sarah_gibson's review against another edition
1.0
The dialogue in this book is immature, cringe-worthy, and just plain laughable. I saw a review somewhere that likened this book to an Anne Rice fanfic and I agree wholeheartedly. Finishing this would be a waste of time.
a_h_haga's review against another edition
2.0
I can't believe how long it took me to read this book. A WEEK! FOR 300 PAGES?!
That isn't because the book is essentially bad - I was kind of unsure what rating to go for as well.
My problem was that the book didn't give me what it promised.
It started out with this historical fiction - yes - but paranormal-feel scene, but we hardly saw any of that from there. It started in one genre, then turned into something else. pure historical fiction - as good as, anyway.
And it read like a classic as well. Spanning over years following this one characters in her life and choices. There was love and intrigue, but mostly it was boring for me.
I didn't connect with any of the characters, as it spanned such a long time-period.
The writing wasn't bad, if you like the classics, and the same goes for the language.
Another disappointment for me, was the fact that I was introduced to this years ago as a steampunk read.
It was not.
That isn't because the book is essentially bad - I was kind of unsure what rating to go for as well.
My problem was that the book didn't give me what it promised.
It started out with this historical fiction - yes - but paranormal-feel scene, but we hardly saw any of that from there. It started in one genre, then turned into something else. pure historical fiction - as good as, anyway.
And it read like a classic as well. Spanning over years following this one characters in her life and choices. There was love and intrigue, but mostly it was boring for me.
I didn't connect with any of the characters, as it spanned such a long time-period.
The writing wasn't bad, if you like the classics, and the same goes for the language.
Another disappointment for me, was the fact that I was introduced to this years ago as a steampunk read.
It was not.
alcoholic_frog's review against another edition
5.0
This book is fairly underrated but it's great to see a lot of positive reviews still because this book is just so good. I'm reading this for the second time as I bought the other books and need a refresh before I start reading the rest of the series. I have picked up on so many marvelous things on my second read of this book. The wit and the dialogue is top notch and everything about the characters from their complexity to their presence on the page makes this book unlike any other. It is written very well and thoroughly and everything about the worldbuilding is brilliant. The book has the right amount of descriptions in it for all the different scenes but it is very much a character driven book rather that a meandering quest. If you expect to be reading primarily about vampires in this book then you will be sorely disappointed. Although there are vampires in this book it doesn't become the focus until the last half-ish of the book. The cult that Babette's family is a part of is a spooky undertone for the book and the shadow hanging over all of these characters lives. This is a very interesting take on a period piece that would have been boring if not for the fantastical elements that G.D. Falksen expertly wove throughout the narrative. He is a true master of fiction and I will forever be rereading this series and this first book.
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