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A review by oatmeal_oatmeal
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
3.0
There was a lot I wanted to like about this one— a queer romance in a lighthearted historical fiction seemed interesting to me. The first few chapters I actually enjoyed quite a bit, as they set up the character dynamics, tone, and style of prose well. I thought I knew what I was getting into.
However, partway through, the story pivots into a completely different genre of adventure romp, and this continues until the end. To put it bluntly without spoiling too much, magic is real. The central macguffin of the narrative is an impossible magical cure, and it’s REAL. But the ambiguity of whether this is a historical fiction in our world versus a magical one really takes all the tension out of characters’ arguments and motivations for much of the story. If the alchemical cure is actually just pseudoscience, why does the chase for it matter to me as the reader? I may just not be the target audience, but the mismatch threw me off enough for my engagement to slip away quickly.
I enjoyed the dynamic of the main trio, and the romance between Monty and Percy was sweet. I particularly liked that Monty struggled with believable negative character traits. He is impulsive, noncommittal, and sometimes ‘annoying,’ but I like that he’s allowed to be. However I do have to note that while his privilege in his world is discussed on occasion, I don’t know if it’s explored as well as it could have been. His traveling partners Percy (an epileptic person of color) and Felicity (a young woman interested in medicine) both have their own unique obstacles that Monty never has to grapple with. Additionally Percy and his health/future are major sources of tension, but he barely has any autonomy in this story. He’s mostly along for the ride, despite his perspective being the most complex and thought-provoking in the book.
Idk I’m just putting thoughts out there, I was just a little underwhelmed :/
However, partway through, the story pivots into a completely different genre of adventure romp, and this continues until the end. To put it bluntly without spoiling too much, magic is real. The central macguffin of the narrative is an impossible magical cure, and it’s REAL. But the ambiguity of whether this is a historical fiction in our world versus a magical one really takes all the tension out of characters’ arguments and motivations for much of the story. If the alchemical cure is actually just pseudoscience, why does the chase for it matter to me as the reader? I may just not be the target audience, but the mismatch threw me off enough for my engagement to slip away quickly.
I enjoyed the dynamic of the main trio, and the romance between Monty and Percy was sweet. I particularly liked that Monty struggled with believable negative character traits. He is impulsive, noncommittal, and sometimes ‘annoying,’ but I like that he’s allowed to be. However I do have to note that while his privilege in his world is discussed on occasion, I don’t know if it’s explored as well as it could have been. His traveling partners Percy (an epileptic person of color) and Felicity (a young woman interested in medicine) both have their own unique obstacles that Monty never has to grapple with. Additionally Percy and his health/future are major sources of tension, but he barely has any autonomy in this story. He’s mostly along for the ride, despite his perspective being the most complex and thought-provoking in the book.
Idk I’m just putting thoughts out there, I was just a little underwhelmed :/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Forced institutionalization