"Familiar Things" is one of the best self-published books I have read in a long time. The plot was well-paced, and Habel's take on witches was refreshingly original and interesting. I particularly enjoyed the time difference between the magical and regular worlds and the explanation that is given. That is one thing I really appreciated about this book: every time I had a question about why or how something happened, it is almost immediately explained to the reader.
The story was well-paced, and the plot twists were surprising without feeling like they came out of left field. I loved that the frustratingly mysterious pieces of Everrose's life slowly fall into place over the course of the story and collectively point the reader to a rather insightful conclusion about Everrose's magic, her past, her present, and her future as a witch in All Hallows.
Unfortunately, I didn't like the characters in this new series as well as I liked the characters in her previous books. None of the secondary characters were very well-developed, and even the main character was very hard for me to connect with. I wanted more insight into Everrose as a person, something to make her memorable aside from the part she played within the story.
Although it is explained later in the book, I really did not care for Vincent and his hot-and-cold approach to Everrose. This felt Twilight-ish, and not in a good way. Even worse is the creepy-close relationship Everrose develops with Vincent's father, the Mayor. I am not sure why, but the chemistry that developed between the two of them just rubbed me the wrong way and it didn't make sense to me.
One thing I did really enjoy about Vincent and his father was the political debates that are sparked after Vincent returns to All Hallows after visiting present-day 2015. They raised a lot of the same questions and concerns that I had with the time difference and All Hallows rules. This was a wonderful side-plot that really added some dimension to the story and the world as a whole.
Overall this was an inventive, enjoyable read for anyone who likes fiction about witches and magic. The world-building is by far the best part of the story. The plot is delightfully twisty and well-paced, but I wanted a little more dimension from the characters. I am excited to see what the next book in the series brings!
Thank you to Lia Habel for allowing me to review this book! Review copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I had read "Tiger Lily" by Anderson and absolutely LOVED it. The characters, the plot, the twists, the writing--it is by far one of my favorite books of all time. So when I saw "The Vanishing Season" available on audiobook at my local library, I thought I'd give it a try.
As with "Tiger Lily", the strength of this book was not the plot but the characters. I was able to immediately relate to Maggie and the struggles she has as a teenage girl trying to fit into a new town and find friends. The relationship she builds with Pauline over the course of the story is complex and confusing and wonderful all at once. I loved this aspect of the story, because interactions between friends are oftentimes very complicated and it is frustrating for me to read books about friendship where everything is always sunshine and rainbows. Life is complicated, people are complicated, and hardly anything is simple and straightforward.
Despite the fact that Anderson was able to create interesting, complex characters, the plot of this book is unfortunately almost non-existent. This is particularly frustrating given the fact that there is so much potential here. There are girls being murdered left and right, a ghost narrator, and yet Anderson chooses to brush these things to the side. Even by the end of the book I did not feel like I knew anything at all about the murders, the murderer, or the background of the ghost narrator. The book would have been stronger if these elements had been eliminated altogether if they were not going to be addressed and developed properly.
Overall, this was a fairly okay read, I just wish more attention had been given to the murders and ghost, especially given the fact that the book is called "The Vanishing Season". I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy books with strong characters with complex relationships, and are not bothered by lack of plot.
The Walled City is one of the most hauntingly beautiful books I have read in a long time, and one of my favorite reads so far in 2014. While I could not directly sympathize with the situations the characters were experiencing, the way the author is able to convey the hopelessness of the city through their eyes was nothing less than heart-wrenching.
I loved the multiple perspectives, although I do agree with other reviewers in that it was difficult at times to distinguish between the voices. The characters all lead very different lives, but their voices and way of speaking are nearly identical. That being said, once I got about 25% of the way through, it was easier to determine who was speaking by what they were doing or where they were within the city of Hak Nam.
The plot in this book moved rather slowly, but I was never bored. There is constant tension and suspense. The city has no law, no police, and is overrun with gangs and drugs. With every page I read, there were literally hundreds of horrible, unexpected things that could go terribly wrong. I also really liked that the plot twists reinforce the city's hopelessness. Good things do not happen in Hak Nam. Things do not go the way you wish they would.
