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booksthatburn's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Child death
wardenred's review
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
I want to be a gentleman but I can’t help feeling like a radical. I want to please my grandfather, but the things he says make me wretched. I want to be loyal to Silas, God knows he was to me, but I don’t want to be dirty and hungry and poor ever again.
I had such a hard time getting into this book, mostly because I couldn't find a single character to like. Harry annoyed me infinitely in the first few chapters; he appeared selfish, indecisive, and sorely lacking a moral backbone. His readiness to accept his sudden inheritance and titlte and his wish to live the shiny, careless, rich life of the oppressors, to leave behind the people who genuinely cared and risked their necks for him... Well, let's just say I couldn't wish for a happy ending for him if I tried! :D He did eventually redeem himself in my eyes to some extent, mostly when he got called out for and eventually admitted to having those very faults and started trying to be a better person.
Julius intrigued me when he first appeared on the page, because you can't be a sharp-tongued social peacock like that without having hidden depths, and I'm always curious about having depths. In many ways, his arc didn't disappoint me. But by the time he gave me reason to feel a lot of sympathy for him, he had already given me just as much reason to want to kick him. I admit the whole thing about resisting oppressive systems vs supporting them/going along with them because "oh well what can I do" is an incredibly sore subject for me at the moment. So whenever Julius started urging Harry to forget his past and embrace his new life and stop thinking about innocent people being murdered somewhere far away in Manchester, he lost a lot of points in my eyes.
The two leads did have amazing chemistry, an interesting relationship arc, and I liked how they expanded each other's horizons and forced each other to confront their own flaws and secrets. But it's kinda hard to route for a pairing in which both individuals possess qualities I absolutely despise in people, and for the most part exist in an environment that nurtures those qualities.
Speaking of that environment... I'm familiar enough with K.J. Charles works to know that you can't crack open a novel of hers without expecting a heavy dose of That Posh British Aristocracy Was Absolutely Awful, Actually. But this one might paint the worst picture ever. I was so mad at that whole society literally all the time I was reading the book. I couldn't find it in myself to sympathize with nearly any of the supporting characters, like all the Ricardians, even when they displayed good human qualities, because they were always offset by being part of an awful system and refusing to give much thought to how not fucking all right it was. Honestly, there were precisely two characters I did like: Verona and Silas.
At the same time, the political plot was exciting and tightly woven and complimented the romantic developments very well. All the situations and characters were exceptionally vivid. It's a good book, it's just... a good book about not so good people. And hey, I'm all for characters who have deeply ingrained flaws! I love reading about flawed people! It's just that in this case, apparently, their flaws amounted largely to things I happen to find deeply triggering due to the present-day political realities that directly affect me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Grief, and Violence
Minor: War
btrz7's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Classism, Police brutality, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and War
littlewishling's review
emotional
lighthearted
- 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
What a fun rags to riches story that tackles Harry’s past and his continued connections to it in a fabulous way. I also love ridiculous arguments over fashion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
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