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mthornburg13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Just the perfect historical fiction. With heavy helping of mystery and intrigue. And a dabble of fantasy. Just perfectly crafted and I could not put it down!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
josiesprobablyreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Rape
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cancer, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement, Incest, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, Dementia, Stalking, and Murder
pm_me_book_recs's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This historical mystery really hooked me and had such good twists.
A fast paced cat-and-mouse, lite courtroom drama, loaded with deception and intrigue! Red is a resourceful and clever main character, driven to unravel her family's history and secrets. From the Cornish countryside to the social court of London, we follow her from childhood to adulthood and experience all her heartbreaks and triumphs as an elaborate mystery unravels to reveal that not everyone is who they say.
The story is peppered with Tarot, as the key plot device is her Pellar father's signature technique, a little bit of star charts and mysticism. We get so many settings that all feel lived in and full- from her adolescent home full of antiquities, to creepy countryside manors, to grungy smelly London streets, and cozy but wretched taverns. The characters are believable, dogged, and loyal to their creeds. The dialogue matches the settings and historical context. There are little peaks into other characters perspectives, but the narration is mostly from Red's point of view, so the reader does build empathy even for the aggressors (sometimes).
The twists at the end had my head reeling! I don't usually get caught off guard, but dang!
I listened to this via Libro.fm, the narrator was excellent! The physical book is also gorgeous with card illustrations at each chapter head, and a few diagrams and a map of 1730's London.
A fast paced cat-and-mouse, lite courtroom drama, loaded with deception and intrigue! Red is a resourceful and clever main character, driven to unravel her family's history and secrets. From the Cornish countryside to the social court of London, we follow her from childhood to adulthood and experience all her heartbreaks and triumphs as an elaborate mystery unravels to reveal that not everyone is who they say.
The story is peppered with Tarot, as the key plot device is her Pellar father's signature technique, a little bit of star charts and mysticism. We get so many settings that all feel lived in and full- from her adolescent home full of antiquities, to creepy countryside manors, to grungy smelly London streets, and cozy but wretched taverns. The characters are believable, dogged, and loyal to their creeds. The dialogue matches the settings and historical context. There are little peaks into other characters perspectives, but the narration is mostly from Red's point of view, so the reader does build empathy even for the aggressors (sometimes).
The twists at the end had my head reeling! I don't usually get caught off guard, but dang!
I listened to this via Libro.fm, the narrator was excellent! The physical book is also gorgeous with card illustrations at each chapter head, and a few diagrams and a map of 1730's London.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide
avidreadr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wow!!!! What an intriguing, complex tale. Full of family lies, ghosts and greed; plans within plans within lies. Who to trust?! This book really packed twists and punches right until the very end.
A slight knock off on stars just for personal reasons. First, it took a bit for me to really get hooked and situated in the story. Could’ve been a personal mindset though. The story is so complex that I honestly struggled to keep up with all the family trees (known and suspected !) and to keep up with all the reveals. Lots of re reads and notes and tbh I still am not sure I understand everything!
But it was a super engaging, mysterious, thrilling tale (within a tale?!)
Other things I want to remember about reading this book: it kind of reminded me of The Luminaries (
in its dark setting, and how form and narrative rely on a fortune telling aspect; soo atmospheric you really feel and see the settings though the writing was dense it was effectively evocative
A slight knock off on stars just for personal reasons. First, it took a bit for me to really get hooked and situated in the story. Could’ve been a personal mindset though. The story is so complex that I honestly struggled to keep up with all the family trees (known and suspected !) and to keep up with all the reveals. Lots of re reads and notes and tbh I still am not sure I understand everything!
But it was a super engaging, mysterious, thrilling tale
Other things I want to remember about reading this book: it kind of reminded me of The Luminaries (
in its dark setting, and how form and narrative rely on a fortune telling aspect; soo atmospheric you really feel and see the settings though the writing was dense it was effectively evocative
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Incest, and Suicide
hannahg94's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I find it hard to write a review for this book... because honestly, I don't really have anything negative to say about it. And a review that simply gushes isn't necessarily helpful. But I love this book.
It's a beautifully done, epic adventure with many satisfying-- and logical!--twists, dastardly secrets, delightfully wicked characters, clever plots, and... maybe the work of the fates? I found the book fast-paced and attention-grabbing. I wasn't bored once. The adventure was jumped right into, and every chapter offered something to be excited about. I finished it in four days. It devoured my free time.
The story feels very Dickens-esque (apparently purposefully so) but in a Georgian setting. Though the book is not veiled in historical "modesty," and has the bite of a modern thriller. The plot was clearly planned meticulously before pen met paper. I loved the characters and their relationships-- only one relationship felt weirdly stinted to me, but then a certain reveal in the end proved that that was intentional!
Laura Shepherd-Robinson, you got me. You got me good.
I could have taken a thousand more pages of this stuff, and I'm usually telling authors to write less.
Content Warnings
Minor: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide
rhi_'s review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Suicide, Torture, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
elmewhy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
~~5 Stars~~ 22nd June 2023
“If you wanted a saint, then you should have read a different book.”
Happy Publication Day!
Lies, Secrets, Deception, an intense family feud and twists and turns to make you gasp aloud - this novel is a gorgeously crafted tale guaranteed to be one of your favourite reads this year.
I love an unreliable narrator, and this book delivers. You jump right into a mystery that follows Red, a daughter of a fortune teller, who embarks on her quest to find her family. Red, an expert in the famous cartography of the Square of Sevens, uses her charm and wits to find the truth.
This novel is masterly plotted into four sections, with each chapter corresponding to a particular card that follows the Square of Sevens method - a second read would see the prominence of this.
Red is such an engaging narrator, and you can’t help but root for her, a seemingly unfortunate girl who faces injustices and poor luck at every turn. Lazarus Darke is another engaging narrator featured, and his pov is entirely different from Reds. Darke is more duty-bound; towards the end, he closely resembles us, the reader. A whole other host of characters help weave this web of complex tales, and the author does a great job of introducing them and giving them enough time within the story to feel their impact.
Laura Shepherd-Robinson is a genius in historical fiction, and the level of detail is evident in her writing. The historical notes at the end of the book show how much research and care she put into the novel. Comparatively, I’ve never felt more empathy for women in the 18th century. Actions and mentions of sexism are not a central plot point but are subtly laced throughout the novel. These actions wouldn’t be uncommon for that time, but they created much injustice in the story that readers can’t help but feel for the women in the novel.
This novel was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The layers of secrets and mysteries were abundant. I read this novel so fast and loved every moment - I highly recommend any historical fiction or mystery fans read this novel!
Extra Details
-TW/CW: Mentions of death, murder, poisoning, r*pe, inc*st
-Ending Happy/Sad/Unfinished: This depends on how you feel upon reading the ending (which I will not fully spoil here). Truly a remarkable read.
-Favourite Quotes:
“When a man is powerful and evil, other people surround themselves with lies, until they’re not sure if they’re protecting him or protecting themselves.”
“People like to say they seek the truth. Sometimes they even mean it. The truth is they crave the warm embrace of a lie.”
“My father had spelt it out to me. Choice was a luxury I couldn't afford. This is your story, Red. You must tell it well.”
<I>Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Laura Shepherd-Robinson for this e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.</I>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, and Pregnancy