The only aspect of this book I really didn't care for was the ending and unnecessary epilogue. The ending just didn't feel like it fit with the mood, tone, and direction the rest of the story had laid out. I understand that the book is based on the events which happened to an actual walled city, but that dictates the fate of the city, not the fates of the characters involved in this specific fictional story. My issues with the epilogue were more of the same issues I had with the ending. In general I dislike epilogues and prefer more open-ended stories. I want to be left to wonder about the characters, where they are, what they're doing. Epilogues feel like spoilers for the enjoyment I get out of a book after I've finished reading it.
Overall I really loved this book. The star of this book isn't the plot or characters but the setting. The author describes what life is like living within the Walled City so well that you feel like you, too, are standing on its dark, depressing streets. I would recommend this book to fans of deeply depressing, heart-wrenching stories, stories about drug lords, or fans of flowery prose.
Thank you to Netgalley.com and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for allowing me to review this book! Review copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
I loved choose your own adventure books as a kid, so when I saw that the first half of this volume was an Adventure Time "Choose Your Own Adventure", I knew I was going to really enjoy it. I liked that there was variety, but there were only a handful of paths so you could easily go back and read all the different possibilities.
The second half of the book was a BMO-centric story. With the help of Marceline, Finn and Jake rescue BMO and all his robot friends from Ewlbo and his big bad computer virus. Being a software engineer, I absolutely loved this. The computer jokes were spot on, and BMO is always my favorite character in the series. He was even more adorable in this volume given that the virus makes him talk like a 1950s gangster. Lumpy Space Princess even makes a cameo which is fitting and hilarious.
I always enjoy reading the Adventure Time graphic novels due to the fun art and the clever dialogue, but this volume is by far my favorite. If you like video game graphic novels like Scott Pilgrim or you love BMO from Adventure Time, you should go grab this third volume of the Adventure Time comics. It is an instant favorite.
This third installment of this series, while still filled with steampunk goodness and badass characters, was not as engrossing or fun for me as the first two books. Half the fun of these books lies in the over-the-top lessons and the weird goings-on at Mademoiselle Geraldine's. Because this book mostly took place outside the school, many of the loveable and quirky characters we’ve come to know and love are not present.
The plot in this third book also felt overall slower and less complex. The first two books build on the plot and twist frequently, whereas this book focused more on developing relationships between the characters. This would have been fine, except it mostly involved a lot of love-triangle-ness for Saphronia. I am not opposed to love triangles as a firm rule, but if they are present they need to feel real and necessary. In the case of Saphronia's love dilemma, the choices she has to make seem to be so obvious every single time, and one of her love interests is so unbelievably frustrating. This makes me hate this particular love triangle.
I love world building in books like this, and we do learn significantly more about the werewolves in Saphronia's world. Unfortunately, the way the information is presented doesn’t flow nearly as easily as the vampire tidbits we get in book two of this series. This is mostly due to the fact that the events surrounding the werewolf community are relayed second- or third-hand and not (for the most part) experienced real-time by the characters.
I hope the next book in the series continues to build upon the characters and setting discussed in the first three books, with a greater emphasis on showing and not just telling about the world around Saphronia. I would recommend this series to fans of steampunk, alternative historical fiction, vampires, and werewolves.
I had heard so many good things about this book, so I was excited to begin listening to the audio book. From the blurb, reviews, and awards I expected the book to be filled with endearing characters, profound coming-of-age wisdom, and lots of feels. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me that way.
I found it very hard to connect with or feel anything for the majority of the characters. I sympathized with the issue of finding yourself as a teenager and growing into who you are truly meant to be, but at the same time I never walked away from a reading session thinking, "Wow that was intense!" or feeling my heart ache because of all the overwhelming emotion spilling off the page. Maybe I just wasn’t the target audience.
The writing itself felt overly simplistic at times given the subject matter. This book is targeted at late teens I would assume, but the dialog and descriptions oftentimes felt more middle grade fiction than young adult fiction.
