magnus_iskander_reim's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting premises, lush atmosphere and good pacing make this book very enjoyable.
However, the worldbuilding and charatcerisation are still somewhat lacking, and some weird choices left me puzzled. Namely, the numerous sex scenes which didn't fit at all, in my opinion, with the rest of the book's tone and brought nothing to characters' depth.
Yeah, me complaining about the presence of sex scenes.
This series still definitely has potential and charm, and I'll definitely read the next one. Just, you know, not for the sex scenes.
However, the worldbuilding and charatcerisation are still somewhat lacking, and some weird choices left me puzzled. Namely, the numerous sex scenes which didn't fit at all, in my opinion, with the rest of the book's tone and brought nothing to characters' depth.
Yeah, me complaining about the presence of sex scenes.
This series still definitely has potential and charm, and I'll definitely read the next one. Just, you know, not for the sex scenes.
ccgwalt's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars, B- for story and narration by David Thorpe
I loved the magical system and worldbuilding the author did in this book, and the characters were definitely interesting. I felt the pacing was uneven, especially in the middle of the book. A lot happened, but so little of it actually moved the story forward, and too much of it only made sense in retrospect at the end of the book.
David Thorpe is unarguably a very talented narrator. He gets the emotions right and his voice acting is quite good. His style would work extremely well for many books (like Christie or Dickens), but I did not think he was a good fit for this particular book. His voices for the main characters felt too old, for one thing.
Overall a good book but it didn't quite wow me as I'd hoped.
I loved the magical system and worldbuilding the author did in this book, and the characters were definitely interesting. I felt the pacing was uneven, especially in the middle of the book. A lot happened, but so little of it actually moved the story forward, and too much of it only made sense in retrospect at the end of the book.
David Thorpe is unarguably a very talented narrator. He gets the emotions right and his voice acting is quite good. His style would work extremely well for many books (like Christie or Dickens), but I did not think he was a good fit for this particular book. His voices for the main characters felt too old, for one thing.
Overall a good book but it didn't quite wow me as I'd hoped.
booksforsceee's review against another edition
4.0
Through a government error. Robin, hapless Baronet, is thrown into a world that he never knew existed. Through this bureaucratic fumble Robin not only learns that magic in facts exists, but that the job he was assigned to is in charge of investigating magical incidents that involve normal humans. Absolutely baffled Robin leaves his first day, with assurances from his magical college that he will be back to his relatively normal life by tomorrow. This plan is unexpectedly thrown awry. Throwing both Robin, and his reserved college of a wizard Edwin, into a race against time to figure out a mystery that could change the magical face of the world
Do not be fooled by the historical setting/era writing this book does not pull its punches. From the opening pages you are hit with a grizzly interrogation scene. And the spiciness was also soon apparent (think more Bridgerton than Bronte)
Following the high pace of the mystery I did feel like the book itself was too long for the plot. There were a few times where I felt scenes were included just as a filler, and especially towards the end I felt like bad things just kept happening to the characters just for the sake of pushing the ending back. Apart from these things though I really enjoyed stepping into a magical mystery with writing the reminds me of Agatha Christie. But with wayyy more spice
Do not be fooled by the historical setting/era writing this book does not pull its punches. From the opening pages you are hit with a grizzly interrogation scene. And the spiciness was also soon apparent (think more Bridgerton than Bronte)
Following the high pace of the mystery I did feel like the book itself was too long for the plot. There were a few times where I felt scenes were included just as a filler, and especially towards the end I felt like bad things just kept happening to the characters just for the sake of pushing the ending back. Apart from these things though I really enjoyed stepping into a magical mystery with writing the reminds me of Agatha Christie. But with wayyy more spice
daisy16's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
korisulewski's review against another edition
3.0
I cannot figure out WHY this book didn’t hook me like I wanted it to. It really sounded like a recipe for success - the magic! The setting! The queer romance! But alas, it took me over 3 weeks to read and I don’t know why.
annaswan's review against another edition
I’ve been waiting for this since I heard the Serpents talking about it on their podcast, and it did not disappoint. It’s definitely the setup for further adventures, but the ending was satisfying, not a cliffhanger.
sasper87's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.25
unloopy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.75
I really liked this book. It takes a while to get into it and can be confusing at the start but once you do, it gets really interesting. The world building is fantastic and you feel as if you find out more about the world along with the main characters. The ending was somewhat satisfactory too, for a book with a sequel.
fancypython's review against another edition
5.0
queer Edwardian romance with magic? yes please and thank you.