Reviews

The Rat-Catcher's Daughter by KJ Charles

Only show reviews with written explanations

jmross10's review

adventurous hopeful tense medium-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

4.0

A quick and delightful story. I loved that it wasn’t a “traditional” romance. Traditional referring to the bedding/no bedding situation. Both characters were delightful and I’d absolutely read more of them.

yourbookishbff's review

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emotional funny hopeful 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? No

5.0

I LOVED this series set-up for the Lilywhite Boys, and I'm kicking myself for not reading it before Any Old Diamonds. I adored Stan and Christiana's sweet love story and the blend of realism and absurdity in how it unfolds. Stan is a cisgender man and Christiana is a trans woman, and both identify as asexual. Their navigation of gender, sexuality and romance is so tender and respectful, even against a backdrop of violence and organized crime.

Content Warnings

enchantedtomeetcute's review

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dark emotional tense medium-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

4.25

melbsreads's review

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content warnings: violence, threats of sexual violence, transphobia, misgendering

Delightful characters. Delightful and unexpectedly ace romance. Delightful writing. I just wish it had been longer because 60-odd pages wasn't enough time to spend with these characters.

jackiehorne's review

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3.0

A sweet, but overly short romance novella featuring Christiana, a female-impersonator music hall singer threatened by the local crime lord who is rescued by two friends of Stan, a Polish immigrant who has fallen for the singer at first sight. The story is more for readers of the later two Lilywhite Boys novels than a stand-alone, as it features Templeton and Jerry in significant secondary roles and fills in some of the backstory of events mentioned in those later two books. Both characters are ace, and Christiana is a trans-woman who is often forced to dress as a man to preserve her safety. The scene in which the two discover their mutual asexuality is lovely; I only wish we had more of Stan and Christiana spending time falling for one another.