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emmacatereads 's review for:
The Kingdoms
by Natasha Pulley
Come home, if you remember.
I never feel as tangibly transported as I do reading a Natasha Pulley novel, and The Kingdoms did not disappoint. The atmosphere tips and spins from dreamy melancholy to ferocious violence sometimes within the span of pages, but these dramatic swoops are consistently grounded by Pulley's dynamic characters and vivid, salt-soaked prose. I was delighted to learn that Pulley herself spent time sailing with the crew of a ship while writing this novel, and was even more thrilled to learn she took inspiration from my all-time favorite TV show, Starz' Black Sails. Both her lived experiences and excellent taste in television contribute to a highly believable environment, which seemed immediately familiar despite my utter lack of facility with the high seas. Once again, I applaud Pulley's skill as a researcher. In addition to the fascinating sci-fi twist she's pulled with the time travel aspect, Pulley is also a talented writer of historical fiction, educating me even as she twists the past to reflect the turned tides of the Napoleonic War.
Plot wise, this is a swirling Nautilus shell of a novel, curling in and around itself as it weaves together the past, the present, and the could-have-been. I admit to finding myself lost a few times along the way, but by the end of the story Pulley efficiently ties up all of the loose ends she's tugged open. Without giving any spoilers, I will say that this novel has one of my favorite bookends in history. Kite was easily the most compelling character of the lot (also, find me a cooler name for a character than Missouri Kite), and Joe was charming enough, if somewhat indistinguishable from Pulley's other fish out of water protagonists. My biggest issue with this novel was its relentlessly poor treatment of women: I fell in love with Agatha and her struggles as an 18th century female surgeon but.
I am also a HUGE sucker for the amnesia trope. Call me a sap but I adored Missouri and Kite's roundabout enemies to lovers romance, and their dedication to finding each other across oceans, continents, and even time. While I had a few issues with this book, it is overall a gorgeous tale of love, loss, and memory.
EDIT: The audiobook is also fabulous. Could not recommend listening highly enough on a chilly winter day, bonus points if you are by the ocean.
I never feel as tangibly transported as I do reading a Natasha Pulley novel, and The Kingdoms did not disappoint. The atmosphere tips and spins from dreamy melancholy to ferocious violence sometimes within the span of pages, but these dramatic swoops are consistently grounded by Pulley's dynamic characters and vivid, salt-soaked prose. I was delighted to learn that Pulley herself spent time sailing with the crew of a ship while writing this novel, and was even more thrilled to learn she took inspiration from my all-time favorite TV show, Starz' Black Sails. Both her lived experiences and excellent taste in television contribute to a highly believable environment, which seemed immediately familiar despite my utter lack of facility with the high seas. Once again, I applaud Pulley's skill as a researcher. In addition to the fascinating sci-fi twist she's pulled with the time travel aspect, Pulley is also a talented writer of historical fiction, educating me even as she twists the past to reflect the turned tides of the Napoleonic War.
Plot wise, this is a swirling Nautilus shell of a novel, curling in and around itself as it weaves together the past, the present, and the could-have-been. I admit to finding myself lost a few times along the way, but by the end of the story Pulley efficiently ties up all of the loose ends she's tugged open. Without giving any spoilers, I will say that this novel has one of my favorite bookends in history. Kite was easily the most compelling character of the lot (also, find me a cooler name for a character than Missouri Kite), and Joe was charming enough, if somewhat indistinguishable from Pulley's other fish out of water protagonists. My biggest issue with this novel was its relentlessly poor treatment of women: I fell in love with Agatha and her struggles as an 18th century female surgeon but
Spoiler
was enormously underwhelmed by her death as a plot point and felt that it was brought up far less than is should have been considering her, Joe, and Kite's relationship. Joe's other wife, Alice, is also conveniently fridged and not given much room to be her own character despite the interesting implications of both her livesI am also a HUGE sucker for the amnesia trope. Call me a sap but I adored Missouri and Kite's roundabout enemies to lovers romance, and their dedication to finding each other across oceans, continents, and even time. While I had a few issues with this book, it is overall a gorgeous tale of love, loss, and memory.
EDIT: The audiobook is also fabulous. Could not recommend listening highly enough on a chilly winter day, bonus points if you are by the ocean.