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trashconnoisseur's review
3.0
"Do you trust me?"
3 Stars for the continuation of an interesting story world and its lovely as well as despicable inhabitants
Come visit my blog for more rambling about books www.strawberrygeek-reads.blogspot.de
I received a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.
The second book of the Illumination Paradox Series continues right where the prequel left off thus giving it more the feeling of a next chapter. Many things were left unfinished in Lumière and the cliffhanger was really mean.
If you hope for a nicer cliffhanger this time around you'll be severely disappointed. The cliffhanger is even meaner.
Eyelet has to rescue Urlick before he'll be publicly executed. While in the middle of carrying out their plan to get Urlick back safely, one of Eyelet's greatest fears becomes reality.
I don't want to say any more about the plot because then I'd give away half of what happens in the book.
The mix of fantasy, steampunk, science-fiction, romance and historical fiction may not be everybody's cup of tea but I really liked the taste of it.
This critique I give this book is basically the same as the one I gave the first instalment of the series. Rest assured though, the flaws won't dampen your enjoyment too much.
Some reactions and behaviour of the characters were inappropriate and unfit for the situation they occurred in. Aside from that a few plot twists were either too convenient or a bit too hard to believe.
Urlick is still as cute and sweet as in the first book and I still want to pet him and Eyelet continues to be a strong female lead.
The mix of fantasy, steampunk, science-fiction, romance and historical fiction may not be everybody's cup of tea but I really liked the taste of it.
Recommended for those that enjoyed "Lumière" ^^
3 Stars for the continuation of an interesting story world and its lovely as well as despicable inhabitants
Come visit my blog for more rambling about books www.strawberrygeek-reads.blogspot.de
I received a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.
The second book of the Illumination Paradox Series continues right where the prequel left off thus giving it more the feeling of a next chapter. Many things were left unfinished in Lumière and the cliffhanger was really mean.
If you hope for a nicer cliffhanger this time around you'll be severely disappointed. The cliffhanger is even meaner.
Eyelet has to rescue Urlick before he'll be publicly executed. While in the middle of carrying out their plan to get Urlick back safely, one of Eyelet's greatest fears becomes reality.
I don't want to say any more about the plot because then I'd give away half of what happens in the book.
The mix of fantasy, steampunk, science-fiction, romance and historical fiction may not be everybody's cup of tea but I really liked the taste of it.
This critique I give this book is basically the same as the one I gave the first instalment of the series. Rest assured though, the flaws won't dampen your enjoyment too much.
Some reactions and behaviour of the characters were inappropriate and unfit for the situation they occurred in. Aside from that a few plot twists were either too convenient or a bit too hard to believe.
Urlick is still as cute and sweet as in the first book and I still want to pet him and Eyelet continues to be a strong female lead.
The mix of fantasy, steampunk, science-fiction, romance and historical fiction may not be everybody's cup of tea but I really liked the taste of it.
Recommended for those that enjoyed "Lumière" ^^
jscarpa14's review
4.0
NOOOO!!!! It's not allowed to end like THAT! Seriously frustrated right now especially when I can't just pick up the next book and find out what happens now.
I'm not really sure if I liked this book better than the first, the ending on both are frustrating but this one is definitely more so than the last. I think I'm rating this one higher because I guess I'm getting used to all the massive breaches in propriety and at least they aren't using nearly as many modern slang terms. And Garlick at least took the time to explain why Eyelett is so willing to breach propriety even if it did seem a flimsy excuse to me. I think maybe because I was expecting it to be that way since the first book was it didn't bother me nearly as much.
I also liked the introduction of so many new and interesting characters, such as Livinia and the return of Sebastian though his new role was exceptionally upsetting even if I was initially happy to see him. Most of the characters introduced, with the exception of a couple, were actually useful beyond a couple of sentences. They had real roles in the novel as opposed to just being props. I still wish we'd had the time to watch the core group form their initial bonds, but if you take a leap and accept that they occurred "off screen" I love watching the way they interact and seeing how they form this mismatched sort of family that keeps growing as they keep finding and adopting more people that need them, that have been used, abused or just plain don't fit. I think that's really my favorite part of this book. The loyalty and love between the many misfit characters introduced.
The actions is even more intense than before and I think the book benefited quite a bit by the introduction of so many more points of view than the previous book offered. It's still a little too fast paced and could have used a little more time explaining things than was present, but the time taken has improved immensely over the first book.
