2.5/5 for stella kendrick and stella kendrick alone
if i'm being completely honest, the only thing this book lacks is substance to its characters, whic2.5/5 for stella kendrick and stella kendrick alone
if i'm being completely honest, the only thing this book lacks is substance to its characters, which is actually quite a lot for just one thing. stella is a sweetheart and i loved reading chapters from her perspective, but as much as stella is wonderful, the other characters are just as horrid and generally boring to make up for it. even (urgh) LyNdY, who is our mmc and love interest, was super boring (and honestly borderline creepy). while i get that the whole point of the book was how stella first acclimated to living in britain and how lyndy fell in love with her (?), their characters were so personable that everyone else in comparison felt extremely flat and one-dimensional.
speaking of the man, the romantic subplot was also subpar at best. while i get that the romance is not the main plot of the book as much as stella and "the americans" showing up and turning everything upside down was, the jump from "ugh here's my mail order bride this is gonna be terrible" to straight up "you have bewitched me body and soul" in a number of chapters on lyndy's part was just not it?? let's just say the man needs a bit more character development (along with less insta-love, because that's exactly what it was on his part, no build-up, nothing) to get my vote.
as for the ACTUAL plot of the book, aka the murder mystery, i actually thought it was pretty solid. the hints weren't obvious nor did the reveal feel unfounded, but its weakness ultimately boils down to having been stretched out throughout the length of the book. there's so much other stuff happening that the murder isn't even at the forefront of the characters' minds, making it less effective or exciting than it could have been.
so yeah. it could have been worse, but it definitely could have been better. oh well....more
this was,,, a thing. i'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was most certainly a thing.
my first problem with this book isthis was,,, a thing. i'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was most certainly a thing.
my first problem with this book is how nothing was explained. things happen for reasons in this book and we accept those reasons and move on with our lives. except, evidently, i never received this memo, and spent the better half of this book confused as to how exactly things were working or why anything was happening.
the magic system, which is, quite literally, the backbone of this entire book considering that it is heavily fantasy-based, was not explained whatsoever. certain aspects were made mention of a few times but apart from that newer developments were never gone into much detail over.
the characters were also pretty bland and one-dimensional. i certainly didn't hate them, but i didn't exactly love them either. they just sort of exist, and i am aware of them (npc behavior ?!), with no strong feelings whatsoever. they felt more like a way for the plot to unfold than actual characters who did anything to significantly change it. the romance was okay, but again, it kind of came out of nothing and just existed.
the plot was,, strange, to say the least, in part because a) nothing was explained, and b) the pacing was way, way, way off. there's so much description in certain parts that just don't need it, that it takes away from and generalizes other scenes that could have benefited from some solid structure. this resulted in much of the book being absolutely pointless and boring, some of which i slept through (listening to half of this in audiobook format may not have been the wisest decision).
overall, this was weird. there was potential, but it absolutely missed the mark, and resulted in whatever this was. not a fan, but at the same time, i wouldn't be averse to reading something else more solid by the author because i'm so generous and forgiving like that.
special thanks to sof for reading this with me! check out her review here!
@roaringwave i regret not listening to your warning i'm sorry <\3
Merged review:
this was,,, a thing. i'm not entirely sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was most certainly a thing.
my first problem with this book is how nothing was explained. things happen for reasons in this book and we accept those reasons and move on with our lives. except, evidently, i never received this memo, and spent the better half of this book confused as to how exactly things were working or why anything was happening.
the magic system, which is, quite literally, the backbone of this entire book considering that it is heavily fantasy-based, was not explained whatsoever. certain aspects were made mention of a few times but apart from that newer developments were never gone into much detail over.
the characters were also pretty bland and one-dimensional. i certainly didn't hate them, but i didn't exactly love them either. they just sort of exist, and i am aware of them (npc behavior ?!), with no strong feelings whatsoever. they felt more like a way for the plot to unfold than actual characters who did anything to significantly change it. the romance was okay, but again, it kind of came out of nothing and just existed.
the plot was,, strange, to say the least, in part because a) nothing was explained, and b) the pacing was way, way, way off. there's so much description in certain parts that just don't need it, that it takes away from and generalizes other scenes that could have benefited from some solid structure. this resulted in much of the book being absolutely pointless and boring, some of which i slept through (listening to half of this in audiobook format may not have been the wisest decision).
overall, this was weird. there was potential, but it absolutely missed the mark, and resulted in whatever this was. not a fan, but at the same time, i wouldn't be averse to reading something else more solid by the author because i'm so generous and forgiving like that.
special thanks to sof for reading this with me! check out her review here!
