Scan barcode
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
4.0
Molto bello, anche se la componente steampunk è accennata appena appena.
Ho shippato Katharine/Lane con tutte le mie forze!
Non vedo l'ora di leggere il prossimo libro!
Ho shippato Katharine/Lane con tutte le mie forze!
Spoiler
Quanto a Ben Aldridge, avevo capito fin dall'inizio che in lui c'era qualcosa di losco.Non vedo l'ora di leggere il prossimo libro!
commedesenfants's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here: http://living-a-thousand-lives.tumblr.com/post/31195586775/the-dark-unwinding-by-sharon-cameron
The Cover
I think this cover is so pretty. The girl in the front looks exactly like how Katharine was described. In the background we can see Stranwyne, which reminds me a bit of Downton Abbey (in fact Stranwyne was inspired by a real house/former abbey). The cover is very Victorian and the clockwork with its cogwheels gives the cover a steampunk look to it. Good job, cover designers!
The Story
Katharine Tulman is an orphan and lives, or rather works for, with her aunt in London. When her aunt suspects that her son's inheritance is in danger she sends Katharine to Stranwyne in order to commit Katherine's uncle to an asylum. What Katherine didn't expect is that the people who work on the estate are fiercely protective of Uncle Tully because without him they all would've ended miserably in workhouses. Uncle Tully himself is rather excentric and a genius inventor of clockwork toys. Katherine thinks that the only chance for her to have a more or less secure future is to send Uncle Tully to an asylum which in turn would mean that the 900 or so workers who live on his estate would become homeless. Torn between her affection she feels for the village people, and especially towards her uncle's apprentice, and her only chance of a small bit of freedom, Katharine has a difficult decision to make. It also doesn't help that there is a weirdness afoot in Stranwyne which slowly leads Katharine to doubt in her own sanity.
The Protagonist
Katharine is a very pragmatic and sensible young woman of almost 18. Even though the people on her uncle's estate are less than friendly to her at the beginning (and who can blame them), she won't let this get to her and tries her best to win their favours slowly. You might think she's selfish for even contemplating sending her uncle to an asylum (which are not nice places to be in Victorian England) and evicting almost a thousand families but you have to understand her motives in context of the times. It's the middle of the 19th century, Victorian England, there are not a lot of possibilities for a young woman especially a higher born one. You either inherit (though most estates are entailed, i.e. only male descendants can inherit) or marry. Katharine has no inheritance and has been told all her life that she is not likely to ever marry anyone (especially since her aunt doesn't really let her get out of the house), so she's at the mercy of her cruel aunt and her fat cousin who's more interested in toffee than everything else. What would you have done in her place?
I think Katharine is very sympathetic and I'd say she's a "people person", or rather she understands people who society would describe as "misfits", like uncle Tully or Davy the mute boy with the rabbit. She's patient and tries to get closer to them and never gives up on them.
The Heart Rate
Before Katharine arrived at Stranwyne, she'd never experienced being admired by a man before (as I said before, it's not like her aunt gave her any chance) but at the estate she finds two unlikely admirers (don't worry, there is no love triangle here). I really like Lane Moreau, who is uncle Tully's assistant, he's extremely protective of his employer and of his aunt and little Davy. He, like everybody, disliked Katharine at first but slowly warmed up to her and Katharine in turn wanted to get to know him better too. They became sort of friends but they were still wary of eachother, not sure if it was all just a game of deceit and if they could trust eachother.
The Good
- Gothic: Parts of this book reminded me strongly of Victorian Gothic novels. You have a run down stately home with hidden doors, underground tunnels, obscure and dusty unoccupied rooms and mysterious inhabitants. Strange things were happening to Katherine, which were a bit scary and left you guessing whatever was happening.
- Clockwork Toys: Uncle Tully makes these amazing clockwork toys, some of which depict his family members, and it was interesting to read about them. They weren't automatons or even magic but they were still magical in their own way.
- Uncle Tully: He's not crazy at all but a genius. I suspect that he's a Savant, with an incredible mind for numbers and who designs his creations entirely in his mind and out of numbers. He can be a bit strange and is a bit like a child, especially when he throws his tantrums but he's also very lovable and I think he really loves Katharine and shows it in his own way.
- Davy and Bertram: Davy was a cutie and I love that he had a pet rabbit named Bertram who always hung off his shoulders. These two are just too cute to describe.
- Mystery: I expected this to be merely a steampunk novel with an excentric cast of characters but there was also a mystery here (see Gothic) and while I suspected the culprit early on, their reason for their actions were totally unexpected, what a twist!
The Bad
- Not really steampunk: It's not a bad thing per se but it's a bit of false advertising in my opinion. I didn't mind at all that this wasn't really a steampunk novel but die hard steampunk fans would probably be disappointed. The only "steampunk" elements are uncle Tully's creations and even they are more mechanical inventions than anything, sure uncle Tully might be a bit ahead of his time but it wasn't like everyone in society had clockwork machines. All in all this novel was really more historical fiction (Victorian Gothic?) than steampunk.
- The ending: It's not like I was disappointed or that I totally disliked it but it was just not what I expected (I can't say more because of spoilers).
The Rating
★★★★☆
I give this novel a 3.8 - I like historical novels set in Victorian England because somehow just knowing that fact makes the novel much more atmospheric. You often find historical Young Adult fiction with a heroine who is way too modern to be believable but Katharine was very much in character but was never a typical damsel in distress. I like that this novel had a Gothic feel to it but was never overly "emo" and dark. I cared a lot for the fates of the characters and this book had suprisingly a more depth to it than expected.
The Cover
I think this cover is so pretty. The girl in the front looks exactly like how Katharine was described. In the background we can see Stranwyne, which reminds me a bit of Downton Abbey (in fact Stranwyne was inspired by a real house/former abbey). The cover is very Victorian and the clockwork with its cogwheels gives the cover a steampunk look to it. Good job, cover designers!
The Story
Katharine Tulman is an orphan and lives, or rather works for, with her aunt in London. When her aunt suspects that her son's inheritance is in danger she sends Katharine to Stranwyne in order to commit Katherine's uncle to an asylum. What Katherine didn't expect is that the people who work on the estate are fiercely protective of Uncle Tully because without him they all would've ended miserably in workhouses. Uncle Tully himself is rather excentric and a genius inventor of clockwork toys. Katherine thinks that the only chance for her to have a more or less secure future is to send Uncle Tully to an asylum which in turn would mean that the 900 or so workers who live on his estate would become homeless. Torn between her affection she feels for the village people, and especially towards her uncle's apprentice, and her only chance of a small bit of freedom, Katharine has a difficult decision to make. It also doesn't help that there is a weirdness afoot in Stranwyne which slowly leads Katharine to doubt in her own sanity.
The Protagonist
Katharine is a very pragmatic and sensible young woman of almost 18. Even though the people on her uncle's estate are less than friendly to her at the beginning (and who can blame them), she won't let this get to her and tries her best to win their favours slowly. You might think she's selfish for even contemplating sending her uncle to an asylum (which are not nice places to be in Victorian England) and evicting almost a thousand families but you have to understand her motives in context of the times. It's the middle of the 19th century, Victorian England, there are not a lot of possibilities for a young woman especially a higher born one. You either inherit (though most estates are entailed, i.e. only male descendants can inherit) or marry. Katharine has no inheritance and has been told all her life that she is not likely to ever marry anyone (especially since her aunt doesn't really let her get out of the house), so she's at the mercy of her cruel aunt and her fat cousin who's more interested in toffee than everything else. What would you have done in her place?
I think Katharine is very sympathetic and I'd say she's a "people person", or rather she understands people who society would describe as "misfits", like uncle Tully or Davy the mute boy with the rabbit. She's patient and tries to get closer to them and never gives up on them.
The Heart Rate
Before Katharine arrived at Stranwyne, she'd never experienced being admired by a man before (as I said before, it's not like her aunt gave her any chance) but at the estate she finds two unlikely admirers (don't worry, there is no love triangle here). I really like Lane Moreau, who is uncle Tully's assistant, he's extremely protective of his employer and of his aunt and little Davy. He, like everybody, disliked Katharine at first but slowly warmed up to her and Katharine in turn wanted to get to know him better too. They became sort of friends but they were still wary of eachother, not sure if it was all just a game of deceit and if they could trust eachother.
The Good
- Gothic: Parts of this book reminded me strongly of Victorian Gothic novels. You have a run down stately home with hidden doors, underground tunnels, obscure and dusty unoccupied rooms and mysterious inhabitants. Strange things were happening to Katherine, which were a bit scary and left you guessing whatever was happening.
- Clockwork Toys: Uncle Tully makes these amazing clockwork toys, some of which depict his family members, and it was interesting to read about them. They weren't automatons or even magic but they were still magical in their own way.
- Uncle Tully: He's not crazy at all but a genius. I suspect that he's a Savant, with an incredible mind for numbers and who designs his creations entirely in his mind and out of numbers. He can be a bit strange and is a bit like a child, especially when he throws his tantrums but he's also very lovable and I think he really loves Katharine and shows it in his own way.
- Davy and Bertram: Davy was a cutie and I love that he had a pet rabbit named Bertram who always hung off his shoulders. These two are just too cute to describe.
- Mystery: I expected this to be merely a steampunk novel with an excentric cast of characters but there was also a mystery here (see Gothic) and while I suspected the culprit early on, their reason for their actions were totally unexpected, what a twist!
The Bad
- Not really steampunk: It's not a bad thing per se but it's a bit of false advertising in my opinion. I didn't mind at all that this wasn't really a steampunk novel but die hard steampunk fans would probably be disappointed. The only "steampunk" elements are uncle Tully's creations and even they are more mechanical inventions than anything, sure uncle Tully might be a bit ahead of his time but it wasn't like everyone in society had clockwork machines. All in all this novel was really more historical fiction (Victorian Gothic?) than steampunk.
- The ending: It's not like I was disappointed or that I totally disliked it but it was just not what I expected (I can't say more because of spoilers).
The Rating
★★★★☆
I give this novel a 3.8 - I like historical novels set in Victorian England because somehow just knowing that fact makes the novel much more atmospheric. You often find historical Young Adult fiction with a heroine who is way too modern to be believable but Katharine was very much in character but was never a typical damsel in distress. I like that this novel had a Gothic feel to it but was never overly "emo" and dark. I cared a lot for the fates of the characters and this book had suprisingly a more depth to it than expected.
halynah's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent steampunk with unusual and exciting plot, plenty of awesome characters and a nice style of writing. I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it to all the fans of this genre.
lizzielynn13's review against another edition
3.0
When Katharine is sent to her uncle's house to declare him crazy, she isn't ready for what she finds there. While her uncle's mental stability definitely leaves something to be desired he is supporting hundreds of families from the work houses. If she turns him in, her aunt will allow Katharine to continue living with her and will give her money to live on when she is older, but she will be sending hundreds of people back into the streets.
All in all, this book was not quite what I was expecting. The storyline was muddled and the characters confused me most of the time.
All in all, this book was not quite what I was expecting. The storyline was muddled and the characters confused me most of the time.
callmecat's review against another edition
4.0
I don't like supernatural stories. So I'm glad this didn't turn out to be one. I ended up enjoying this story very much. And her uncle is so charming. "SIMON'S BABY!" I was happy every time he said that. The ending was slightly unsatisfying but it continues into the next book so that's alright. I will be reading on!
charms1976's review against another edition
4.0
This book was suppose to be a sort of steampunk, gothic, fantasy, young adult mash-up. While I agree with it being young adult and dark, I don't think it had too many elements to make it a true steampunk book. Yes it is set in the Victorian era and there are some things that have the machine like feel to it, but beyond that there isn't much more to classify it as that. I may not have a full understanding of what steampunk is truly about, but if this was it then I am not missing much.
Putting that aside though, the story wasn't bad. Yes it is heavy on the setup in the beginning, but after you drudge through the beginning, it does get better. I liked the dark feel the book had and the characters were pretty good as well. The romance was slow going but not stalled too much. I actually liked it that way because the inst-love would have dragged the story down. Plot over love was a plus in this book. The writing was good and kept me interested to the last page. I liked how the ending was done and left the reader to think that there will be another book to follow.
