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A review by charlottereadshistory
The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal by Jodi Taylor
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’m a massive fan of the Chronicles of St Mary’s series so was really excited to read Taylor’s newest instalment. The series usually focuses on a bunch of historians whose job is to travel back in time to review famous events to see what really happened - but more often than not end up protecting the timeline (in a very chaotic way) from villainous attempts to change history.
This story is a prequel/origin story of two fantastic side characters from the series - Smallhope and Pennyroyal, bounty hunters who recover anyone who’s somewhere (or perhaps more accurately some-when) they shouldn’t be.
The focus is on Lady Smallhope’s origin story and how she went from second-born country gentlewoman to enigmatic and extremely competent ‘recovery agent’, as well as exploring her partnership with butler and assassin Pennyroyal.
Taylor’s writing style is so engaging - she can flip from hilarious to high action to scathing social commentary or a poignant moment so easily. Her characterisation is always superb too - Smallhope and Pennyroyal are flawed and complicated but eminently loveable.
Talking of complicated - how Taylor keeps track of all the series’ characters and their thoughts and feelings over time - when the timeline literally flexes all over the place - is a feat in itself. There are Easter eggs galore in all of her books, references to other characters as well as insight into other scenes or mysteries from the series.
This book in particular is slightly ‘history light’ in terms of content - Smallhope and Pennyroyal aren’t historians themselves so there’s no big trip to specific famous events in time like other books in the series- but my love for the characters and their universe in general kept me going. I’d urge other history nerds like myself to check out the series if you haven’t already, as there are so many books you can get your teeth into and they’re all a joy to read.
Thanks so much to @joditaylorbooks and @headlinebooks for an advanced copy of the book - The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal is out now!
This story is a prequel/origin story of two fantastic side characters from the series - Smallhope and Pennyroyal, bounty hunters who recover anyone who’s somewhere (or perhaps more accurately some-when) they shouldn’t be.
The focus is on Lady Smallhope’s origin story and how she went from second-born country gentlewoman to enigmatic and extremely competent ‘recovery agent’, as well as exploring her partnership with butler and assassin Pennyroyal.
Taylor’s writing style is so engaging - she can flip from hilarious to high action to scathing social commentary or a poignant moment so easily. Her characterisation is always superb too - Smallhope and Pennyroyal are flawed and complicated but eminently loveable.
Talking of complicated - how Taylor keeps track of all the series’ characters and their thoughts and feelings over time - when the timeline literally flexes all over the place - is a feat in itself. There are Easter eggs galore in all of her books, references to other characters as well as insight into other scenes or mysteries from the series.
This book in particular is slightly ‘history light’ in terms of content - Smallhope and Pennyroyal aren’t historians themselves so there’s no big trip to specific famous events in time like other books in the series- but my love for the characters and their universe in general kept me going. I’d urge other history nerds like myself to check out the series if you haven’t already, as there are so many books you can get your teeth into and they’re all a joy to read.
Thanks so much to @joditaylorbooks and @headlinebooks for an advanced copy of the book - The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal is out now!