The story itself has so many interesting twists and turns than I think most Steampunk fans will enjoy it despite the lack of acceptable etiquette from many of the characters. While it admittedly has it's issues I think each book in the series improves a little more on the technique and even the first book in the series introduced an intriguing and fascinating world with a page turning plot.
I'm not really sure if I liked this book better than the first, the ending on both are frustrating but this one is definitely more so than the last. I think I'm rating this one higher because I guess I'm getting used to all the massive breaches in propriety and at least they aren't using nearly as many modern slang terms. And Garlick at least took the time to explain why Eyelett is so willing to breach propriety even if it did seem a flimsy excuse to me. I think maybe because I was expecting it to be that way since the first book was it didn't bother me nearly as much.
I also liked the introduction of so many new and interesting characters, such as Livinia and the return of Sebastian though his new role was exceptionally upsetting even if I was initially happy to see him. Most of the characters introduced, with the exception of a couple, were actually useful beyond a couple of sentences. They had real roles in the novel as opposed to just being props. I still wish we'd had the time to watch the core group form their initial bonds, but if you take a leap and accept that they occurred "off screen" I love watching the way they interact and seeing how they form this mismatched sort of family that keeps growing as they keep finding and adopting more people that need them, that have been used, abused or just plain don't fit. I think that's really my favorite part of this book. The loyalty and love between the many misfit characters introduced.
The actions is even more intense than before and I think the book benefited quite a bit by the introduction of so many more points of view than the previous book offered. It's still a little too fast paced and could have used a little more time explaining things than was present, but the time taken has improved immensely over the first book.
The story itself has so many interesting twists and turns than I think most Steampunk fans will enjoy it despite the lack of acceptable etiquette from many of the characters. While it admittedly has it's issues I think each book in the series improves a little more on the technique and even the first book in the series introduced an intriguing and fascinating world with a page turning plot.
jmcutler1's review
2.0
Yikes
I’ll start out by saying I enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to the growing relationship between Eyelet and Ulrich and reading their adventures together. However, that’s not at all what was given. The writing was clunky and flowery with no focus, taking paragraphs to explain one little thing or action that could be remedied in one sentence. Honestly, it was unbearable to read at some points, I struggled to finish it. Believe me, I reallllly wanted to like this book.
First of all, why bother having a world with eternal twilight if it barely factors in to the story? The concept could’ve been used in a more atmospheric way but it’s hardly touched upon. And, my god, the plot holes of which I could fit the entirety of the Grand Canyon in. There were way too many stories converging, none of which made sense and a slew of new characters introduced for no apparent reason.
The character development is nonexistent, the villains are laughable and the whole story is completely contrived. Needless to say I will NOT be continuing with the series.
I’ll start out by saying I enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to the growing relationship between Eyelet and Ulrich and reading their adventures together. However, that’s not at all what was given. The writing was clunky and flowery with no focus, taking paragraphs to explain one little thing or action that could be remedied in one sentence. Honestly, it was unbearable to read at some points, I struggled to finish it. Believe me, I reallllly wanted to like this book.
First of all, why bother having a world with eternal twilight if it barely factors in to the story? The concept could’ve been used in a more atmospheric way but it’s hardly touched upon. And, my god, the plot holes of which I could fit the entirety of the Grand Canyon in. There were way too many stories converging, none of which made sense and a slew of new characters introduced for no apparent reason.
The character development is nonexistent, the villains are laughable and the whole story is completely contrived. Needless to say I will NOT be continuing with the series.
jessicabeckett's review
4.0
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.
...sometimes magic trumps logic. Especially when love is involved.
Continuing with the next of the series, The Illumination Paradox takes things up a notch with Noir and will leave readers in a haze of disturbing occurrences with their hearts racing. And although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, it was still an action packed treat.
Jacqueline Garlick toys with our emotions from the very start; picking up nearly where the first installment left off and taking us right to the core of things. I loved the little things about this installment, I loved the exploration of romance and the darker tone everything took on.
We left with Urlick and Eyelet being, sadly, separated and the dangerous tone set. This is where things get tricky. And where they go next, how they approach anything from this point, is a massive risk for both characters and their world as they do their best on various rescue missions. It flip-flops between looking for ways to get Urlick from his prison and Eyelet out of the so-called Loony Bin.
The main focus in Noir for a good chunk of the novel is split between these two rescue missions and discovery of oneself. Oh, and messing with our minds/hearts but I mean I think that's a given at this point.
Continued @ BOOKEDJ.
...sometimes magic trumps logic. Especially when love is involved.
Continuing with the next of the series, The Illumination Paradox takes things up a notch with Noir and will leave readers in a haze of disturbing occurrences with their hearts racing. And although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, it was still an action packed treat.
Jacqueline Garlick toys with our emotions from the very start; picking up nearly where the first installment left off and taking us right to the core of things. I loved the little things about this installment, I loved the exploration of romance and the darker tone everything took on.
We left with Urlick and Eyelet being, sadly, separated and the dangerous tone set. This is where things get tricky. And where they go next, how they approach anything from this point, is a massive risk for both characters and their world as they do their best on various rescue missions. It flip-flops between looking for ways to get Urlick from his prison and Eyelet out of the so-called Loony Bin.
The main focus in Noir for a good chunk of the novel is split between these two rescue missions and discovery of oneself. Oh, and messing with our minds/hearts but I mean I think that's a given at this point.
Continued @ BOOKEDJ.
kyouen's review
3.0
Check out other reviews at [a cup of tea and an armful of books]
This is a review for the second book in the Illumination Paradox, and as such has potential spoilers for the first.
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For the most part, Noir is a lovely continuation of everything I really enjoyed in Lumière. The steampunk world comes back in full force, with more danger and problems than ever. At the conclusion of Lumière, both Eyelet and Urlick are left in dire situations that left me wondering how they would ever get out of them. You expect the main characters of novels to always be “safe” from true harm, but there’s always that lingering worry that like George R.R. Martin, your author may decide that the death of a character propels the story forward. I went into Noir a little worried, but expecting to enjoy it just as much as enjoyed the first of the series. Ultimately, it ended up being slightly less enjoyable than the first, but is still a decent second novel of the series.
Ultimately, something that irked me every time it reared its head was the sexual violence that is contained in Noir. It was my biggest issue with the novel, because there were far too many times that rape was semi-explicitly implied or threatened. And I’ll be honest, there should have been zero times this happened. It’s not something I like seeing in the novels I read. It is a legitimate threat in the real world and the written one because it imitates life, but I feel that fantasy books sometimes use it too much as a plot device. Rape and sexual violence should not be used as a plot device. If it is something that is included–and I still don’t know if it’s ever necessary, truly–it needs to be handled extremely well. Other readers may have been fine with how it was handled in Noir, but I was left with an uncomfortable feeling whenever these events occurred. The first time it occurred, I was not happy, but to have it occur enough times that it drove down the rating of an otherwise well-written second novel in the Illumination Paradox frustrated me. A woman can be strong without having threat or events of sexual violence happen to her. I already know that Eyelet is strong. I didn’t need this to be included.
Noir introduces several new characters, a couple of whom have chapters that they lead us through. Jacqueline Garlick does have a skill in clearly indicating the differences in their voices, so it wasn’t difficult to understand their thoughts and motivations. However, I have the same problem that I had with Lumière; Noir could have benefited from a third person narration. I think the reason that there are two new characters’ voices leading us through the chapters is because the author needed to show events that were happening away from the spheres of Eyelet and Urlick. Yes, they are two very fascinating and vivid characters, but it would be boring to read chapters upon chapters of one being locked away in a jail and the other preparing to spring him. Although I did appreciate the new characters, they were not as well-developed as Eyelet and Urlick. I wanted to know more about them, but their characterization didn’t go in depth enough for me. As a result, I didn’t care as much for them emotionally and couldn’t connect as things were going wrong or right for them.
Again, romance was the weaker part of the novel, but it was more of the main focus for Noir. In Lumière, the characters were driven to find the machine that was supposedly the cure, discover things about the machine and the real cure, uncover the mystery of what happened the day that the flash lit up the sky. Noir was more about saving the one you loved. Of course, there’s still adventure and discovery, but it wasn’t as heavy as it was in the first. I knew this going into Noir. I signed up for it and it’s the blurb on the cover of the novel. The Eyelet/Urlick arc was what I wanted to read. It’s the sort of rescuing the damsel / rescuing the dude in distress steampunk adventure story that I was excited to read. Including new romances for the characters I couldn’t connect with emotionally was too much. If I didn’t care about them as a character, I really didn’t care about their relationships. Apparently steampunk equals adventure in my mind, not romance. I wasn’t too open to the idea of more than one relationship in the novel.