The one thing I can say this book conveyed particularly well was the joy and intimacy of the friendships we develop as young people. The way Dante and Ari are able to just be with one another, comfortable and happy and doing nothing, the trust that develops between them--those kinds of relationships are once in a lifetime and I was grateful to be reminded of the times in my life when I had that through these two characters.
Overall, this book was just okay for me. The expectations I had for it were just too high. I wanted more meaningful insights, more profound realizations, characters I could easily connect with, amazing dialog. These things were missing, and the story definitely suffered for it. I would recommend this book to fans of coming-of-age fiction, lgbtq fiction, and stories with heavy emphasis on the importance of friendship.
This book was such a wonderful surprise! The plot was great, but what really shines in this story are the characters and the chemistry between them. Jessamin is lovably geeky, and the constant references to mathematics made me smile every single time. She is the strong, opinionated, intelligent, fiercely independent female lead that is so often missing from young adult fiction. I love, love, loved the relationship she builds with "Sir Bird". Though Bird is silent, his actions and interactions give him a sarcastic, loyal personality that I adored. But Jessamin is not the only female powerhouse in this book. Her friend Eleanor, while more sly about it, uses her whit and cunning to make her place in the world and rise above the blatant sexism that is present in the world she lives in.
Finn is another rather well done character, although I did not love him as much as the girls. His hidden, troubled past and boyish charm make it almost impossible not to like him. I particularly enjoyed the chemistry between Finn and Jessamin. Their witty banter felt genuine and was immediately endearing.
While the characters were amazingly well done, I found myself constantly wanting more world building. I wanted to know more about the magic, more about the island Jessamin is from, more about the interactions between the countries, more about the government, more more more. Since this appears to be a stand alone, I guess I will have to deal with what I got, however.
The story had me constantly on my toes, wondering what would happen next. Many of the twists and turns were completely unexpected, and I really enjoyed the fact that the plot got rather dark at times. That is something I haven't seen White do before, and her first foray into this realm was wonderfully frightening.
This was not like any of the other books I have read by White. The plot and characters felt significantly more complex, giving the overall story a much more grown up feel than her previous work. It is always great to see authors grow as they release new books, and if Illusions of Fate is any indication of what we can expect from White's future releases, she is definitely an author to watch.
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but I was hesitant to start the second. The story from the first book didn't set itself up well for a sequel, and I wasn't entirely sure where the plot could go. After reading this book, I am not sure I like the answer to that question.
Part of the beauty of the first book was the inner darkness Juliet is constantly battling, and the overall creepiness that permeated the entire story. This second book takes almost all of that away, and decides to focus more on the character development. This wouldn't be such a bad thing, if I liked the direction in which they took any of these characters. Juliet spends most of her time in this second book bouncing between two points of a love triangle without any rhyme or reason. Juliet's new friend, Lucy, is possibly one of the most frustrating secondary characters I have ever read in a good while. She exists just to be in the way, make horrible decisions, and cause problems.
Aside from the horrible character development, the plot twists in this story, particularly near the end of the book, are just over-the-top crazy. Half of them don't even make any sense. It really felt like Shepherd was simply looking for excuses to pull more and more classics into this series. I understand the mindset here, but the way these characters are stories were incorporated into the cast and plot needed a bit more subtlety.
The first book in this series was wonderfully dark and creepy. The plot was interesting, fast-paced, and I absolutely loved it. The second book, however, slows the pace to a crawl, takes away almost all the creepiness and replaces it with a horribly frustrating love triangle, ridiculously over-the-top plot twists, and unbelievably annoying characters. I am still on the fence about reading book three, but I think this series is just not for me.
The blurb for this book promises "Doctor Who meets Sherlock". This is a very tall order to fill, so I was a little nervous to start this one, but I am excited to say that it delivered on both fronts. Jackaby has the antisocial, blunt approach to interpersonal relationships we've all grown to love watching Sherlock Holmes television shows, but retains the quirkiness and over-the-top crazy explanations that Doctor Who is known for. The result is an instantly lovable character that I absolutely could not get enough of.
