jazzgregory's review against another edition
3.0
Honest probably a 3.5/3.75 - I felt the beginning had such an information dump and so many characters and political situations were introduced that I didn't get time to understand before they became important..if that makes sense. However the setting in this noir art-deco world is captivating and the romance fueled by angst (there for completely valid reasons) was impossible not to devour.
garbutch's review against another edition
5.0
This one needs a lot of trigger warnings. Most of the torture happens offscreen but it happens. There's a suicide by gunshot that's walked in on and one that is nearly attempted through the same means. There's murder (including of friends) and stuff like that.
This book is 3rd person, following Cordelia, Cecil and Ari. I like Cordelia the best. She's done an array of sex work & is very tough stuff. Cecil was mostly likeable and Ari was... both likeable and unlikeable. The characters are motivated by things that seem human and real. Cecil is surviving by doing things you do not want to do, but it becomes doing things you do not have to do either.
There's a bit of a cliffhanger but it's kind of got hope in it.
-
**EDIT: After reading the whole trilogy, updated a season after finishing it.**
Honestly this trilogy was one of the most casually thought-provoking things I've ever read. I hate how short it was and that it skipped over major time intervals between books, but I understand why that happened and why these particular time periods in these characters' lives were chosen.
There's clear character movement; growth is not accurate - not all of them grow, but they are changed by their circumstances for better and worse. This trilogy made me think about things like justice, forgiveness, and what fascism is at its core, and why a figurehead cannot be a movement. It made me think about what it is to prevail and what a future can be when you endure, and when to forgive yourself, and what to do in the absence of justice. Or when justice cannot be seen to in any real way.
What really makes this trilogy hit, to me, is that it gets right who the sort of characters are who do the good things and the bad things. There are people like Cordelia who truly come to be something to reckon with. But that's just not who everyone is who makes things move into being in the world. Sometimes there are people who are in it for shitty reasons, but they are still in it for some reason. It's complicated. But people do things or don't do things in this story because of some kind of investment, emotionally, or otherwise. And it all makes sense to me. It's a real picture of how people behave and how they weigh things in those circumstances. Everything in this is so complicated, and that made it hard to understand sometimes tbh. But it was clearly all things which were thought through by the author in immense detail.
It just. It made me think. It made me re-think some things that I've been mulling over in my head for most of my life because of my own circumstances.
And there are just, so, so many good and poignant passages.
This book is 3rd person, following Cordelia, Cecil and Ari. I like Cordelia the best. She's done an array of sex work & is very tough stuff. Cecil was mostly likeable and Ari was... both likeable and unlikeable. The characters are motivated by things that seem human and real. Cecil is surviving by doing things you do not want to do, but it becomes doing things you do not have to do either.
There's a bit of a cliffhanger but it's kind of got hope in it.
-
**EDIT: After reading the whole trilogy, updated a season after finishing it.**
Honestly this trilogy was one of the most casually thought-provoking things I've ever read. I hate how short it was and that it skipped over major time intervals between books, but I understand why that happened and why these particular time periods in these characters' lives were chosen.
There's clear character movement; growth is not accurate - not all of them grow, but they are changed by their circumstances for better and worse. This trilogy made me think about things like justice, forgiveness, and what fascism is at its core, and why a figurehead cannot be a movement. It made me think about what it is to prevail and what a future can be when you endure, and when to forgive yourself, and what to do in the absence of justice. Or when justice cannot be seen to in any real way.
What really makes this trilogy hit, to me, is that it gets right who the sort of characters are who do the good things and the bad things. There are people like Cordelia who truly come to be something to reckon with. But that's just not who everyone is who makes things move into being in the world. Sometimes there are people who are in it for shitty reasons, but they are still in it for some reason. It's complicated. But people do things or don't do things in this story because of some kind of investment, emotionally, or otherwise. And it all makes sense to me. It's a real picture of how people behave and how they weigh things in those circumstances. Everything in this is so complicated, and that made it hard to understand sometimes tbh. But it was clearly all things which were thought through by the author in immense detail.
It just. It made me think. It made me re-think some things that I've been mulling over in my head for most of my life because of my own circumstances.
And there are just, so, so many good and poignant passages.
klaratoll's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars
Love the vibe, the politics were hard to follow for a good while but I didn’t really mind that. Really hooked me, especially towards the middle and end!