The pacing of the novel does keep you interested, but a few times I wished that it wasn’t so slow. The gradual buildup is nice, because I don’t like reading books where absolutely nothing happens in the middle. I do wish that a bit more had happened, however. I understand that Jacqueline Garlick wants to end her novels with a huge cliffhanger to drive her readers insane (and therefore they’ll rush to get the next book–a pretty good strategy, to be honest) but too much happened at the end of the novel. There were several reveals and happenings that happened so quickly that I didn’t quite have a chance to process them. It lends a rushed quality to the ending of the book. Although the first novel of the series also had this quality, there was less significant things happening and so I didn’t notice it as much. Some of the events should have been drawn out more toward the end of the middle section and then I would have had a chance to come to terms with them before the novel ended. By clustering so much at the end, some of the threads of the novel ended rather abruptly. The cliff hanger does prepare the third novel well, so I will check that out when it’s finished.
3 stars.
I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The ebook version was only recently published on August 18th and the paperback and audio versions are coming out September 22nd of this year.
This is a review for the second book in the Illumination Paradox, and as such has potential spoilers for the first.
+
+
+
+
+
For the most part, Noir is a lovely continuation of everything I really enjoyed in Lumière. The steampunk world comes back in full force, with more danger and problems than ever. At the conclusion of Lumière, both Eyelet and Urlick are left in dire situations that left me wondering how they would ever get out of them. You expect the main characters of novels to always be “safe” from true harm, but there’s always that lingering worry that like George R.R. Martin, your author may decide that the death of a character propels the story forward. I went into Noir a little worried, but expecting to enjoy it just as much as enjoyed the first of the series. Ultimately, it ended up being slightly less enjoyable than the first, but is still a decent second novel of the series.
Ultimately, something that irked me every time it reared its head was the sexual violence that is contained in Noir. It was my biggest issue with the novel, because there were far too many times that rape was semi-explicitly implied or threatened. And I’ll be honest, there should have been zero times this happened. It’s not something I like seeing in the novels I read. It is a legitimate threat in the real world and the written one because it imitates life, but I feel that fantasy books sometimes use it too much as a plot device. Rape and sexual violence should not be used as a plot device. If it is something that is included–and I still don’t know if it’s ever necessary, truly–it needs to be handled extremely well. Other readers may have been fine with how it was handled in Noir, but I was left with an uncomfortable feeling whenever these events occurred. The first time it occurred, I was not happy, but to have it occur enough times that it drove down the rating of an otherwise well-written second novel in the Illumination Paradox frustrated me. A woman can be strong without having threat or events of sexual violence happen to her. I already know that Eyelet is strong. I didn’t need this to be included.
Noir introduces several new characters, a couple of whom have chapters that they lead us through. Jacqueline Garlick does have a skill in clearly indicating the differences in their voices, so it wasn’t difficult to understand their thoughts and motivations. However, I have the same problem that I had with Lumière; Noir could have benefited from a third person narration. I think the reason that there are two new characters’ voices leading us through the chapters is because the author needed to show events that were happening away from the spheres of Eyelet and Urlick. Yes, they are two very fascinating and vivid characters, but it would be boring to read chapters upon chapters of one being locked away in a jail and the other preparing to spring him. Although I did appreciate the new characters, they were not as well-developed as Eyelet and Urlick. I wanted to know more about them, but their characterization didn’t go in depth enough for me. As a result, I didn’t care as much for them emotionally and couldn’t connect as things were going wrong or right for them.
Again, romance was the weaker part of the novel, but it was more of the main focus for Noir. In Lumière, the characters were driven to find the machine that was supposedly the cure, discover things about the machine and the real cure, uncover the mystery of what happened the day that the flash lit up the sky. Noir was more about saving the one you loved. Of course, there’s still adventure and discovery, but it wasn’t as heavy as it was in the first. I knew this going into Noir. I signed up for it and it’s the blurb on the cover of the novel. The Eyelet/Urlick arc was what I wanted to read. It’s the sort of rescuing the damsel / rescuing the dude in distress steampunk adventure story that I was excited to read. Including new romances for the characters I couldn’t connect with emotionally was too much. If I didn’t care about them as a character, I really didn’t care about their relationships. Apparently steampunk equals adventure in my mind, not romance. I wasn’t too open to the idea of more than one relationship in the novel.