Abigail Rook, Jackaby's companion, is another lovely surprise. Her pluck and acumen for assisting Jackaby in his cases reminds me of both Doctor Who companions (think Clara Oswald) and Watson (think Lucy Liu's Joan Watson on the American show "Elementary"). My favorite scenes with Abigail in this book were those where she shocks the locals with her impropriety and forwardness, and those where Jackaby is trying to explain something to her. They both beautifully showcase Abigail as a character.
The mystery Jackaby and Abigail tackle in this first installment is fast-paced and interesting. The most impressive aspect of this story for me was the effortless way Ritter is able to weave together the best parts of both Sherlock and Doctor Who to create a story that is whimsical, dangerous, interesting, and fun all at once. The secondary characters they encounter along their way are all rather well-developed and memorable. The fact that almost everyone had some supernatural aspect to them reminded me more of Doctor Who than Sherlock.
I know many people have commented on the predictability of the culprit, stating the foreshadowing was so heavy that the element of surprise was lost, but I can honestly say that I had no idea who was behind it all or what was really going on until the big reveal at the end.
I was so excited to start this book, and having finished it I am dying to get my hands on the next book in the series. I will cross my fingers and hope that this is not a trilogy, because I know I will want more than three books worth of Jackaby adventures. If you like Doctor Who or Sherlock, or if you just enjoy mysteries with magical elements and quirky characters, you should go pick up Jackaby right now.
I was so excited when I finally got this book in the mail. I had read a lot of really positive reviews on good reads, I adore Greek and Roman mythology, and I was ready to be completely blown away. I am not sure what I expected in a labyrinth retelling, but it was definitely not this.
The references to the original story are few and far between. Aside from a neighborhood name and some mechanical ‘greys’ very loosely referencing the minotaur, the original story is all but missing from this book. We are, however, treated to several gods throughout the story. I didn’t find any of them particularly likable or well-developed, and oftentimes their presence was completely unnecessary or downright annoying.
Since the retelling aspect of the story was clearly a miss for me, I had hopes that maybe I could enjoy the book on a different level. The world building is pretty well done, but I didn’t care for any of the characters aside from Death and Irra. Both are complex, safeguard mysterious pasts, and have a way of showing that draws the reader into the story almost instantly. Unfortunately they didn’t play a big enough part in the story to save it.
The plot overall also moved painstakingly slowly. The very beginning of the book was lovely, but as additional characters are introduced and the plot thickens, the book goes a bit sour for me. It seemed like important events happened in short sprints and, once the excitement was over, we returned to a snail’s pace.
Overall I was really disappointed with this book. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I didn’t connect with any of the characters and felt the plot moved entirely too slowly for my taste. I don’t think I will read any additional books in this series.
This book felt like a perfect end to the series. I loved the first book, but felt like the second book was a bit slow, too lengthy, and filled with mini info-dumps. "Lark Ascending" is the perfect combination of books one and two; it had rapidly-developing characters and fast-paced plot like the first book, but continued to build upon the world and provide more information about the society in which Lark lives like the second book. The result of this combination is an absolutely amazing science-fiction/steampunk/fantasy read that will have you on the seat of your chair from the first page to the last.
I will admit, the beginning of this book was a little rough for me, not due to the writing but simply due to the fact that Spooner wastes absolutely no time recapping. You are expected to remember where we left Lark in the second book all on your own. This is one of those series with so much information that it would be best read the books back-to-back. It did not take long for me to remember what was going on, though, so no harm done.
One of my issues with book two was that it tended to have large lulls in the plot, making an already very long book feel thousands of pages long. This third book did not have that issue at all. From the very first chapter there was always something happening to someone, whether it be Lark, Basil, Eve, Kris, or Oren. In addition to pace improvements, the story is also jam-packed with even more information about Lark's world and its origins. Spooner had already done an absolutely magnificent job creating a believable world by providing readers with tons of detail--this book just takes that to a whole new level.