@roaringwave i regret not listening to your warning i'm sorry <\3...more
i'm certain that approximately 90% of it is filler. and yeah, sure, it made for some quality back(2.5/5)
i won't lie to you, this book is weird.
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i'm certain that approximately 90% of it is filler. and yeah, sure, it made for some quality background noise while studying, so even if i missed a bit i wasn't missing out on much. but that's exactly where the problem is.
although i won't deny that events take place over the course of this book (wow), ultimately i was left with the feeling that nothing really happened in this book either, at least until the very end. yes, it seems interesting, and i like the set-up, but it's very clear that this book serves the purpose of being an introduction, and a very vague one at that, mostly paving the way for the rest of the series.
that being said, i like the characters, and i like the premise. by all means, that doesn't mean there aren't plot holes or that the characters seem one-dimensional right now. but i'm willing to see where this goes.
(also, can we talk about how i was baited by the tags on this book??? in which universe is this steampunk y'all ??? i feel betrayed <\3)...more
everything about this book is so well-developed, from the historical background to the interdisciplinary struggles that the(4.5/5)
this. was. so. good.
everything about this book is so well-developed, from the historical background to the interdisciplinary struggles that the main character, lily, undergoes through the course of the book. on top of that, everything that happens in this book flows so fucking well and the build-up is absolutely exquisite.
everything that lily felt and experienced seemed so genuine and realistic to me as i was reading this book. her struggle to first understand herself and to come to terms with her sexuality which developed into a conflict between her true identity and the identity expected of her which ultimately fed into her desire to remain true to herself felt so incredibly real, so personal, and it's really the crux of what makes this book so compulsively readable. it isn't just a story of a girl navigating her sexuality but much more than that; it's made of parts of journeys that we've all experienced.
the writing style of this book definitely aided my perception of this book. it had a way of getting straight to the emotion of the matter, but it wasn't needlessly wordy or particularly clinical at the same time. it was a good balance and that, combined with short chapters, which i am always a fan of, made for a good reading experience.
i loved the historical time period that this book was set in, and apart from it being apparent that the author clearly did their research on this time in history, it really added another layer to the story that was being told. there was so much that lily was dealing with, apart from putting to words her attraction to other women, but also of her race and her culture and how others viewed it, and the fact that she was a girl who wanted to enter a male-dominated field. this added to the ongoing commentary on societal norms and familial values that was present throughout the novel and gave it more context.
the characters present were by and large quite charming. i loved the slow build-up to lily and kath's relationship, and the sweet way they fell in love and then fought for their relationship. the flashback chapters from lily's parents and her aunt felt a little out of place and irrelevant to the story at the beginning, but it soon became clear that those chapters were present for the sake of the social commentary that this book implied at.
(view spoiler)[(except for shirley. i hated shirley. she was clearly an awful person who manipulated lily into being her yes-man and dropped her the moment she didn't act according to her script. also, i'm going to have to call bs on that scene where she gets mad at lily for keeping her relationship with kath a secret. like, hello??? miss girl was out here making out with a purported communist supporter in broad daylight and then had the audacity to attack lily over her secret relationship?? make it make sense; she was the most infuriating character because i KNOW people in real life who behave like her and make comments even when technically they can not be talking. (hide spoiler)]
as much flattery as i have for this book, however, the ending kind of let me down. to be quite honest, the few chapters leading up to the ending and the epilogue felt fairly rushed, especially the part where (view spoiler)[lily's parents and aunt decide that she's going to be sent away until the rumors die down (hide spoiler)], because it felt like it came out of nowhere. the epilogue especially felt unsatisfying to me after everything that happened in the story, because even though it felt optimistic, it was too vague for my liking.
overall, i really enjoyed this book, and it made for a thought-provoking read. i liked it much more than i found it lacking, and it discussed a lot of serious topics without seeming heavy-handed or too boring—at the center of this story is a girl who falls in love, and it manages not to lose sight of that. i was expecting more from the ending, but holistically this book more than makes up for it, and i wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to someone who's looking for a good historical read....more
this book opened my eyes to narrative nonfiction and i think for that alone i'll always remember it. the writing style honestly could have been(3.5/5)
this book opened my eyes to narrative nonfiction and i think for that alone i'll always remember it. the writing style honestly could have been better but hey, it got the job done. probably one of the few books that i didn't enjoy less from reading it for school. time to go see the movie ig :D...more
i will be needing 3-5 business days to recover from the events of a certain chapter 55. your support during tdkajsdnkansdkjadSNDNASXKLCKJSNKJS-
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i will be needing 3-5 business days to recover from the events of a certain chapter 55. your support during these emotionally-charged times is greatly appreciated....more
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