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jmatkinson1's review
4.0
1881 and London is sweltering in the hot summer heat. Kitty Peck is trying to make a go of running The Paradise, the huge empire of trade in the Docklands that she has inherited from her grandmother, Lady Ginger. However Kitty is struggling and haunted my memories of her trial to enter 'The Barons', a taste for opium is her only solace. The aftermath of the burning of The Gaudy haunts her and with only one hall operational Kitty is frustrated. However Kitty is being harassed, filthy pictures of her appear on walls around The Paradise and The Barons are intend on finding her brother. As her grandmother reaches the end of her life, there is still more about The Paradise that Kitty needs to learn.
Not having read the first two books in the series was quite a handicap for me in tackling this instalment. It is to Griffin's credit that she doesn't spend vast tracts of the novel rehashing the plots of the previous books and there was definitely enough information to enable me to pick up the gist of the story so far. The handicap was more that I was enjoying the story and the characters created and it made me want to start the series from the beginning. This is escapist popular fiction with a historical setting but it doesn't purport to be history, just a rollicking good tale set in a particular time and place. Kitty is a flawed heroine and the plot is as twisty as one could want.
Not having read the first two books in the series was quite a handicap for me in tackling this instalment. It is to Griffin's credit that she doesn't spend vast tracts of the novel rehashing the plots of the previous books and there was definitely enough information to enable me to pick up the gist of the story so far. The handicap was more that I was enjoying the story and the characters created and it made me want to start the series from the beginning. This is escapist popular fiction with a historical setting but it doesn't purport to be history, just a rollicking good tale set in a particular time and place. Kitty is a flawed heroine and the plot is as twisty as one could want.
lucy_anywhere's review
dark
mysterious
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
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