The characters are also fleshed out more in this final volume in the series. Backstories, origins, and relationships between characters are all fleshed out really, really well. My favorite details were those of Eve. I would love to see a prequel or a novella revolving just around her, but the bits we are treated to throughout "Lark Ascending" should not be discounted. I appreciated her story the most because it has so many facets--when watching Eve's life through flashbacks about the past and from Lark's perspective in the present the reader is able to feel sad, happy, scared, unsettled, horrified, relieved--the emotions run the whole gambit. We are also able to see Eve come full circle. She was just a normal girl, who ended up trapped in a laboratory that drove her literally insane. This, to me, makes her the most complex and interesting character in the entire novel.
Aside from my complete adoration of Eve, I really enjoyed what Spooner did with Lark and Oren's romance. It is never over the top or cheesy, just honest, sweet, and comfortable. Also appreciated the fact that Spooner has a really fantastically set up potential love triangle but chooses not to use it in favor of friendship. Normally don't see that kind of thing in YA Fiction, so it was really refreshing to see something different.
Overall, I really loved this book. It was fast-paced, filled with well-developed characters and wonderful world-building. If you like science fiction/steampunk/fantasy books which are light on romance and love triangles but heavy on world-building, you will love this series and you should go out and pick up the first book, "Skylark", right now.
"Legend" is one of the most balanced dual narrator books I have read on a long time. Our protagonists, Day and June, are from completely different sides of society. June is from a wealthy military family. Day lives on the street and spends his time committing rebellious acts against the government. Both characters are very well developed, and over the course of the story we are able to watch them grow and change.
Despite the fact that Day and June are from opposite sides of a conflict, Lu is able to make both sides have equally strong voices and justifications for their actions and choices. As I was reading Day’s perspective I would think, "Yeah, that totally makes sense, the government is a bunch of pigs, they deserve what they’re getting." Then the perspective would switch to June and I’d be forced to see the consequences of what Day had done. I’d immediately sympathize with the government. As impressive as the protagonists are, I wish the secondary characters were given the same amount of depth.
The plot is interesting and moves at a good pace. There are several twists that I never saw coming. Some of the twists were very predictable, however, the most obvious being the relationship between Day and June. Not only could I see it coming a mile away, I just didn’t buy into it and felt like it wasn’t needed. The meat and potatoes of the story is the conflict between the rebels and the government. The story should have stayed focused on that, but it seems to be a prerequisite that all young adult fiction have at least one relationship in it, if not several different ones.
Overall I really enjoyed this and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I hope that in later books we get to see more of the government and better developed secondary characters. I’d recommend this to fans of dystopian fiction with corrupt governments, heavy on world building and plot with light romance.
1
Sarah J. Maas continues to impress me more and more with her storytelling abilities. After reading the last book in the series, "Crown of Midnight", I thought to myself, "Okay, this has got to be as good as it gets. She's at the top of her game now." My god, was I wrong. "Heir of Fire" builds on the world and the momentum set in the previous two books and takes it all to the next level with new characters, new settings, and a whole lot of badassery.
In this third book, we are given even more points of view. We still get perspectives from Celaena, Dorian, and Chaol, but we are also introduced to new characters such as Rowan the faerie prince, Manon the witch, and Sorscha the castle healer. These added viewpoints from such a diverse cast help to flesh out the story even more and make the world feel unbelievably real. I loved that these characters all had their own separate stories that slowly weave their way into the main plotline. And don't worry, these new characters are not stock characters added to the story simply as means of providing information. Each has a distinct personality, race, culture, and past they must work through.
Rowan is a true badass soldier, and he takes no shit from anyone, least of all Celaena. The bond that is forged between Celaena and Rowan was one of the highlights of this book for me, and really shows how Maas's storytelling abilities are maturing. The complexity of their interactions and the evolution of their friendship over the course of this book is nothing short of absolutely amazing. It seems rare to find such a strong friendship in YA between two people of opposite gender, and I am glad to find such a shining example.
