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shay_talksbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Close Encounter's Book Club October pick
This was a wonderful melting pot of Regency London meets magical realism, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We follow Zacharias, England's first black Sorcerer Royal, as he navigates his new role, the dwindling supply of English magic, and the views of the rest of the Royal Society for Unnatural Philosopher's. Along the way he meets Prunella, a witch with exceptional talent in a world where women are not deemed capable of such feats.
There was a lot of exploration of racism, sexism and classism, touching on slavery at times too. There were moments that the frequency of racist & sexist views/comments seemed a little heavy-handed, but it felt very plausible for the period the book was set. I honestly think the setting wouldn't have felt as 'believable' or 'authentic' if it wasn't included.
I enjoyed the story, loved meeting all of the side characters (perhaps even enjoyed them more than the main characters at times), loved Prunella & Mak Genggang, and I'm intrigued to see where the second book in the duology takes us.
The only negatives I had: I would've loved some more world-building (on the magical side) and lot of the plot/twists were a little predictable.
This was a wonderful melting pot of Regency London meets magical realism, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We follow Zacharias, England's first black Sorcerer Royal, as he navigates his new role, the dwindling supply of English magic, and the views of the rest of the Royal Society for Unnatural Philosopher's. Along the way he meets Prunella, a witch with exceptional talent in a world where women are not deemed capable of such feats.
There was a lot of exploration of racism, sexism and classism, touching on slavery at times too. There were moments that the frequency of racist & sexist views/comments seemed a little heavy-handed, but it felt very plausible for the period the book was set. I honestly think the setting wouldn't have felt as 'believable' or 'authentic' if it wasn't included.
I enjoyed the story, loved meeting all of the side characters (perhaps even enjoyed them more than the main characters at times), loved Prunella & Mak Genggang, and I'm intrigued to see where the second book in the duology takes us.
The only negatives I had: I would've loved some more world-building (on the magical side) and lot of the plot/twists were a little predictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Slavery
cmbohn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Slavery, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
adoto's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I devoured the audiobook of this in one sitting but I can see why someone would struggle to read it quickly. It's written in a wordy, Austen-like style that I personally liked, but would be hard to get one's head around.
The cover does not properly set you up for what this story is: a very British story that both pays homage to early 19th century England as well as completely redresses its imperialism and overconsumption. It has Austen's wordiness and her dry wit, and it's hilarious when it wants to be, dark and gory when it doesn't.
The romance is sweet, butPrunella's suddenly desire at the end to get married and have children at the end is a bit confronting, and ruins the catharsis of their getting together . But romance is not the core focus of this story.
The cover does not properly set you up for what this story is: a very British story that both pays homage to early 19th century England as well as completely redresses its imperialism and overconsumption. It has Austen's wordiness and her dry wit, and it's hilarious when it wants to be, dark and gory when it doesn't.
The romance is sweet, but
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Death and Racial slurs
maryannsophia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The setting and characters of this book are extremely unique, quirky, and at times bizarre. The style of the world, especially the Fairyland and magical people, definitely takes some getting used to. Overall, it was an interesting story and well-written, with lots of dry wit and blithe humor. But the characters do make decisions that are questionable and, often, creepy. For one, while Prunella's use of her blood to hatch the familiar eggs makes sense, it felt a little unnecessarily TMI to me... however, one can't really expect anything less than a book that deals in the occult. But the really disturbing aspect was her sacrifice of Nidget to the dragon for her own purposes - and that this betrayal (similar to her mother's own murders, promiscuity, etc) was viewed as acceptable, and even appropriate. Similarly, the book had a rather confused view of religion, heaven, hell, morality, and dealings with spirits.
Overall, I found it a fascinating book, but one with large flaws that make it hard to recommend.
Overall, I found it a fascinating book, but one with large flaws that make it hard to recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
aplanetarymind's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I wasn't really engaged with the book initially, but after about halfway or so it really picked up for me. I quite enjoyed some of the realisations imparted towards the end, but the romance really fell flat for me. The characters just didn't seem to feel that strongly towards each other, so it felt a little random.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Death and Violence
Period-typical racism and sexism/misogyny. There is recount of the death of the parental figure, and several assassination attempts are described.achingallover's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Grief, and Death of parent