A review by miak2
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

adventurous funny mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.75

 
Your science can save a man’s life, but imagination makes it worth living.


It's official, I've been sucked into the Pulleyverse. I love her writing, truly. It's the perfect combination of mysterious and magical, and I just want to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and one of her books and not emerge until I'm done. The magic in her books is so creative too, somehow both explainable and inexplicably not.

Thaniel was such an endearing character. Not charismatic, per se, but bumbling and awkward and good-natured enough that you can't help but immediately be fond of him. Mori served as both a love interest and a foil to Thaniel, and I loved watching their relationship develop over the course of the book. Like with The Kingdoms, Pulley struggled with her female lead. I felt throughout like I should be rooting for Grace, as she was in all accounts a great character, but because she was positioned to stand between Thaniel and Mori, I think we're made to like her less.

I got the sense that the plot got away from Pulley a bit towards the end. There's a central mystery that I sort of forgot was driving the plot, and other pieces that made sense in the story but didn't seem to have the proper build-up. It was also unexpected that the book so heavily featured Japanese culture. With it being set in1880s London, there was a certain amount of racism and discomfort that was par for the time (ex: the use of the word 'oriental'). I've got no issue with a white author writing diverse characters, but it did make me a little uneasy, no matter how well-researched and well-intentioned it was. But perhaps that's a longer discussion meant for a different day.

Regardless, I am beyond excited to read even more of her books, especially the sequel(s) to Filigree Street. There's a whimsy that they create that I really haven't found anywhere else. 
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