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jessmcall's review against another edition
3.0
This had A LOT going on in just a 300 page book. There were too many storylines and POVs to follow that it seemed messy and incomplete. I did enjoy following the characters in this one especially Dodger and Aggie and Will but I think it would have been better if we focused on only a couple of them and saved the rest for another book. I would love a Will and Byram book. I also felt like pieces of the stories were missing. We were told things happened but we didn't get to experience them so it felt random and overall, underdeveloped. I also didn't really like the overall plot of this story. The bio-mechanics seemed intriguing in the first book but they didn't really utilized them in an interesting way in either plot. Overall, I enjoyed the Oliver Twist nods but there was just too much going on and not enough time to get invested.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
iheartya311's review against another edition
3.0
Corpse & Crown is the companion novel to Cadaver & Queen. While it's a smooth adventure, it fails to live up to its predecessor's passion, and it lacked substance in comparison. The plot could have been stronger. However, it is an easy read with fun characters, a well developed atmosphere and laughs along the way. It can be understood on its own but I highly advise reading the other book first for it to really make sense. I like the writing style and pace a lot. I will be on the look out for other books by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
candacerobinsonauthor's review against another edition
5.0
This was a super fun companion! I love the whole Frankenstein concept, and this one added in Oliver Twist inspiration!
I wasn’t so sure if I was going to like Aggie based on the last book, but I loved her! And Dodger! The cute romance between them was adorable! And oh my heart, Will! I really enjoyed reading his chapters, too!
The historical fantasy stuff was just so cool here with the biochemical people! I seriously need to read more from this author, and I’d love even more from this world!
I wasn’t so sure if I was going to like Aggie based on the last book, but I loved her! And Dodger! The cute romance between them was adorable! And oh my heart, Will! I really enjoyed reading his chapters, too!
The historical fantasy stuff was just so cool here with the biochemical people! I seriously need to read more from this author, and I’d love even more from this world!
hazel_reads's review
3.0
This book follows nursing student Aggie. In a school that focuses mainly on the Bio-Mechanical program, Aggie is one of the few that actually cares more about the poor patients coming in than building a Bio-Mechanical army. But war is brewing between Germany and England. It will take Aggie and everyone else to see that the war never happens.
I actually liked this better than the first book. It seemed faster paced, and had less romance. Overall it was a fun read.
I actually liked this better than the first book. It seemed faster paced, and had less romance. Overall it was a fun read.
rebeccamoody's review
I received an advanced reader copy of Corpse & Crown (available February 2019) from Inkyard Press and Edelweiss+ in return for an honest review.
Alisa Kwitney's Cadaver & Queen is a fun, engaging, and wholly original new take on Shelley's Frankenstein. Book two in the series, Corpse & Crown, picks up shortly after book one drops off…but we have a new pair of main characters: Agatha DeLacey, probationary nurse and Elizabeth's roommate, and the Artful Dodger.
That's right—along with borrowing from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Kwitney's second book also makes use of characters from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Readers can expect to see Bill, Nance, Fagin, Twist and the Dodger all re-imagined and given true new life in this new installment to the series.
Corpse & Crown begins with Aggie and Elizabeth on a secret medical mission for Ingold Academy, which has temporarily been moved to a hospital in London's East End following the events of Cadaver & Queen. Aggie is stunned to find that their secret patient is none other than Queen Victoria herself, and that her new mission is to help the Queen "recover" enough from her procedure to convince Kaiser Wilhelm that all is well with his grandmother (Seriously, everything is fine, no need to attack the Realm!).
Unfortunately Aggie finds herself distracted by the real medical needs and concerns of the East End poor, who have been placed on Ingold Academy's back burner while the doctors and students work to produce Bio-Mechanical prototypes advanced enough to impress the Kaiser on his visit. Even Elizabeth is no help, as she's been tasked with the invention of Bio-Mechanical eyes.
A poor girl herself, Aggie can't stand to see the needs of the common people pushed aside in the name of advancement. That's probably why she agrees to help Dodger when he asks Aggie to come and check on his ill friend, Nance. Aggie and Dodger are attacked on their way back to the academy and Aggie is blinded. While Nurse Sheircliffe, Aggie's mentor and chaperone, tells her everything will be fine, Aggie knows losing her sight means she's also lost her career. How can she tend patients if she can't see them?
