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debchan's review against another edition
3.0
natasha pulley write a strong complex compelling female character challenge (fail!)
the two extra stars are for grace carrow and akira matsumoto ONLY. i get matsumoto bc i too would love to marry grace. i'd even agree to just be in her general presence. i might even be fine if she killed me. i'm not joking she is the SOLE reason i picked up this book.
it's still hazy to grasp mori's full powers and he's a bit confused to with the past and the present and the future. the setting is in japan now. and as someone who's lived in both london and yokohama, ummm yeah this hit so close to home. i thought pulley's narrative description was fine. her prose was neat and tidy (just like thaniel) which is great, straight to the point without becoming too clinical and stale. the plot was just as murky as what mori sees mostly because it was quite abstract. the ghosts and then with going back and forth between the past (except at one point it's just one month ago) and i guess i don't care much about a plot without grace as the focus oops.
thaniel: he's so ordinary, so not special. and this is what grace thinks about him. but (though it pains me to say it) she is wrong. he's struggling, knowing his time is short, loving someone who may be 1)trying to kill him and 2)doesn't even appreciate him in the same way. and yet thaniel is willing to die for this and actually willing to do pretty much anything for mori. like grow a spine and live your own life. but another part of me appreciates the sheer pathetic-ness of that (call it love maybe). i always appreciate the Wet Sad Dog characters and so, since mori was away from him a lot, i liked thaniel again just as i did at the very beginning of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street before he met mori.
mori: i'm sorry i'm a big ouran fan so excuse me but all i could hear was mori-senpai. anyway i think pulley did manage to frame him in a better light... for others mind you, i still don't like him. yeah i understand him, i understand what he had to do, why he did what he did, given that kind of power who wouldn't right? i could see where he's coming from and still not like him. how many times have i said this recently? i was on board with a mori who coldly dictated events that led to deaths and killed innocent women bc that would be awful and it would be different. but no not really he becomes just like everyone else, orchestrating things and in the end oh, it was for a good cause? oh he spoke with the woman before he let her die? oh he doesn't actually want to kill thaniel and actually loves him and wants to help out? how routine.
takiko pepperharrow: Paranoid Neglected Pushy Wife? where have we seen this before? i've seen reviews of pulley's other books to see that all her female characters are one of the same, lacking depth and true character. it seems in this series they exist as a barrier, as an obstacle, as an obstruction between the main gay couple and that puts a sour taste in my mouth. grace was the prototype and not a breakthrough then. anyway, i will always side with pulley's female characters bc though they are portrayed in this way, somehow the absurdity of it makes me want to back them up, like they're my own friends who i know better than pulley, who are more than written words, real actual women who in the late 1800s are trying to survive. just as much as thaniel is terrified of being sent to an asylum or getting hanged. all that to say she deserved better. and much better than dying like that. ugh. she owed mori nothing, she didn't have to die just to snap mori out of whatever he was going through. she deserved more than a plot point for thaniel to get back with his love. how was she to know the truth about the death? how could she blame herself? she married mori to save herself and in the end all the women ever do in these books is serve the interests and goals of the men. i'm in equal parts mad and grieving her.
grace carrow: omg girl ilysm. icb she married akira too wow my absolute favorites. are they perhaps one of my fav relationships in literature? how fitting i quite dislike these books but grace/akira are the saving points. she's doing more science things, very confidential, not allowed to leave. i'm glad they see her brain is very useful. but then there's grace's potential, just like takiko's isn't there? that she only served a purpose to once again bring thaniel to mori (whereas in book 1 she was just used to drive them apart) together and then later to help thaniel at the very end. and she always kept thaniel's secret even if that very secret was the reason she was running around in book 1 trying to save her own life from mori. but at least she got a semi-happy ending.
akira matsumoto: he's here by default. that one cameo he had was enthralling i was so hooked on his every word. his relationship with grace is so fascinating to me i want whole books on them. the way he supports her unconditionally and was always someone she could rely on to be there wow. i hope they're very happy.
