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bookishbrighton 's review for:
The Betrayal of Thomas True
by A.J. West
‘The Betrayal of Thomas True’ is one of those books that has a bit of everything, so it’s a tough one to review but I’ll give it my best!
It was super interesting to learn about the Molly Houses of Georgian London through this story - there was lots of fun and laughter thanks to some of the wonderful characters West created, but also a lot of heartbreak. This book is a real emotional rollercoaster!
There’s lots of elements to the story - at its heart it’s a queer historical fiction, but there is a mystery running throughout that had me absolutely desperate for the reveal by the end! There’s also plenty of romance, humour and even an unexpected bit of magical realism. Also, short chapters 🙌
For some reason, whilst I was reading the book I felt really invested in the characters and the mystery and got quite emotional at times, but when I wasn’t reading it I didn’t feel compelled to pick it up. I’m not sure exactly where that little disconnect stemmed from - maybe it was a simple case of me not ‘gelling’ with the writing style but enjoying the story, or maybe it wasn’t quite what I was in the mood for? There were also a lot of red herrings within the mystery side of things that I did get a little bit frustrated with at times. In any case, despite that, I still thoroughly enjoyed it which I think says a lot in itself.
‘The Betrayal of Thomas True’ is a brilliant story. If you like historical fiction, queer romance and a touch of magic, I’d definitely recommend it.
It was super interesting to learn about the Molly Houses of Georgian London through this story - there was lots of fun and laughter thanks to some of the wonderful characters West created, but also a lot of heartbreak. This book is a real emotional rollercoaster!
There’s lots of elements to the story - at its heart it’s a queer historical fiction, but there is a mystery running throughout that had me absolutely desperate for the reveal by the end! There’s also plenty of romance, humour and even an unexpected bit of magical realism. Also, short chapters 🙌
For some reason, whilst I was reading the book I felt really invested in the characters and the mystery and got quite emotional at times, but when I wasn’t reading it I didn’t feel compelled to pick it up. I’m not sure exactly where that little disconnect stemmed from - maybe it was a simple case of me not ‘gelling’ with the writing style but enjoying the story, or maybe it wasn’t quite what I was in the mood for? There were also a lot of red herrings within the mystery side of things that I did get a little bit frustrated with at times. In any case, despite that, I still thoroughly enjoyed it which I think says a lot in itself.
‘The Betrayal of Thomas True’ is a brilliant story. If you like historical fiction, queer romance and a touch of magic, I’d definitely recommend it.