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A review by joanna_m
The Goddess and the Thief by Essie Fox
2.0
I received this book free as a GoodReads First reads giveaway.
In many ways this was a very good simulacrum of a Victorian novel, as only minor editing for sex and violence would surely have guaranteed its publication during the era. However, it was not written then, to be judged by Victorian standards, but now, when storytelling can be much more dark, when there is more scope for psychological explanation. This novel failed in this sense. The story was very obvious, in a way that could be 'fun', but if you did not engage with its conceit quickly turned to irritation and tedium. All of the characters were very two dimensional, with the bad characters being fairly irredeemable, the good characters uninteresting. There were no surprises, thrills or satisfaction to be had. As a fan of other neo- Victorian novels such as 'The Crimson Petal and the White' I was just frustrated that a fairly interesting idea was being explored in such an uninspired way. My star rating is one star lower than it would have been if it was an idea with no potential, but as it was, the unrealised potential really grated.
In many ways this was a very good simulacrum of a Victorian novel, as only minor editing for sex and violence would surely have guaranteed its publication during the era. However, it was not written then, to be judged by Victorian standards, but now, when storytelling can be much more dark, when there is more scope for psychological explanation. This novel failed in this sense. The story was very obvious, in a way that could be 'fun', but if you did not engage with its conceit quickly turned to irritation and tedium. All of the characters were very two dimensional, with the bad characters being fairly irredeemable, the good characters uninteresting. There were no surprises, thrills or satisfaction to be had. As a fan of other neo- Victorian novels such as 'The Crimson Petal and the White' I was just frustrated that a fairly interesting idea was being explored in such an uninspired way. My star rating is one star lower than it would have been if it was an idea with no potential, but as it was, the unrealised potential really grated.