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orchidlilly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Colonisation
silly_little_clown's review against another edition
- 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 don’t think I’ve ever read any historical fiction written in the modern times that felt so much like I was reading about people that were actually living in that era. Even the parts that were set in Japan, I felt totally immersed into the world. The author has such a way of building up atmosphere and creating dialogues that just makes everything feel so realistic despite the fact that there are some magical realism aspects to it. I also love the work that has gone into researching all the politics at the time. It’s very interesting to have a glimpse of the international power struggles in the past.
One weird thing that I really appreciate about this book is the casual racism that were expressed by multiple characters. As a POC, while I do not condone and tolerate racism, I think it’s important to acknowledge that those were the norm in those days and they usually went on unchallenged. We are growing to evolve out of it, can’t say the same about everyone, but racism is definitely not cool now. It’s not to say that the POC characters just silently takes it, I loved it when Mori casually refuted the police’s own logic when he was confronted at the end. But I’m glad that the author decided to include those things in the story, even though it might be difficult to read for some people. It made the story all the more real, and I think as readers with critical minds, we should be well equipped to understand that depiction of a horrible thing does not mean condoning of said thing.
I love Thaniel and Mori’s dynamic so much!! They’re not the kind of couple that has a lot of tension going on, but I think that made them even more lovable. The simmering longing that is just bubbling under the surface. That’s how I would describe their pining of each other. It’s especially angsty for Mori because
I must say I’m not a fan of Grace. Her
To end this review with a positive note, I can’t wait to read to spin-off and sequel! :D
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Murder and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Chronic illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War
biobeetle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Minor: Blood
girlwithoutearing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Classism
Minor: Death and Death of parent
tinkeringcheck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
As for the characters, the concepts were fantastic and bursting with not-quite-realized potential. I adored every little bit of information we got about the talented and mysterious Mr. Mori, but I felt that much of Thaniel's character was left between the lines to the point of him becoming quite boring as things went on. (How this was managed despite having unique narration tics with his synesthesia, I've no idea). And while I found the drag-wearing, anti-suffragette physicist Grace quite fun and offbeat in the beginning - especially her banter with Matsumoto, the dandy friend who lets her raid his closet - she had an abrupt change of priorities and comprehensibility halfway through the book that left me disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing
But what soured what had still been an enjoyable read for me was when I figured out where the final act was going. I nearly threw my phone at the wall. I almost DNF'd with just chapters left. I only skimmed through to the end to see if
There's also an honestly uncomfortable amount of casual racism and xenophobia from the white characters' perspectives. It's clearly meant to be period-typical and reflect the society they grew up in because it disappears in the POV chapters set in Japan, but it still felt excessive. Japanese and Japanese-British characters (including Mori) are constantly referred to as small and delicate and juvenile, and they're described by these racialized features exponentially more often than the white characters, even late into the story. For example, Thaniel's grey eyes and other physical descriptors are mentioned offhandedly, meanwhile each time Mori is described physically - like his tanned skin or short height or small hands - it's always tacked on with some remark inexplicably tying it up with him being Japanese. (Matsumoto, being a tall man, is described as being 'English-raised' instead.) At some point I was just desperate for ANY descriptor for these characters that wasn't racialized and was left disappointed.
Overall, I wanted to fully love this book (and nearly did for awhile!) but the overall execution and the plot choices in the climax unfortunately killed a lot of my enjoyment. I did love the premise of a mysterious, talented-beyond-his-time clockwork maker in his wondrous workshop - and I felt the middle portion of the story was the strongest in part because it focused on unveiling Mori's world. But as the book went on and we were moved from his workshop into the strange 3rd act drama with less compelling characters, I wondered if what I loved about it was more about the possibilities I was imagining for myself than what was on the page. Katsu the adorable clockwork octopus, kind and lonely Mori, and dearly underused Matsumoto were the shining stars for me, though I'm not sure I'll be tuning into the next book to see how they fare.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Biphobia, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Blood, Stalking, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Chronic illness, and Grief
Animal death: Personally, even though it's not really graphic andzosiablue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
As a bonus, the author's book from this year (Half Life of Valery K) definitely winks at this novel, so I need to reread it now that I get the references.
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Cultural appropriation, and Classism
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
there are a number of plot threads in the novel - yard bomb mystery, mori's ability, grace's conundrum - and imo the way they intersect could be improved. there also loose ends to some of the plot points, such as how grace's experiments in oxford end. things should be elucidated more arent, and pulley spotlights the duller stuff instead.
my biggest caveat, however, is how unsatisfying the book is as a whole bc of its dull focus on mori and thaniel. the story's emotional stakes and reader's engagement, as well as emotional payoff at the end could be much greater and fulfilling if thaniel and mori's interactions are shown more. them ending up tgt isnt surprising but how it gets there doesnt rly have any good buildup; more scenes of their down time tgt or deeper bonding could fix that, but it isnt rly shown in the book. that subtle, gently moving scene in the hospital near the end, i want more of that!
nevertheless, the premise is intriguing and the intellectual, technical stuff is intelligent, if a bit of a mindfvck for my kinda dumb self. the setting that mixes victorian london w/ steampunkish elements and japanese culture is quite original too, tho the latter comes off awkwardly at times. i also enjoy mori and thaniel as characters.
tldr: a potentially good read weighed down by its unwieldy execution and lack of focus on the good stuff.
Graphic: Racism and Sexism
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
miak2's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Your science can save a man’s life, but imagination makes it worth living.
It's official, I've been sucked into the Pulleyverse. I love her writing, truly. It's the perfect combination of mysterious and magical, and I just want to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and one of her books and not emerge until I'm done. The magic in her books is so creative too, somehow both explainable and inexplicably not.
Thaniel was such an endearing character. Not charismatic, per se, but bumbling and awkward and good-natured enough that you can't help but immediately be fond of him. Mori served as both a love interest and a foil to Thaniel, and I loved watching their relationship develop over the course of the book. Like with The Kingdoms, Pulley struggled with her female lead. I felt throughout like I should be rooting for Grace, as she was in all accounts a great character, but because she was positioned to stand between Thaniel and Mori, I think we're made to like her less.
I got the sense that the plot got away from Pulley a bit towards the end. There's a central mystery that I sort of forgot was driving the plot, and other pieces that made sense in the story but didn't seem to have the proper build-up. It was also unexpected that the book so heavily featured Japanese culture. With it being set in1880s London, there was a certain amount of racism and discomfort that was par for the time (ex: the use of the word 'oriental'). I've got no issue with a white author writing diverse characters, but it did make me a little uneasy, no matter how well-researched and well-intentioned it was. But perhaps that's a longer discussion meant for a different day.
Regardless, I am beyond excited to read even more of her books, especially the sequel(s) to Filigree Street. There's a whimsy that they create that I really haven't found anywhere else.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death
isabella_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Minor: Death, Homophobia, and Racism
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Blood, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism