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foxlady's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
spacinaround's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
marxamod's review against another edition
I don’t know if it’s the book or just my brain this month but I couldn’t get into it at all
frogggirl2's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was disappointed to find that this book did not carry on from the first book in the series (it has neither the same world state or characters). I expected this to be a detailed high fantasy like the first book in the series but instead this is yet another Sherlock Holmes ripoff. This book is fine overall but it was too long to hold my interest and it was a letdown after the initial book in the series.
samazon13's review against another edition
4.0
A cracking good murder mystery, gothic with a faint steampunk feel in places. Gets pretty gory, so content warning if that is not your jam.
Only two female characters in a host of men, so like the first book in this series, don't read it if you like a variety of female characters, or even a gender balance in your books.
Nicholas, the main character and the one whose POV we are mostly following, is not quite an anti-hero, but he's definitely a flawed human. He's described as being dangerous, and especially toward the middle of the book, he is described as seething with barely-held back rage quite a bit. I found it hard to sympathize with him, but it didn't stop me from rooting for him.
Only two female characters in a host of men, so like the first book in this series, don't read it if you like a variety of female characters, or even a gender balance in your books.
Nicholas, the main character and the one whose POV we are mostly following, is not quite an anti-hero, but he's definitely a flawed human. He's described as being dangerous, and especially toward the middle of the book, he is described as seething with barely-held back rage quite a bit. I found it hard to sympathize with him, but it didn't stop me from rooting for him.
msmith7344's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
piebob's review against another edition
3.0
this was a pretty good time. mystery, subterfuge, and magic. a bit Sherlock Holmes, a bit Harry Potter, set in a fantasy Victorian-London-esque world. took a star off because it got a bit too deus ex machina to solve the tangled plot towards the end.
toadrose's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I'm coming in from the Murderbot novellas, and was a little worried that the writing quality wouldn't be as good since it's an older book. WRONG. Took me a few chapters to invest, but the characters were all impeccable. The setting is fantasy sherlock Holmes, so it's familiar, but well developed, not just a sloppy mashup.
aneel0's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was the Martha Wells book that I've been looking for for years, so I borrowed it from Maggie while helping them move. Now I'm pretty sure that I've read this one before (though not totally sure), and that the one that I've been looking for is actually The Element of Fire.
It's pretty good. The setting is cool: it has the feel of a magical Victorian Europe, with lots of little details about dress and manners to add verisimilitude. Oddly, the characters have the feel of a party in an RPG: very different characters, each with a suspiciously useful skill-set, thrown together with a flimsy rationale. One wonders if it was inspired by a Castle Falkenstein campaign or some such.
I'm looking forward to Wells's new books in the same world.
It's pretty good. The setting is cool: it has the feel of a magical Victorian Europe, with lots of little details about dress and manners to add verisimilitude. Oddly, the characters have the feel of a party in an RPG: very different characters, each with a suspiciously useful skill-set, thrown together with a flimsy rationale. One wonders if it was inspired by a Castle Falkenstein campaign or some such.
I'm looking forward to Wells's new books in the same world.