six: another different plucky child with a special name. not that i'm absolutely against the Child in books but i have to be really convinced to warm up to them. six was fine here; she was smart and was a new relationship with thaniel to be treasured. i just had no particular interest in the six/mori/thaniel family oops.
i just know that those who liked the first book would love this one too. and it's great that the natasha pulley fans can continue to enjoy her books. i rarely enjoy a fantasy series set in the real world and this one falls into that line. i wish we got more complex mori and not whitewashed clean PG version where his deeds are revealed to not be actually that bad after all. pulley creates such poorly written female characters it's actually surprising and it's not something i can look over in this case. mostly because the plot relies on it to move forward so when i consider it, the whole story crumbles (like that last jenga piece). but i will thank her for writing grace carrow the woman you are and her relationship with akira matsumoto (the man you are) bc they are absolutely divine.
the two extra stars are for grace carrow and akira matsumoto ONLY. i get matsumoto bc i too would love to marry grace. i'd even agree to just be in her general presence. i might even be fine if she killed me. i'm not joking she is the SOLE reason i picked up this book.
it's still hazy to grasp mori's full powers and he's a bit confused to with the past and the present and the future. the setting is in japan now. and as someone who's lived in both london and yokohama, ummm yeah this hit so close to home. i thought pulley's narrative description was fine. her prose was neat and tidy (just like thaniel) which is great, straight to the point without becoming too clinical and stale. the plot was just as murky as what mori sees mostly because it was quite abstract. the ghosts and then with going back and forth between the past (except at one point it's just one month ago) and i guess i don't care much about a plot without grace as the focus oops.
thaniel: he's so ordinary, so not special. and this is what grace thinks about him. but (though it pains me to say it) she is wrong. he's struggling, knowing his time is short, loving someone who may be 1)trying to kill him and 2)doesn't even appreciate him in the same way. and yet thaniel is willing to die for this and actually willing to do pretty much anything for mori. like grow a spine and live your own life. but another part of me appreciates the sheer pathetic-ness of that (call it love maybe). i always appreciate the Wet Sad Dog characters and so, since mori was away from him a lot, i liked thaniel again just as i did at the very beginning of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street before he met mori.
mori: i'm sorry i'm a big ouran fan so excuse me but all i could hear was mori-senpai. anyway i think pulley did manage to frame him in a better light... for others mind you, i still don't like him. yeah i understand him, i understand what he had to do, why he did what he did, given that kind of power who wouldn't right? i could see where he's coming from and still not like him. how many times have i said this recently? i was on board with a mori who coldly dictated events that led to deaths and killed innocent women bc that would be awful and it would be different. but no not really he becomes just like everyone else, orchestrating things and in the end oh, it was for a good cause? oh he spoke with the woman before he let her die? oh he doesn't actually want to kill thaniel and actually loves him and wants to help out? how routine.
takiko pepperharrow: Paranoid Neglected Pushy Wife? where have we seen this before? i've seen reviews of pulley's other books to see that all her female characters are one of the same, lacking depth and true character. it seems in this series they exist as a barrier, as an obstacle, as an obstruction between the main gay couple and that puts a sour taste in my mouth. grace was the prototype and not a breakthrough then. anyway, i will always side with pulley's female characters bc though they are portrayed in this way, somehow the absurdity of it makes me want to back them up, like they're my own friends who i know better than pulley, who are more than written words, real actual women who in the late 1800s are trying to survive. just as much as thaniel is terrified of being sent to an asylum or getting hanged. all that to say she deserved better.
grace carrow: omg girl ilysm. icb she married akira too wow my absolute favorites. are they perhaps one of my fav relationships in literature? how fitting i quite dislike these books but grace/akira are the saving points. she's doing more science things, very confidential, not allowed to leave. i'm glad they see her brain is very useful. but then there's grace's potential, just like takiko's isn't there? that she only served a purpose to once again bring thaniel to mori (whereas in book 1 she was just used to drive them apart) together and then later to help thaniel at the very end. and she always kept thaniel's secret even if that very secret was the reason she was running around in book 1 trying to save her own life from mori. but at least she got a semi-happy ending.
