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A review by almondcookies
Unseemly Science by Rod Duncan
4.0
This book was a very pleasant surprise after the Bullet Catcher's Daughter. The world building was a lot more consistent and fleshed out for my tastes, and the plot less self contained, but that isn't saying much.
A feeling I haven't been able to shake is this series gives me a Series of Unfortunate Events vibe. (In terms of the plot, not the setting. Although the Victorian AU isn't completely dissimilar). in ASOUE, each book is a standalone - they're headed towards this eventual end goal, but all the events that happen in each individual book is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. ASOUE does that so you can pick up any book and start reading, even if you haven't read the earlier instalments. Maybe that's what Duncan is going for here, but it gives the unfortunate drawback of the storylines not connecting particularly well, evidenced by how we still have yet to see the fall of the gas-lit empire, or even a general plan towards how it could fall.
That being said, there were other nice things about the book. The thriller aspect - who is following them? Why won't they reveal themselves? The mystery and intrigue! This series is pretty plot driven (albeit self contained), as are most mystery books. Not my personal preference, but I definitely still enjoyed it.
We learn more about Julia, whose character is more fleshed out and three dimensional. Tinker returns again, although I wish we could see more of him and his motivations - I'd like a deep dive into him and his relationship with Elizabeth please. However we have yet to see why, oh why is the Duke so hell bent on capturing Elizabeth? I don't want to go into another plot rant, but this seems to be either massive plot point that hasn't been touched upon, OR something used simply as plot device. I've yet to decide which.
A feeling I haven't been able to shake is this series gives me a Series of Unfortunate Events vibe. (In terms of the plot, not the setting. Although the Victorian AU isn't completely dissimilar). in ASOUE, each book is a standalone - they're headed towards this eventual end goal, but all the events that happen in each individual book is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. ASOUE does that so you can pick up any book and start reading, even if you haven't read the earlier instalments. Maybe that's what Duncan is going for here, but it gives the unfortunate drawback of the storylines not connecting particularly well, evidenced by how we still have yet to see the fall of the gas-lit empire, or even a general plan towards how it could fall.
That being said, there were other nice things about the book. The thriller aspect - who is following them? Why won't they reveal themselves? The mystery and intrigue! This series is pretty plot driven (albeit self contained), as are most mystery books. Not my personal preference, but I definitely still enjoyed it.
We learn more about Julia, whose character is more fleshed out and three dimensional. Tinker returns again, although I wish we could see more of him and his motivations - I'd like a deep dive into him and his relationship with Elizabeth please. However we have yet to see why, oh why is the Duke so hell bent on capturing Elizabeth? I don't want to go into another plot rant, but this seems to be either massive plot point that hasn't been touched upon, OR something used simply as plot device. I've yet to decide which.