While I did truly love the Rowan/Celaena combo, that is not to say that the other characters are any less important. My second favorite viewpoint in this book would have to be Manon the witch. The way she is able to rise above the societal and cultural expectations set upon her and forge her own path is admirable. It is funny, because although she is clearly set up to be a villain, I found myself rooting for her page after page. I want the best for Manon because I think, deep down in her black, heartless chest, she is worthy of something better than what she has been offered. Of all the characters and all the plot lines, I am most anxious to see what happens to Manon in the next book. There are literally a million different ways her story could turn, and all of them fascinate me to no end.
In addition to the new main characters, we are treated to new minor characters that I also adore. The demi-fae Emrys and Luca, Rowan's soldier companions, Queen Maeve--even if we are only given a very brief view of these people, Maas is able to give them an essence through their mannerisms, their word choices, their facial expressions. This is the mark of a true wordsmith--the ability to create an entire persona with a face, a family, a past, a future, using nothing more than a few paragraphs.
While I loved the new characters dearly, I also really enjoyed the immense growth and change we see in Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian. Each has their own obstacles they must overcome and approaches them in their own way. I liked that the choices they made highlighted the similarities and differences between their personalities and gave them more depth. This made their actions feel less like plot devices and more like stops along their journey through life.
The world in which the characters reside is also expanded to include new, darker landscapes, filled with a whole host of frightening creatures. I liked that the beasties were scary not just because of the threat they posed physically. Many of these creatures attack the mind and soul, adding a whole new level to the possibilities of torture.
I know this book is almost 600 pages long, but it did not feel that way. I could not gobble it up fast enough. The world building is fantastic, the new characters are instant favorites, the old characters are given more depth, and the plot is full of non-stop action that will keep you frantically turning pages until the very end. I am so excited to find out what happens in the next book, and to see where Maas decides to take these wonderfully complex characters next.
1
Before we get started with the review, can I just say how much I hate this cover? Not only that, but it does not even accurately reflect the contents of the book. Yes, Rath is in the book. Yes, they are reapers. But the book is about Molly, Rath is not even the focus of this book! This looks like the cover of a romance novel about a male reaper, which it is not.
Oh well, anyway! Although I was not the biggest fan of the first book in this series, I decided to give the second book a shot. In the first book, while I loved the Egyptian Mythology and reaper focus, Molly sounded like the teenage version of "Legally Blonde" which drove me crazy. This is toned down a bit in this second book, which I am very thankful for. The chapters are divided by quotes regarding Egyptian Mythology and advice from Molly to new reapers. This advice really showed Molly's maturity as a character, and the lessons she imparts are applicable for really anyone at any stage in their life. Get along with others. Pick your battles. Be kind. These may seem like things that everyone should know, but the way they are sprinkled throughout the book gives them context and makes Molly appear wise beyond her years.
The continued focus on the Egyptian mythology, its Gods, the zombies, and the ghosts is fantastic. There is really nothing else on the YA market that I have read that showcases this ancient belief system as well as this series does. My only wish would be that the Gods be given bigger personalities and a bit more spotlight so readers and learn to identify them by more than just their name.
While Molly is given more depth in this second volume, her friends are unfortunately still nothing more than two dimensional cardboard cut outs she eats lunch and hangs out with. The exception to this being Barbie. Barbie and her zombie, Jon Lemon, are really given a significant amount of depth near the end of this story. Jon Lemon in particular was really very endearing as a character, so I hope to see more of these two in the next installment.
We also get to see a bit more of Rath. His lines and interactions with Molly are so cheesy, though, that I began to roll my eyes and sigh heavily every single time his name appeared on the page. I understand that almost all YA books have to include a love interest, that is fine, but if you are going to include one at least give the boy a personality and lines that don't sound like they were ripped straight from a romantic comedy script or a soap opera. I hope that the third book in the series gives Rath the depth he deserves so I can begin to dislike him a bit less.
