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skycrane's review against another edition
4.0
Once again, my only real complaint with this book is that the answer to the mystery is revealed to the characters and then they go on to completely ignore it for some reason. During a protest against Irish Home Rule, the author explicitly notes that Lily recognizes the Red Hand of Ulster as a Unionist symbol. And then the next day she has a vision where she sees all the ruined buildings of a devastated London marked by a repeated red hand sign. I'm not a particularly attentive reader, but I was able to put two and two together. But then Lily takes this information and decides that she needs to go confront... the Irish Republican Brotherhood? No one even mentions the Unionists. It's so strange! I really liked this book, but a pretty large part of it feels like a series of digressions because the characters just forgot some important information.
themanfromdelmonte's review against another edition
5.0
A most excellent sequel. This time we're working up to the outbreak of WW I and Lily and the other Charismatics are trying to navigate political manoeuvering of that and the tricky waters of Irish nationalism and local gangsters.
Lily is coming into her powers and could be a real Jean Grey. I look forward to the rest of the series!
Lily is coming into her powers and could be a real Jean Grey. I look forward to the rest of the series!
brunehaut's review against another edition
3.0
Après un premier tome haletant et plein de promesses, j'ai trouvé l'intrigue de ce second tome bien moins intéressante. J'ai bien entendu été ravie de retrouver les personnages que l'on creuse un peu plus en profondeur mais il manquait selon moi une bonne dose de fantastique pour que je le considère pas comme une tome de transition. À découvrir toutefois.
snowwhite02's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
alda_antonia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
starryeyedreamer's review against another edition
5.0
This book is the sequel to the equally excellent ‘Fire in the Glass’, and the second book in the author’s series “The Charismatics”. Set in London on the eve of World War I, the series immerses the imagined lives of its characters in the turbulent real-world politics of that time and place and poses the kind of questions that suck me in faster than a black hole.
What if there was a girl who had visions of the future, disastrous visions too imperfect to allow her to change the tragedies she foresees?
What if she met a man with a gift equally incredible, tantalising and problematic, able to see the past of every object and person that he touches?
What if they were both found by a mentor who believed their abilities were granted intentionally by some higher power for an unseen purpose, and who tried to encourage and help them to fulfil that purpose?
What if, thrown together by their mentor and by the path that their esoteric knowledge leads them along, his two protegees fall in love? If she were the illegitimate daughter of an Irish actress and a powerful aristocrat, stuck in a no man’s land of social status in the rigidly stratified society of pre-war Britain, and he belonged to her father’s class? Could such a relationship survive the social pressures it would be subject to, let alone the individual insecurities of the two lovers and the fact that, if their love is to have any physical expression, she could conceal absolutely nothing from him?
The vividly drawn cast of characters who surround the central pair and the beautifully evoked setting of England in the summer of 1914, waiting in the shadow of war, make the exploration of these questions a real treat for the reader. The slow burn romance between the central protagonists is a delicious side for those of who enjoy that kind of thing but should not spoil the main for those who do not. To enjoy this second book to the fullest I recommend you read ‘Fire in the Glass’ first particularly since this book begins with a sequence that connects to the events of the preceding one. But even if you are playing catch-up with the premise, settings and characters, the plot of The Shadow of Water offers a sufficiently thrilling ride on its own to be well worth the read, taking the reader from the sewers of London to the Palace of Westminster, from an illegal nightclub to a high-class brothel, and concluding with a heart pounding race against the clock.
Lily’s latest, apocalyptic vision takes her on a murky trail starting with a dead body to try to pinpoint a way in which she and her friends may somehow be able to avert the impending catastrophe. She must contend with the forces of organised crime, entrenched privilege and the inflammatory politics around British rule in Northern Ireland and suffrage for women. As ever, she is hindered by her doubts about her ability to master her strange skill, by her reluctance to exploit her relationship with her powerful father Lord Torrington, (who, it appears, may be a central actor in a shadowy conspiracy that seems to connect to the foreseen disaster), and by her identity as a young female of uncertain social status.
Like the first in the series this book left me on the last page in a state of absolute satisfaction. However, being greedy, I am already hungry for the further sequels that the author has promised and foreshadowed in the text. Highly recommended.
What if there was a girl who had visions of the future, disastrous visions too imperfect to allow her to change the tragedies she foresees?
What if she met a man with a gift equally incredible, tantalising and problematic, able to see the past of every object and person that he touches?
What if they were both found by a mentor who believed their abilities were granted intentionally by some higher power for an unseen purpose, and who tried to encourage and help them to fulfil that purpose?
What if, thrown together by their mentor and by the path that their esoteric knowledge leads them along, his two protegees fall in love? If she were the illegitimate daughter of an Irish actress and a powerful aristocrat, stuck in a no man’s land of social status in the rigidly stratified society of pre-war Britain, and he belonged to her father’s class? Could such a relationship survive the social pressures it would be subject to, let alone the individual insecurities of the two lovers and the fact that, if their love is to have any physical expression, she could conceal absolutely nothing from him?
The vividly drawn cast of characters who surround the central pair and the beautifully evoked setting of England in the summer of 1914, waiting in the shadow of war, make the exploration of these questions a real treat for the reader. The slow burn romance between the central protagonists is a delicious side for those of who enjoy that kind of thing but should not spoil the main for those who do not. To enjoy this second book to the fullest I recommend you read ‘Fire in the Glass’ first particularly since this book begins with a sequence that connects to the events of the preceding one. But even if you are playing catch-up with the premise, settings and characters, the plot of The Shadow of Water offers a sufficiently thrilling ride on its own to be well worth the read, taking the reader from the sewers of London to the Palace of Westminster, from an illegal nightclub to a high-class brothel, and concluding with a heart pounding race against the clock.
Lily’s latest, apocalyptic vision takes her on a murky trail starting with a dead body to try to pinpoint a way in which she and her friends may somehow be able to avert the impending catastrophe. She must contend with the forces of organised crime, entrenched privilege and the inflammatory politics around British rule in Northern Ireland and suffrage for women. As ever, she is hindered by her doubts about her ability to master her strange skill, by her reluctance to exploit her relationship with her powerful father Lord Torrington, (who, it appears, may be a central actor in a shadowy conspiracy that seems to connect to the foreseen disaster), and by her identity as a young female of uncertain social status.
Like the first in the series this book left me on the last page in a state of absolute satisfaction. However, being greedy, I am already hungry for the further sequels that the author has promised and foreshadowed in the text. Highly recommended.
tin86's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
uvglopanda's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
helena_zelin's review against another edition
3.0
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
From the very first moment I read the synopsis, I had a feeling I would enjoy reading this one. I am a big historical fiction fan, so mixing history with England was literally it for me. I knew I had to read this book. It was good, though a bit too low paced for my likings. I liked the soft balance between the fantasy stuff and the things that are more to today's reality.
Hostetly it's one of those times when I know I like a book, yet I don;t really know why or what to say about it. It took me some time to go through it, but it was more because I had a lot of other things to do and not because I couldn't keep reading.
From the very first moment I read the synopsis, I had a feeling I would enjoy reading this one. I am a big historical fiction fan, so mixing history with England was literally it for me. I knew I had to read this book. It was good, though a bit too low paced for my likings. I liked the soft balance between the fantasy stuff and the things that are more to today's reality.
Hostetly it's one of those times when I know I like a book, yet I don;t really know why or what to say about it. It took me some time to go through it, but it was more because I had a lot of other things to do and not because I couldn't keep reading.