The pacing of the novel does keep you interested, but a few times I wished that it wasn’t so slow. The gradual buildup is nice, because I don’t like reading books where absolutely nothing happens in the middle. I do wish that a bit more had happened, however. I understand that Jacqueline Garlick wants to end her novels with a huge cliffhanger to drive her readers insane (and therefore they’ll rush to get the next book–a pretty good strategy, to be honest) but too much happened at the end of the novel. There were several reveals and happenings that happened so quickly that I didn’t quite have a chance to process them. It lends a rushed quality to the ending of the book. Although the first novel of the series also had this quality, there was less significant things happening and so I didn’t notice it as much. Some of the events should have been drawn out more toward the end of the middle section and then I would have had a chance to come to terms with them before the novel ended. By clustering so much at the end, some of the threads of the novel ended rather abruptly. The cliff hanger does prepare the third novel well, so I will check that out when it’s finished.
3 stars.
I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The ebook version was only recently published on August 18th and the paperback and audio versions are coming out September 22nd of this year.
fafabookcorner's review
5.0
This review will also be posted on both of my blogs:
http://fafasbookcorner.blogspot.ca/
https://fafasbookcorner.wordpress.com/
I recieved this arc via Netgalley and Skyscape and Two Loins in exchange for an honest review.
Going into this book I was worried that it would suffer second book syndrome. But I was happily wrong as this book was amazing!
Noir picks up with Flossie's point of view where the readers find out that she is alive and has become one of the turned. Readers also get to see from her eyes Urlick's arrest scene. During the chapter Flossie finds out that she has some leverage over the infirmed and uses them to do her bidding throughout the whole book. We are then taken to Eyelets point of view as she makes her way to Urlick's place. Upon reaching there the group devise a plan to save Urlick. As a mode of transportation Eyelet suggests they make wings for Urlick's horse. They all agree. C.L. then suggests getting his old circus friends to help them. His plan is to kill the ring master and convince his old friends into helping them save Urlick. Meanwhile Urlick is in jail and is miserable. A boy whose name is Sebastian agrees to be Urlick's eyes and ears until his execution and in return Urlick agrees to bail Sebastian out of jail.
It was nearly interesting to read all about the new characters and how they play a role in the overall plot. We get to read new point of views in this book and delve into some of the characters pasts. This book takes place within three days so it is much faster than the first book. We find out more about how the world came to be the way it is. It ends on a cliffhanger which means that there will be a third book.
If you did not enjoy the first book I would still give this one a shot considering how much better this book is compared to the first one. If you don't want to try this then considering your experience with the first book then I completely understand. For those who haven't read the series I would definitely recommend this! To be honest this is one of the most unique series I have ever read! I can't wait for the third book :)
http://fafasbookcorner.blogspot.ca/
https://fafasbookcorner.wordpress.com/
I recieved this arc via Netgalley and Skyscape and Two Loins in exchange for an honest review.
Going into this book I was worried that it would suffer second book syndrome. But I was happily wrong as this book was amazing!
Noir picks up with Flossie's point of view where the readers find out that she is alive and has become one of the turned. Readers also get to see from her eyes Urlick's arrest scene. During the chapter Flossie finds out that she has some leverage over the infirmed and uses them to do her bidding throughout the whole book. We are then taken to Eyelets point of view as she makes her way to Urlick's place. Upon reaching there the group devise a plan to save Urlick. As a mode of transportation Eyelet suggests they make wings for Urlick's horse. They all agree. C.L. then suggests getting his old circus friends to help them. His plan is to kill the ring master and convince his old friends into helping them save Urlick. Meanwhile Urlick is in jail and is miserable. A boy whose name is Sebastian agrees to be Urlick's eyes and ears until his execution and in return Urlick agrees to bail Sebastian out of jail.
It was nearly interesting to read all about the new characters and how they play a role in the overall plot. We get to read new point of views in this book and delve into some of the characters pasts. This book takes place within three days so it is much faster than the first book. We find out more about how the world came to be the way it is. It ends on a cliffhanger which means that there will be a third book.
If you did not enjoy the first book I would still give this one a shot considering how much better this book is compared to the first one. If you don't want to try this then considering your experience with the first book then I completely understand. For those who haven't read the series I would definitely recommend this! To be honest this is one of the most unique series I have ever read! I can't wait for the third book :)
marie_thereadingotter's review
3.0
Review:
http://pagestoexplore.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-noir-by-jacqueline-garlick.html
http://pagestoexplore.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-noir-by-jacqueline-garlick.html
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