Nurse Sheircliffe is one step ahead. Because unknown to Aggie, Dodger has been captured by the academy, and he may be just the specimen they've been looking for to impress the Kaiser...once they give him Elizabeth's newly finished Bio-Mechanical eyes. And since he won't be using his regular ones anymore...well, the matron has some idea how they can be put toward good use.
Aggie wakes to find her whole world has changed, and she's no longer the only one looking out at it through her eyes. When she learns the truth about what happened to Dodger—and what might happen still—she knows it's her responsibility to help him. But how can one poor girl and one poor Bio-Mechanical boy stand up to Queen and Kaiser?
Corpse & Crown is just as much a fun romp as the first Cadaver & Queen installment. Kwitney's tale is fast-paced and twisty, leading readers down paths both expected and unexpected. I’ll admit I was a bit uncertain when the new "cast" from Oliver Twist rolled in. Despite it being one of my favorite Dickens' novels, I wasn't sure how well these worlds would blend together. Kwitney's tie-in works...though be warned, these characters do take on new lives of their own in this work of alternate literary history!
Alisa Kwitney's Cadaver & Queen is a fun, engaging, and wholly original new take on Shelley's Frankenstein. Book two in the series, Corpse & Crown, picks up shortly after book one drops off…but we have a new pair of main characters: Agatha DeLacey, probationary nurse and Elizabeth's roommate, and the Artful Dodger.
That's right—along with borrowing from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Kwitney's second book also makes use of characters from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Readers can expect to see Bill, Nance, Fagin, Twist and the Dodger all re-imagined and given true new life in this new installment to the series.
Corpse & Crown begins with Aggie and Elizabeth on a secret medical mission for Ingold Academy, which has temporarily been moved to a hospital in London's East End following the events of Cadaver & Queen. Aggie is stunned to find that their secret patient is none other than Queen Victoria herself, and that her new mission is to help the Queen "recover" enough from her procedure to convince Kaiser Wilhelm that all is well with his grandmother (Seriously, everything is fine, no need to attack the Realm!).
Unfortunately Aggie finds herself distracted by the real medical needs and concerns of the East End poor, who have been placed on Ingold Academy's back burner while the doctors and students work to produce Bio-Mechanical prototypes advanced enough to impress the Kaiser on his visit. Even Elizabeth is no help, as she's been tasked with the invention of Bio-Mechanical eyes.
A poor girl herself, Aggie can't stand to see the needs of the common people pushed aside in the name of advancement. That's probably why she agrees to help Dodger when he asks Aggie to come and check on his ill friend, Nance. Aggie and Dodger are attacked on their way back to the academy and Aggie is blinded. While Nurse Sheircliffe, Aggie's mentor and chaperone, tells her everything will be fine, Aggie knows losing her sight means she's also lost her career. How can she tend patients if she can't see them?
Nurse Sheircliffe is one step ahead. Because unknown to Aggie, Dodger has been captured by the academy, and he may be just the specimen they've been looking for to impress the Kaiser...once they give him Elizabeth's newly finished Bio-Mechanical eyes. And since he won't be using his regular ones anymore...well, the matron has some idea how they can be put toward good use.
Aggie wakes to find her whole world has changed, and she's no longer the only one looking out at it through her eyes. When she learns the truth about what happened to Dodger—and what might happen still—she knows it's her responsibility to help him. But how can one poor girl and one poor Bio-Mechanical boy stand up to Queen and Kaiser?
Corpse & Crown is just as much a fun romp as the first Cadaver & Queen installment. Kwitney's tale is fast-paced and twisty, leading readers down paths both expected and unexpected. I’ll admit I was a bit uncertain when the new "cast" from Oliver Twist rolled in. Despite it being one of my favorite Dickens' novels, I wasn't sure how well these worlds would blend together. Kwitney's tie-in works...though be warned, these characters do take on new lives of their own in this work of alternate literary history!
enchantedtoreadyou's review
4.0
First, let's get this out of the way. I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Harlequin Teen in exchange for my honest review.
