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A review by krilves
Proper Scoundrels by Allie Therin
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
3.0
Hmm. I think I wanted to like it more than I did. The pacing was weird and the plot beats of the magical stuff/mystery seemed all over the place. I was especially disappointed with the big showdown at the end, which was weirdly rushed and anticlimactic.
The romance bits were fine. I liked both Wesley and Sebastian even when they each came across as a bit caricatured. I got a bit tired of the whole scoundrels thing, it felt very forced - like a justification for the book’s title - rather than something true to the characters.
There some things that were just…off. London now has external fire escapes the likes of which I have only ever seen in American media? Pork pies with gravy? I don’t even care about British pies (I’m not British, I just live here) but that struck me as weird. Otter bits and bobs here and there that just accumulated to the biggest HMMM ever. I dislike getting thrown out of a story because bits of research didn’t turn out well, yes even in an obvious fantasy story with magic. I’ll believe whatever you tell me about your invented magic system, but American fire escapes have no business in London.
When I started reading this I wasn’t sure I liked it, but I also didn’t hate it or dislike it, so I stuck with it. Ultimately I suppose it was entertaining enough for my tube commute but I’m also not really feeling any need to pick up anything else by this author. So I guess… It was fine. Just OK.
The romance bits were fine. I liked both Wesley and Sebastian even when they each came across as a bit caricatured. I got a bit tired of the whole scoundrels thing, it felt very forced - like a justification for the book’s title - rather than something true to the characters.
There some things that were just…off. London now has external fire escapes the likes of which I have only ever seen in American media? Pork pies with gravy? I don’t even care about British pies (I’m not British, I just live here) but that struck me as weird. Otter bits and bobs here and there that just accumulated to the biggest HMMM ever. I dislike getting thrown out of a story because bits of research didn’t turn out well, yes even in an obvious fantasy story with magic. I’ll believe whatever you tell me about your invented magic system, but American fire escapes have no business in London.
When I started reading this I wasn’t sure I liked it, but I also didn’t hate it or dislike it, so I stuck with it. Ultimately I suppose it was entertaining enough for my tube commute but I’m also not really feeling any need to pick up anything else by this author. So I guess… It was fine. Just OK.