The cover art on this book is also amazing. I found myself drooling over that dress and the Victorian feel to it. I actually think the art department actually listened to what the book was about and gave it a true image of the story. That is always a plus in my opinion. If you are into a young adult book with a darker but enjoyable feel to it, then this is one that you should look into checking out.
Putting that aside though, the story wasn't bad. Yes it is heavy on the setup in the beginning, but after you drudge through the beginning, it does get better. I liked the dark feel the book had and the characters were pretty good as well. The romance was slow going but not stalled too much. I actually liked it that way because the inst-love would have dragged the story down. Plot over love was a plus in this book. The writing was good and kept me interested to the last page. I liked how the ending was done and left the reader to think that there will be another book to follow.
The cover art on this book is also amazing. I found myself drooling over that dress and the Victorian feel to it. I actually think the art department actually listened to what the book was about and gave it a true image of the story. That is always a plus in my opinion. If you are into a young adult book with a darker but enjoyable feel to it, then this is one that you should look into checking out.
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
3.0
I must admit, I did not know anything about THE DARK UNWINDING before it fell into my lap one day in mysterious circumstances. Fifty pages into the book, I still had no idea what the book was about other than a girl dispatched from London to retrieve her uncle and send him to an insane asylum. This book almost lost me multiple times as it wandered from lingering descriptions of moors to confusing depictions of a pseudo-steampunk workshop. It took a lot of patience to stick with this one, a lot of patience that many readers don’t have, but you know that?
Patience pays off.
THE DARK UNWINDING slowly unfolds, opening slowly before quickly unfurling into a dramatic, strange, and unique little story that is nothing like the first 50% convinced me. After almost giving up on this one several times, and taking several weeks to read thanks to reluctance, I finally found myself engrossed by the last 100 pages or so. The conclusion is twisting and engrossing, explosive and tense.
But maybe I should start with the things I didn’t like.
The Slow Build… AKA What Is This Book About?
For the first…I dunno, 100 pages… I had a rather big problem. I had no clue what the book was about. Was it a thriller? A family drama? A steampunk fantasy? Truth be told, it wasn’t much of anything. It took a hodgepodge of ideas and flung them together awkwardly while being slow, plodding, and meandering. This book is not a steampunk, mind you – a few strange toys and steam-powered items do not make a book steampunk. Other than that, there was nothing steampunk about this novel. At all.
The Characters
I didn’t care for Katharine, our heroine, for about 300 pages of the story. There was nothing that stood out about her outside her flip-flopping that rivals Mitt Romney on healthcare. She was alternately strong and extremely naïve, bold and submissive. The characters around her were also rather bland, with the exception of Mary, the witty, strong secondary character that I loved from the moment she came onto the page.
Katharine’s love interest(s)? Okay, I’ll be honest. I didn’t know Lane was even a possibility for like 150 pages. For some reason I thought he was some elderly angry manservant until he was described as being something close to a romantic interest. And Ben? Yeah, I thought he was Katharine’s number one for almost the entire book. Way to throw a kink in my plans for swooning.
BUT.
I did like this one in the end! It’s just that it took a lot to get to the parts that blew me away. The ending when everything not-so-conveniently fell into place was awesome. There were so many twists that I didn’t expect, reveals that stunned me, developments that made me gasp and hunch closer to my book to disguise my delight from the people who watched me read. Luckily, I finished this one in the comfort of my bed. I finished and dropped the book to my chest and grinned.
This one has a big opening for a sequel, and although I didn’t like the first 60% of THE DARK UNWINDING, I have to admit – I really want to read a second book. There was just something about the opening of THE DARK UNWINDING, and its middle, that I did not connect with, but once we find the reveals and twists, I was hooked and wanted more more MORE.
I have some advice. Go in with an open mind. Do not be held to the preconceived notions of this one, and don’t be discouraged by a slow beginning that will appeal to fans of slow, description-heavy stories. This one is worth it in the end. But you have to get to the end first, don’t you? Exactly.