akira matsumoto: he's here by default. that one cameo he had was enthralling i was so hooked on his every word. his relationship with grace is so fascinating to me i want whole books on them. the way he supports her unconditionally and was always someone she could rely on to be there wow. i hope they're very happy.
six: another different plucky child with a special name. not that i'm absolutely against the Child in books but i have to be really convinced to warm up to them. six was fine here; she was smart and was a new relationship with thaniel to be treasured. i just had no particular interest in the six/mori/thaniel family oops.
i just know that those who liked the first book would love this one too. and it's great that the natasha pulley fans can continue to enjoy her books. i rarely enjoy a fantasy series set in the real world and this one falls into that line. i wish we got more complex mori and not whitewashed clean PG version where his deeds are revealed to not be actually that bad after all. pulley creates such poorly written female characters it's actually surprising and it's not something i can look over in this case. mostly because the plot relies on it to move forward so when i consider it, the whole story crumbles (like that last jenga piece). but i will thank her for writing grace carrow the woman you are and her relationship with akira matsumoto (the man you are) bc they are absolutely divine.
silly_little_clown's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So this entire book is just about Mori saving his man from tuberculosis lmao . I LOVE IT. At first from the way things were going I thought Mori was planning to stop the Japanese Imperialism and subsequently the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although it might’ve also been that, it sounds like the main objective is to save Thaniel from tuberculosis aaaaahhhhhhhh actually crying. They love each other so deeply. I’m so glad that they finally talked about their relationship and be open about their feelings near the end. It’s so nice to see that Mori isn’t indifferent about their relationship but he just misunderstood Thaniel’s intention. It was actually so heartbreaking to read Thaniel’s inner dialogue of how he felt being left out by Mori the whole book. It hurts so bad but it tastes so good when it’s resolved.
I love Merrick’s little cameo in the book, glad to hear he’s alive and well. Hope Raphael is too.
This whole book was so engaging! The plot has me in a chokehold. It has a slow start just like the other books in the series, but once the action picks up, it REALLY picks up. All the characterizations were so well done. I really loved Takiko. She’s such a fiery character. At first I was really on the fence about her becausethe first thing we see her doing is plotting against Mori . But as the story unfolds, I really came to like her. She’s really great at driving a wedge in between Mori and Thaniel haha . She’s also a very complex and nuanced person despite being really straightforward with things. I was so sad about her demise. I should have known that it was coming because of the title, however it still hit me hard.
Six was such an enjoyable character. Normally I dislike children in stories because usually they’re stubborn and annoying but Six was an exception to me. She’s so loved by Thaniel and Mori and I feel warm every time I read about this little found family.
Once again I really love how the author weaved together real historic events with fictional stories and fantasy elements. 1880s Japan felt so alive in this book and I’m glad that the author put the good, bad and ugly sides of it in the story.
I can’t wait to read more books by this author!
I love Merrick’s little cameo in the book, glad to hear he’s alive and well. Hope Raphael is too.
This whole book was so engaging! The plot has me in a chokehold. It has a slow start just like the other books in the series, but once the action picks up, it REALLY picks up. All the characterizations were so well done. I really loved Takiko. She’s such a fiery character. At first I was really on the fence about her because
Six was such an enjoyable character. Normally I dislike children in stories because usually they’re stubborn and annoying but Six was an exception to me. She’s so loved by Thaniel and Mori and I feel warm every time I read about this little found family.
Once again I really love how the author weaved together real historic events with fictional stories and fantasy elements. 1880s Japan felt so alive in this book and I’m glad that the author put the good, bad and ugly sides of it in the story.
I can’t wait to read more books by this author!
gilliske's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Ik vind het moeilijk om hier een score aan te geven. Toen ik eraan begon wist ik niet dat dit een 2de deel van een verhaal is. In de goodreads omschrijving staat wel dat het in principe zelfstandig te lezen is, maar ik had toch constant het gevoel niet echt 'mee' te zijn met wat er allemaal gebeurde, met karakteristieken, gevoeligheden en voorgeschiedenissen van personages.
