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A review by ketutar
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss
2.0
Well... it's better than the first book. I think I gave it two stars because I actually managed to finish it. So this gets three. Don't think I liked it, though :-D
I am bothered by the timeline. I don't think it would have taken two weeks to travel from Paris to Wien, even in the 19th century. I'm also not quite sure when these events are supposed to be happening. I think it's supposed to happen in the last decade of the 19th century, but I'm not sure.
I think Diana is unusually childish and selfish. She behaves like 10 years old, not like the 14 years old she's supposed to be.
Mary is awful. She gets praised by everyone even though she never does anything. And even though Diana is awful as well, she is supposed to be awful, and everyone is bitchy to her. Mary on the other hand is supposed to be this angel, and she most of the time is being horrible to Diana. Frankly, I can't remember her doing anything in this book. She planned the trip to Wien, but it didn't happen, because Sherlock Holmes jumped in, and took care of it all. He even placed her with Irene Adler, who just handily happened to live in Wien. Then when they get kidnapped, Mina Harker just happens to handily live in Budapest, and just handily happens to send someone to rescue them. They manage to rescue whatever the girl's name was from the asylum - or Diana managed to do that - but somehow Mary gets the credit for it. What did she do? Nothing at all.
This is one of the reasons why I hate marysues so much. The author has to tell us what a wonderful, amazing, intelligent, resourceful, lovely person the marysue is, BECAUSE SHE NEVER DOES OR SAYS ANYTHING TO SHOW US THAT SHE IS.
(The other reason is that everyone, at least every good person, immediately falls in love with her. This, too, happens here.)
Then the research thing. If you want to write fan fiction, respect the canon.
1) Irene Adler was a contralto, not a soprano.
2) Sherlock Holmes had grey eyes.
3) Vlad Dracula's name was short of Vladislaus, not Vladimir.
(4) Hobbits stole mushrooms when they were children, they didn't steal carrots when they were adults. This one isn't to Theodora Goss, it's to the idiots who made the LOTR movies.)
YES, THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.
And that actually made me reconsider and take away one star.
I am bothered by the timeline. I don't think it would have taken two weeks to travel from Paris to Wien, even in the 19th century. I'm also not quite sure when these events are supposed to be happening. I think it's supposed to happen in the last decade of the 19th century, but I'm not sure.
I think Diana is unusually childish and selfish. She behaves like 10 years old, not like the 14 years old she's supposed to be.
Mary is awful. She gets praised by everyone even though she never does anything. And even though Diana is awful as well, she is supposed to be awful, and everyone is bitchy to her. Mary on the other hand is supposed to be this angel, and she most of the time is being horrible to Diana. Frankly, I can't remember her doing anything in this book. She planned the trip to Wien, but it didn't happen, because Sherlock Holmes jumped in, and took care of it all. He even placed her with Irene Adler, who just handily happened to live in Wien. Then when they get kidnapped, Mina Harker just happens to handily live in Budapest, and just handily happens to send someone to rescue them. They manage to rescue whatever the girl's name was from the asylum - or Diana managed to do that - but somehow Mary gets the credit for it. What did she do? Nothing at all.
This is one of the reasons why I hate marysues so much. The author has to tell us what a wonderful, amazing, intelligent, resourceful, lovely person the marysue is, BECAUSE SHE NEVER DOES OR SAYS ANYTHING TO SHOW US THAT SHE IS.
(The other reason is that everyone, at least every good person, immediately falls in love with her. This, too, happens here.)
Then the research thing. If you want to write fan fiction, respect the canon.
1) Irene Adler was a contralto, not a soprano.
2) Sherlock Holmes had grey eyes.
3) Vlad Dracula's name was short of Vladislaus, not Vladimir.
(4) Hobbits stole mushrooms when they were children, they didn't steal carrots when they were adults. This one isn't to Theodora Goss, it's to the idiots who made the LOTR movies.)
YES, THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.
And that actually made me reconsider and take away one star.