Reviews

Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal

ewil6681's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

daumari's review against another edition

4.0

I have books due sooner than this, but I really wanted to continue reading about Jane and Vincent's lives, whoops. Also a quick read, this covers the 'Year without a summer' where the globe had unseasonably cool temperatures due to a volcanic eruption. Citizens don't realize this and place blame on coldmongers, glamourists who can manipulate cool temperatures to a certain degree but not that extent. Jane must carefully balance her attention between attending her sister at her first season in London and supporting Vincent as he encounters his estranged family for the first time in a while.

I liked it more than the previous two, probably because we're stepping a little bit away from Austen and more into world events at the time.

oneclumsybat's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

mich2063's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

4.0

forthesanityof1's review

adventurous emotional lighthearted 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

4.0

storytimed's review

2.5

Can you tell that I was very hyped over the greatness of Milk & Honey and raced through most of the series? Unfortunately, at this point I'm sort of running out of steam
There are two more books left but idk if I want to read them really
In this one, Kowal returns to Austen with Jane bringing Melody out for a London Season! They then also get involved in conspiracies as Jane tries to discourage the attentions of unsuitable suitors, one of whom is (gasp!) Irish Catholic 
I do like the emotional point of this book, which is about Jane grappling with her own prejudice and how she's dismissed and misunderstood her sister over the years (for one, Melody's always complained of migraines and Jane was like, oh you're faking it like mom, but turns out that Melody actually needs glasses and she has migraines from straining her vision!)
Oooh got distracted but: I didn't love the actual, like, plot? It engages with the Luddite and labor movement of the time, but although she really does have good intentions, I don't think Kowal actually has the range to have her upper-class white British heroine get inspired by the Plight of the Downtrodden
For example, one of the members of the Guild of Coldmongers is a young Black boy who idolizes the Vincents. After being saved by them once, he's tragically killed as part of a protest and then never mentioned again lmao

eyreguide's review against another edition

4.0

In the first book of this series, I was initially drawn to Jane because she was such a logical, practical thinker, and not afraid to do what needed to be done. In this book, that aspect of her personality gets lost a little. I suppose it does make sense if you think of how she is now in London which is a more progressive place than her home village, but I feel like Jane makes way too many mistakes in this story that had me a little disappointed in her. But the plot of this book made up for a lot of that.

Unexpectedly, a truly despicable villain is introduced, there is a court room drama, and the story gets darker when things take a turn for the worse for Jane and Vincent. This series really is leaving behind the Austen atmosphere, as revolution, imprisonment, prejudice and racism become important parts of the story. And that addition of realism and social justice just makes the world and the character-building stronger. Jane and Vincent are growing as characters and as a married couple, and to see how they deal with the issues that come up made me more invested in their dynamic (as if I didn't love them enough as a couple!) and in their plight as they both face some serious consequences to their actions. The story does take awhile to really get going, but the ending is fast-paced, exciting and suspenseful.

Because of the initial slow pacing and my disappointment at times with Jane, I feel like this is not as strong of a novel as the previous two, but there are some great elements, some truly wonderful interactions between Jane and Vincent, and the opportunity to learn more about Vincent and his family. It's interesting how gradually the reader is getting to know and understand Vincent more with each book. This series is the best!

rikerandom's review against another edition

4.0

Again, the series got clearly better after the pretty mediocre first installment though it's still pretty shallow - but entertaining nevertheless!

sarz's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

drajon's review against another edition

4.0

A bit dramatic in the series. The finale is good.