Hierdoor voelde het verhaal heel warrig aan en kon ik er niet echt van genieten. Ik voelde ook totaal geen band met de personages en misschien is dit ook te wijten aan het niet lezen van deel 1. Misschien is dat deel nodig om zelf al een relatie op te bouwen met de personages om dan van daaruit verder met hen op avontuur te gaan in dit deel 2.
Hoe het ook zij: ondanks het originele en intrigerende uitgangspunt van het verhaal kon het mij niet boeien en heb ik me erdoorheen moeten slepen. Spijtig, maar wat is, dat is...
Wie weet vind ik ooit de moed om aan deel 1 te beginnen en wie weet blijkt dat zo goed dat ik deel 2 nog eens opnieuw lees... we zullen zien. Het zal nog niet voor onmiddellijk zijn.
Hierdoor voelde het verhaal heel warrig aan en kon ik er niet echt van genieten. Ik voelde ook totaal geen band met de personages en misschien is dit ook te wijten aan het niet lezen van deel 1. Misschien is dat deel nodig om zelf al een relatie op te bouwen met de personages om dan van daaruit verder met hen op avontuur te gaan in dit deel 2.
Hoe het ook zij: ondanks het originele en intrigerende uitgangspunt van het verhaal kon het mij niet boeien en heb ik me erdoorheen moeten slepen. Spijtig, maar wat is, dat is...
Wie weet vind ik ooit de moed om aan deel 1 te beginnen en wie weet blijkt dat zo goed dat ik deel 2 nog eens opnieuw lees... we zullen zien. Het zal nog niet voor onmiddellijk zijn.
fiddlak's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
qludwig's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I just love these characters so much! Like honestly I would read just an entire book of the filigree street gang happy and safe. If we had had like another character or two of them being happy and adorable this book would probably be five stars.I would have loved just like a little more resolution on the romantic subplot. Like it’s well done but my romantic heart just wanted like a proper declaration and kiss. But honestly how it was done was beautiful and probably more accurate to the characters
This book certainly feels better paced than the first with all the plot threads coming together very beautifully. However, I did find my self somewhat less interested when the plot switched POV even though I realize how important the multiple view points were for the story.
I really enjoyed this book I think it was well written and I’d definitely recommend if you enjoyed the first one. Or even if you liked the characters but not the plot of the first one give this one I try as I think the plot is definitely more compelling and paced a lot better
This book certainly feels better paced than the first with all the plot threads coming together very beautifully. However, I did find my self somewhat less interested when the plot switched POV even though I realize how important the multiple view points were for the story.
I really enjoyed this book I think it was well written and I’d definitely recommend if you enjoyed the first one. Or even if you liked the characters but not the plot of the first one give this one I try as I think the plot is definitely more compelling and paced a lot better
stevereads61's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
columnclub's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
I'm still sitting with my feelings on this one, because it did have a lot of the things I usually love about Pulley's writing, but her recurring habits in writing female characters keep sticking in my throat. Takiko Pepperharrow was by far the most interesting character in this book for me, but I get the sense that Pulley is always fundamentally more interested in her male characters, and expects that they will be more sympathetic. Thaniel, though, is frequently jealous and resentful of Takiko in ways that only served to make me dislike him. I wish we'd had a novel that had been focused on Takiko, and that had shown her friendship with Countess Kuroda and explored in full the science Grace is doing in the mountains. It's a real shame we didn't get much of any of that. Between this, the meandering plot and the dull miscommunication trope that splinters the central romance, this has easily been my least favourite of Pulley's novels so far.
nietlauramaarmaura's review against another edition
5.0
Natasha Pulley is such a pearl. Although the narrative is not necessarily new, she manages to create a whole world. Completely absorbing. The way she jumps around on the fine line between magic and science is so enticing. It isn’t realistic but it is so naturalistic. Definitely a must-read (and while you’re at it, read her other books too)
nicciobert's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
chrispr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0