Love the vibe, the politics were hard to follow for a good while but I didn’t really mind that. Really hooked me, especially towards the middle and end!
caitlinwhetten's review against another edition
4.0
This was a highly anticipated read and it did not disappoint. I loved our three main leads of Cyril, Aristide and Cordelia and the way they interact with the plot and the effect the political intrigue of the story has on them. Sometimes the political nature of the book can be a bit complicated, but I ended up just falling into the story about halfway through. I really like the twists and turns the story took and it is so well plotted. The 1920's art-deco atmosphere was a fabulous backdrop and the setting is really well done. The characters are morally grey and you're never quite sure if they'll make the morally right or wrong decision and that kept me on my toes. A really satisfying and fun read and looking forward to continuing on in the series.
quietdomino's review against another edition
3.0
If you'd like some exotic nightclub action mixed in with your (somewhat)suspenseful election drama.
dance64's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5*
Truth be told, books that have a 1920s esque feel to them aren't really my taste. (Don't know if this is how this book is classified, this is just how it comes off to me.) However, while the beginning was rather slow, I found myself becoming more and more intrigued with the story and the characters as I went on. I did get confused about who was who and what was going on, and I'm still a little confused as to what some of the stuff that happened. Some of the revelations and actions didn't quite make sense to me, and I'm still trying to puzzle some of them out.
However, despite my constant confusion, I have to say I kept reading because I loved Cordelia and Ari. They were both incredibly strong and clever characters, and they felt really fleshed out. Cyril was...pretty dull in comparison. He lacked definition, and I didn't always know what was going on with him.
Overall, despite my confusion and frustrations, I still found this to be quite an enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series to see how this all wraps up.
Truth be told, books that have a 1920s esque feel to them aren't really my taste. (Don't know if this is how this book is classified, this is just how it comes off to me.) However, while the beginning was rather slow, I found myself becoming more and more intrigued with the story and the characters as I went on. I did get confused about who was who and what was going on, and I'm still a little confused as to what some of the stuff that happened. Some of the revelations and actions didn't quite make sense to me, and I'm still trying to puzzle some of them out.
However, despite my constant confusion, I have to say I kept reading because I loved Cordelia and Ari. They were both incredibly strong and clever characters, and they felt really fleshed out. Cyril was...pretty dull in comparison. He lacked definition, and I didn't always know what was going on with him.
Spoiler
And honestly Cyril just really sucks as a spy; I'm not convinced he was ever good at his job. Also, just not a fan of him after what he pulled at the end. I'm quite salty about that.Overall, despite my confusion and frustrations, I still found this to be quite an enjoyable read, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series to see how this all wraps up.
lolajoan's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, thrilling, and gorgeously described. I love books with a lot of detail about food, clothing, architecture, etc., and this definitely has that. It's a very visceral world, and the characters are vivid and robust without being too cartoony. In the beginning I kept waiting for the magic or dragons or something to show up, but it's only fantasy in that it's not our world or our history, though it almost could be. I'm not a fan of too much politics in my fiction so there were points where I was just like "c'mon, get on with it, I don't need to know the details" but overall I definitely enjoyed it. I'll probably read the rest of the series, I think.
vae's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my gosh that was so good. Can't wait to read the next. (Thank goodness I waited this long, the next comes out very soon!)
gabriell_hoff's review against another edition
2.0
Kinda disappointed with this one but there were still really good things about it
PROS:
-The atmosphere was really good and easy to visualize. 1920-30s vibe I got which is one of my favourite time periods
-LGBTQ+ rep
-The audiobook was gooood and very impressive
-Overall this book was very sexy and interesting to read
CONS:
-I think one of the biggest issues was how confusing this book was which did not really hold my attention that well
-Too many characters to keep track of
-Probably just not a book for me
PROS:
-The atmosphere was really good and easy to visualize. 1920-30s vibe I got which is one of my favourite time periods
-LGBTQ+ rep
-The audiobook was gooood and very impressive
-Overall this book was very sexy and interesting to read
CONS:
-I think one of the biggest issues was how confusing this book was which did not really hold my attention that well
-Too many characters to keep track of
-Probably just not a book for me