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A review by espiargrant
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book basically had all of the ingredients I was looking for: queer male romance, historical, high-speed adventure, misfits on the run, piracy, royalty, palaces, a little bit of magic. Yet, this recipe did not leave me with a taste I enjoyed.
For the most part I liked the writing style, though with a first person narrator, the voice felt too modern at times. The historical accuracy of the homophobia also felt off to me. For such a homophobic era, I was confused as to why the MC wasn't really afraid of people knowing about his bisexuality. The plot was a bit random, yet also somehow predictable at times, but given the premise and what I knew from the blurb, that didn't bother me at all. I also quite liked several of the supporting characters, but not enough for it to have saved this book for me.
The main problem I had with this book was the MC/narrator. He exhibited extremely bad behavior for the entirety of the novel and it largely went without consequences, or at least consequences severe enough for him to at least ATTEMPT to improve his behavior. In the beginning I found Monty's lack of redeeming qualities rather charming because I assumed he would grow as a character and learn valuable lessons during his adventures. He did not. What I found most frustrating was that in his own mind, there were moments in which Monty acknowledged his mistakes, but his words and actions that followed didn't seem to reflect that.
I feel that a more appropriate title for this book would be The Scoundrel's Guide to Vice and More Vice, since Monty was never a gentleman and displayed little if any virtue.
Lastly, I would say that the minor magical element of this book fell flat, as did the romance at the end,and I wasn't a fan of the bittersweet aspect of the HEA
By no means a terrible book, but I SO wanted to like it more than I did.
For the most part I liked the writing style, though with a first person narrator, the voice felt too modern at times. The historical accuracy of the homophobia also felt off to me. For such a homophobic era, I was confused as to why the MC wasn't really afraid of people knowing about his bisexuality. The plot was a bit random, yet also somehow predictable at times, but given the premise and what I knew from the blurb, that didn't bother me at all. I also quite liked several of the supporting characters, but not enough for it to have saved this book for me.
The main problem I had with this book was the MC/narrator. He exhibited extremely bad behavior for the entirety of the novel and it largely went without consequences, or at least consequences severe enough for him to at least ATTEMPT to improve his behavior. In the beginning I found Monty's lack of redeeming qualities rather charming because I assumed he would grow as a character and learn valuable lessons during his adventures. He did not. What I found most frustrating was that in his own mind, there were moments in which Monty acknowledged his mistakes, but his words and actions that followed didn't seem to reflect that.
I feel that a more appropriate title for this book would be The Scoundrel's Guide to Vice and More Vice, since Monty was never a gentleman and displayed little if any virtue.
Lastly, I would say that the minor magical element of this book fell flat, as did the romance at the end,
By no means a terrible book, but I SO wanted to like it more than I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content