Name is part two of the Split Worlds series. And you absolutely must have read the previous book, Between Two Thorns, first. This installment begins less than twenty-four hours after the end of the last book, and the plot is completely dependent on the last book. This series seems to function more as a single story cut into parts than a series of self-contained stories. Thus this review will be containing spoilers for the previous book.
Any Other Name moves the focus to Londinium as Will and Cathy begin married life. Will maneuvers to become the new Duke, and Max and the gargoyle investigate the Agency. After all, trouble’s afoot in London and it’s Nether mirror…
I still feel like I have very little idea what’s happening, particularly when it comes to Max and the Sorcerer. Not that there aren’t still questions involving Will and Cathy. Why such the focus on them specifically being married? Why does Lord Iris want Will to be Duke when other contenders are centuries old? So far this series has been giving more questions than answers.
My feelings about this book are difficult to pin down because there’s still so much in the air. A large part of how I feel about it depends on the resolution and future handling of some of the plot points. If they are farther explored, all will be relatively fine. If they’re left as is…. I will be very angry. As is I spent a lot of time angry in this book. Mostly during sections involving Will. I’ve pretty much given up on him at this point.
Feminism and women’s rights (or lack thereof) play a large role in this series, particularly when it comes to Cathy’s sections. However I think it’s worth noting that so far the Split Worlds series hasn’t had any intersectionality when it comes to its explorations of gender. Pretty much everyone with focus is straight, white and either upper or middle class. I’m hopeful that the next book might look into the class intersection some more via Miss Rainer and the Agency, but I’ll have to wait and see.
I’m interested in seeing where everything goes, so I’ll be heading into book three. There’s so much that intrigues me about the Split Worlds. What’s going on with the Agency? What about the Sorcerers? The whole subplot involving Sam’s wife? Onward to All Is Fair!
Originally posted on The Illustrate Page.
macthekat's review against another edition
Oh crap! Newman has the most horrible endings, so evil and delicious.
The social horror of this world is amazing - it is delightful and terrifying. The political games here are played masterfully and the Will is really getting played, which really makes it interesting, but also really hard to read. I know Cat will be so angry with him once she learns what he as done.
The social horror of this world is amazing - it is delightful and terrifying. The political games here are played masterfully and the Will is really getting played, which really makes it interesting, but also really hard to read. I know Cat will be so angry with him once she learns what he as done.
thefool's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series. It's so addictive in a way I can't explain. There was not a single point I found my mind straying when reading, no point I had to backtrack to reread passages from both lack of understanding or distraction. I plowed straight through until I could no longer, until daily responsibilities called me to tend to them instead.
Our primary characters grow and change according to circumstances, they face tragedy and challenges that push them beyond the limits of what they expect.
Even those characters you may not care for so much are guided by a thing outside their range of control. I find I like them just as much as those you are encouraged to like, if only because they lead the story.
The momentum here builds and there was more than one moment I paused to gasp, or I had to take a break to allow information to settle in mind before continuing on.
For more spoilery words, check out my progress notes!
Our primary characters grow and change according to circumstances, they face tragedy and challenges that push them beyond the limits of what they expect.
Even those characters you may not care for so much are guided by a thing outside their range of control. I find I like them just as much as those you are encouraged to like, if only because they lead the story.
The momentum here builds and there was more than one moment I paused to gasp, or I had to take a break to allow information to settle in mind before continuing on.
For more spoilery words, check out my progress notes!