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A review by bookph1le
Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
3.0
I think I liked this book more than the first one. There are more consequences to Sophronia's actions, which went a long way toward humanizing her. I couldn't connect with her in the first book because she felt too flat to me. I am not a fan of the love triangle, but I admit I pretty much object to those on principle now. Talk about overdone tropes.
Still, as fun as these books are, there's something about them that just holds me back. Parts of them are very well written, and Carriger has a flair for vivid descriptions and funny banter, but I can't get past the feeling that these books are like a paint by number. Rather than a journey, I feel like they were extensively outlined before writing began, and then the blanks were filled in. From a technical perspective, I can't find much to quibble with, but this sense steals some of the life out of the books. The endings of both this book and the previous also felt rather abrupt to me, like, "Here's your cliffhanger--be sure to buy the next book!"
Still, as fun as these books are, there's something about them that just holds me back. Parts of them are very well written, and Carriger has a flair for vivid descriptions and funny banter, but I can't get past the feeling that these books are like a paint by number. Rather than a journey, I feel like they were extensively outlined before writing began, and then the blanks were filled in. From a technical perspective, I can't find much to quibble with, but this sense steals some of the life out of the books. The endings of both this book and the previous also felt rather abrupt to me, like, "Here's your cliffhanger--be sure to buy the next book!"