VERDICT: Although the slow, tedious ending takes away significantly from the enjoyment of THE DARK UNWINDING, the epic conclusion makes up for a great deal of that. Check it out, but be ready for slow reading.
Patience pays off.
THE DARK UNWINDING slowly unfolds, opening slowly before quickly unfurling into a dramatic, strange, and unique little story that is nothing like the first 50% convinced me. After almost giving up on this one several times, and taking several weeks to read thanks to reluctance, I finally found myself engrossed by the last 100 pages or so. The conclusion is twisting and engrossing, explosive and tense.
But maybe I should start with the things I didn’t like.
The Slow Build… AKA What Is This Book About?
For the first…I dunno, 100 pages… I had a rather big problem. I had no clue what the book was about. Was it a thriller? A family drama? A steampunk fantasy? Truth be told, it wasn’t much of anything. It took a hodgepodge of ideas and flung them together awkwardly while being slow, plodding, and meandering. This book is not a steampunk, mind you – a few strange toys and steam-powered items do not make a book steampunk. Other than that, there was nothing steampunk about this novel. At all.
The Characters
I didn’t care for Katharine, our heroine, for about 300 pages of the story. There was nothing that stood out about her outside her flip-flopping that rivals Mitt Romney on healthcare. She was alternately strong and extremely naïve, bold and submissive. The characters around her were also rather bland, with the exception of Mary, the witty, strong secondary character that I loved from the moment she came onto the page.
Katharine’s love interest(s)? Okay, I’ll be honest. I didn’t know Lane was even a possibility for like 150 pages. For some reason I thought he was some elderly angry manservant until he was described as being something close to a romantic interest. And Ben? Yeah, I thought he was Katharine’s number one for almost the entire book. Way to throw a kink in my plans for swooning.
BUT.
I did like this one in the end! It’s just that it took a lot to get to the parts that blew me away. The ending when everything not-so-conveniently fell into place was awesome. There were so many twists that I didn’t expect, reveals that stunned me, developments that made me gasp and hunch closer to my book to disguise my delight from the people who watched me read. Luckily, I finished this one in the comfort of my bed. I finished and dropped the book to my chest and grinned.
This one has a big opening for a sequel, and although I didn’t like the first 60% of THE DARK UNWINDING, I have to admit – I really want to read a second book. There was just something about the opening of THE DARK UNWINDING, and its middle, that I did not connect with, but once we find the reveals and twists, I was hooked and wanted more more MORE.
I have some advice. Go in with an open mind. Do not be held to the preconceived notions of this one, and don’t be discouraged by a slow beginning that will appeal to fans of slow, description-heavy stories. This one is worth it in the end. But you have to get to the end first, don’t you? Exactly.
VERDICT: Although the slow, tedious ending takes away significantly from the enjoyment of THE DARK UNWINDING, the epic conclusion makes up for a great deal of that. Check it out, but be ready for slow reading.
amberjean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
4.0
(Review edited after second reading--I enjoyed it SO MUCH this go-round!)
Overall I enjoyed this story and I fully intend to read whatever sequels may arrive. I liked the characters (the primary and secondary characters were well fleshed out).
I will add that I found parts of "The Dark Unwinding" to be exquisitely emotional. The anger born from grief, the way the love interest deals with that anger, and the way grief lingers, I found to be particularly resonant.
Overall I enjoyed this story and I fully intend to read whatever sequels may arrive. I liked the characters (the primary and secondary characters were well fleshed out).
I will add that I found parts of "The Dark Unwinding" to be exquisitely emotional. The anger born from grief, the way the love interest deals with that anger, and the way grief lingers, I found to be particularly resonant.
dwnrnsfst's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciated this book and learned to care for its characters, and yet it didn't deliver much on the romance, which on the blurb says it has. Also I spent almost halfway through the book not understanding what was going on, and yet when the reasons were revealed I wasn't completely shocked, or surprised at all. Half of the time I was considering leaving this book unfinished, but there is a certain pull that makes me want to give this a chance again and again. So I guess -- there are good things, and bad things, so I'm just in the middle with this one.