This was a huge improvement over the last book. Molly is given a real voice, and the advice she imparts to her readers is not only smart but timeless. Her friends and Rath are still not given any real depth however, with the exception of Barbie and her zombie, Jon Lemon, who step into the spotlight in the second half of the book. It's my hope the writing, characters, and world building continue to improve in the third volume in this series. I'd recommend this series to fans of reapers, zombies, ghosts, mythology, and paranormal fiction.
This book had all kinds of unmet potential. I love retellings of classics, especially Alice in Wonderland, so when I saw this I knew I had to give it a whirl. The twists given to the modern story are very creative, and I loved the serial killer/asylum spin even though it has been done before. My issue with this book stemmed from a need for MORE in every aspect. More carnage, more mystery, more character development, more world building, more, more, more.
The twists given to the original characters in this retelling were fairly well done. Everyone is a reincarnation of their Wonderland character, living as humans in our world. This was clever and interesting, and created a sense of mystery each and every time Alice met someone, making me wonder who it might actually be. The problem comes with the fact that aside from Pillar and Alice, all these secondary Wonderland characters we come into contact with are very two-dimensional and we are really relying on knowledge of the original story to get any kind of personality from them at all. I know we are building on an existing story, but that is not an excuse to skimp on details.
The plot was fast paced, but many events feel glossed over and confusing. The action scenes in particular are horribly done. It was impossible to tell what was happening to who, when, and why. I skimmed these sections after a while and just got to the end of the fight to figure out what the end result of it all was. Many of the "clues" Chesire leaves behind, even once explained, don't fit particularly well with the rest of the story. Maybe this is part of the "Insanity" theme, and it is supposed to feel convoluted, but it just didn't work for me.
The Chesire as a character was pretty terrifying, but I wished we could have seen more of him. Aside from one chapter that is written from his point of view, all we ever get are crime scenes and notes from him to Alice/Pillar. Adding a point of view from him would have really helped to flesh the book out and given him even more personality. As it stands, we get a good sense of his rage and his potential to hurt people, but we don't get a peek inside his deranged head which is really unfortunate.
This was a valiant effort at a new take on Alice in Wonderland. The story and characters just weren't given as much depth as I would have liked at times, and while the deaths the Chesire commits are tragic I wanted a better look inside his craziness that we just don't really get. I am still on the fence as to whether or not I'll read the next book in this series. If I do, I hope that the issues that I had with the first book are resolved in the second volume. I'd recommend this book to fans of retellings of classic stories, Alice in Wonderland, serial killer stories, and mysteries.
This was a wonderfully fun second installment to the series. I liked that this volume gave further insight into the supernatural beings aboard the air ship. A huge part of Saphronia's life revolves around espionage, but an equally large portion of her time is spent learning proper etiquette to survive in high society. Learning about vampires and werewolves from this angle is something I've never seen in another book, and I thought that it was not only a fitting twist for Saphronia's training but it also gave another layer to Saphronia’s world and made the interactions between humans and the supernatural within the book more complex.
Some of the new characters introduced feel very two dimensional and more like plot devices than people. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by all the well developed characters like Sidheag and Dimnity, but even secondary characters should be given some sort of personality and voice. My least favorite of these new characters has got to be Felix and the half-developed love triangle he creates. This feels unnecessary and more like a distraction than anything else. The book would be better without him.
My only other issue with this book is the plot felt overly complicated at times, making it a bit hard to follow. We jump around between clues that ultimately come together and point to a conclusion, but the journey that is taken to ultimately get to the end is not smooth and not all the dots connect very well for me.
I'd also like to call out what a fantastic series this is to listen to on audiobook. The narrator does a wonderful job voicing each and every character, including appropriate French, American, British, and Scottish accents. Whether you're new to audiobooks and are looking for a place to get started or you are a seasoned audiobook listener, this is one you really should not miss.
Overall, this was a fine addition to the series. I do hope that in future volumes that the secondary characters are given a larger voice and more personality, and that the plot is easier to follow. I am excited to see what is in store next for Saphronia, Sidheag, and the rest of the gang. I’d recommend this series to fans of steampunk, espionage, and paranormal fiction.