Now then. Maybe I didn't fully read the synopsis. Maybe I stopped at 'oh there's a nurse treating patients at night on the down low? THIS IS FOR ME!' I'm a nurse, so I was like, I can totally relate to this character. I would be the one in these times who would try to treat HUMANS in the age of bio-mechanicals. I would take from the hospital I worked at to treat humans at night. Like, this girl is me!
I was wrong. This ended up being more of a Frankenstein retelling. It focused more on the bio-mechanical aspect and the conflict of Germany and England pitting their best bio-mechanicals against each other to see who was superior. Unsuspecting characters turned out to be bio-mechanicals. There was a lot of sci-fi involved, which honestly, isn't my favorite subject matter. All in all, this book was not bad. The story was intriguing. I just wished that it would have been the story I hoped for. But that's completely on me, guys!
Now then. Maybe I didn't fully read the synopsis. Maybe I stopped at 'oh there's a nurse treating patients at night on the down low? THIS IS FOR ME!' I'm a nurse, so I was like, I can totally relate to this character. I would be the one in these times who would try to treat HUMANS in the age of bio-mechanicals. I would take from the hospital I worked at to treat humans at night. Like, this girl is me!
I was wrong. This ended up being more of a Frankenstein retelling. It focused more on the bio-mechanical aspect and the conflict of Germany and England pitting their best bio-mechanicals against each other to see who was superior. Unsuspecting characters turned out to be bio-mechanicals. There was a lot of sci-fi involved, which honestly, isn't my favorite subject matter. All in all, this book was not bad. The story was intriguing. I just wished that it would have been the story I hoped for. But that's completely on me, guys!
sunsoar25's review
4.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Corpse & Crown by Alisa Kwitney is an excellent companion novel to Cadaver & Queen. The first book in the series was such a pleasant surprise that I was so excited to be approved for book two. Luckily for me, this companion was just as good. You could read this without being familiar with book one, but you won't be sorry if you take the time to read it before diving into this novel. I loved seeing how a retelling of Oliver Twist would fit into Kwitney's initial alternate history world of a Frankenstein-retelling featuring Bio-mechanicals (aka reanimated corpses who perform menial tasks and follow orders). This installment primarily follows a different set of lead characters, including Agatha who was Lizzie's nursing student roommate in book one. We get to know quite a bit more about her this time around. She's brilliant in her own right and refreshingly caring. Her character arc is incredible over the course of the story here. Without giving too much away, the Artful Dodger is probably my favorite male character of the series - he has a lot of great moments. Finally, I'm glad we got to see more of Queen Victoria since she's so delightfully impish. Since I've been hooked on Victoria I totally imagined her as an older Jenna Coleman. Overall, if you're a fan of alternate historical fantasy, steampunk, Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, and Cinder by Marissa Meyer, I have a feeling you'll enjoy Corpse & Crown by Alisa Kwitney. I'm looking forward to from the author in the future, especially more set in the world of Cadaver & Queen.
Corpse & Crown by Alisa Kwitney is an excellent companion novel to Cadaver & Queen. The first book in the series was such a pleasant surprise that I was so excited to be approved for book two. Luckily for me, this companion was just as good. You could read this without being familiar with book one, but you won't be sorry if you take the time to read it before diving into this novel. I loved seeing how a retelling of Oliver Twist would fit into Kwitney's initial alternate history world of a Frankenstein-retelling featuring Bio-mechanicals (aka reanimated corpses who perform menial tasks and follow orders). This installment primarily follows a different set of lead characters, including Agatha who was Lizzie's nursing student roommate in book one. We get to know quite a bit more about her this time around. She's brilliant in her own right and refreshingly caring. Her character arc is incredible over the course of the story here. Without giving too much away, the Artful Dodger is probably my favorite male character of the series - he has a lot of great moments. Finally, I'm glad we got to see more of Queen Victoria since she's so delightfully impish. Since I've been hooked on Victoria I totally imagined her as an older Jenna Coleman. Overall, if you're a fan of alternate historical fantasy, steampunk, Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, and Cinder by Marissa Meyer, I have a feeling you'll enjoy Corpse & Crown by Alisa Kwitney. I'm looking forward to from the author in the future, especially more set in the world of Cadaver & Queen.
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