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divreadsbooks's review against another edition
I apparently have no patience for British period books. They look good on TV but gosh it is a slog
Slow beginning, lots of plot later but I couldn’t get over how absolutely British it was. My fault on that one
Slow beginning, lots of plot later but I couldn’t get over how absolutely British it was. My fault on that one
allimarie42's review against another edition
4.0
Took a while to get into the world, especially the language. But I thought it was pretty great by the end.
ezalos's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Regency England ... youngster Doesn't Realize Her Powers ... her school is So UnFair! ... she has a hunky mentor ... yawn.
But she's snarky, and that helps. There's a bit of Flavia de Luce in her.
Basically a decent story here, but there are some distractions:
* Zacharias just drifts through the plot. If he's an opium junkie, say so.
* Way too much "ooh, they're really gonna get him and it's SO UnFair!" when you know they aren't going to try it till the last 50 pages.
* ooh, this magic is so hard to learn, and these books are so hard and, oh what's this, hey lookit I just turned Jupiter into a bran muffin, cool huh? Especially the big magic-fight scenes, and her "dude, I got this" attitude.
* you can't just set up a world where almost no one has a familiar and then roll out seven of them that the parents conveniently hid in a valise .. and if you do, you can't just use them without discussing them
* especially when the bit with the blood orbs was well done
There were some pretty good side characters, I admit.
But most of all ... Can We Stop With The Plots That Are Entirely Based On Withholding Important Information For No Reason?
This is almost an enjoyable book and I am going to look for more by this author. I expect improvement.
Not sure I will look for #2 in this series, though. If Prunella* has come this far in one volume, she has to be rewriting the laws of the universe by the end of #2.
* If I hadn't known about the actor Prunella Scales, I would have said that Prunella is a laxative hazelnut spread ...
But she's snarky, and that helps. There's a bit of Flavia de Luce in her.
Basically a decent story here, but there are some distractions:
* Zacharias just drifts through the plot. If he's an opium junkie, say so.
* Way too much "ooh, they're really gonna get him and it's SO UnFair!" when you know they aren't going to try it till the last 50 pages.
* ooh, this magic is so hard to learn, and these books are so hard and, oh what's this, hey lookit I just turned Jupiter into a bran muffin, cool huh? Especially the big magic-fight scenes, and her "dude, I got this" attitude.
* you can't just set up a world where almost no one has a familiar and then roll out seven of them that the parents conveniently hid in a valise .. and if you do, you can't just use them without discussing them
* especially when the bit with the blood orbs was well done
There were some pretty good side characters, I admit.
But most of all ... Can We Stop With The Plots That Are Entirely Based On Withholding Important Information For No Reason?
This is almost an enjoyable book and I am going to look for more by this author. I expect improvement.
Not sure I will look for #2 in this series, though. If Prunella* has come this far in one volume, she has to be rewriting the laws of the universe by the end of #2.
* If I hadn't known about the actor Prunella Scales, I would have said that Prunella is a laxative hazelnut spread ...
threegoodrats's review against another edition
3.0
I really want to like fantasy more than I do, but it’s so hit-or-miss with me and I can’t predict which ones I’ll like.
lizlav1230's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
_shonahenderson's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
2.75
sophisticotton's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.25
biblio_ginger's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
3.75
kivt's review against another edition
4.0
This was really enjoyable. The setting and the author's insistence on using antiquated sentence structure in all the dialog didn't get in the way of a good story. It's a very funny book that has at its heart an exploration of race and colonialism. Both protagonists were well realized, even if Prunella gets a little cartoony by the end.