skupdawg426's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.0
The pacing of the story was highly inconsistent. Sine parts were faster and interesting, and others just dragged. The ending was abrupt, and a bit rushed. I wouldn't say I was left wanting more, but the story felt unfinished.
jeneaket's review against another edition
This just isn’t for me, unfortunately, and I realized it quite quickly.
catpingu's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't entirely this.
Taking place in the backdrop of the World Fair in an alternate universe where George Washington became the first King of the American Kingdom, Claire lives with her mad lonely father and an adopted sister-turned-servant in a dingy little tenement as he develops some sort of new weapon for the General and the Governor for the good of her little province of St. Cloud. Every success her father has is attributed to her, and every failure as well; because one touch and a blessing from Claire somehow grants wishes. But Claire doesn't want to be an ornamental doll anymore. She wants to escape her father's abuse and have a chance to be normal. Fueled by the industrial revolution and women's suffrage movement, Claire knows something big is changing, but she doesn't want to be a part of it. When she catches the eye of the new young governor Duchamp, she has little choice in the matter. Now, she needs to escape her gilded cage surrounded by misogynistic men and zealot feminists.
I was so focused on what Claire was planning and how she was hoping to leave the Governor, I completely missed! Quite good work, I didn't even know it had happened until suddenly Claire brings it up. I suppose it makes sense considering the tactical approach is to
I argue that the suffragettes' stance here is weak. I wonder if this is meant to be drawing some sort of parallel between the controversy of elections, when some people are forced to compromise to choose one bad ruler of the other over a slim margin of difference.
Taking place in the backdrop of the World Fair in an alternate universe where George Washington became the first King of the American Kingdom, Claire lives with her mad lonely father and an adopted sister-turned-servant in a dingy little tenement as he develops some sort of new weapon for the General and the Governor for the good of her little province of St. Cloud. Every success her father has is attributed to her, and every failure as well; because one touch and a blessing from Claire somehow grants wishes. But Claire doesn't want to be an ornamental doll anymore. She wants to escape her father's abuse and have a chance to be normal. Fueled by the industrial revolution and women's suffrage movement, Claire knows something big is changing, but she doesn't want to be a part of it. When she catches the eye of the new young governor Duchamp, she has little choice in the matter. Now, she needs to escape her gilded cage surrounded by misogynistic men and zealot feminists.
I was so focused on what Claire was planning and how she was hoping to leave the Governor, I completely missed
Spoiler
the coup that happenedSpoiler
revolt when the legal authority is weak, like when Remy was shot. Claire was sequestered with him and holding his hand so he wouldn't die, but I want to know why Margarete hadn't said anything and if she really truly hates Claire?I argue that the suffragettes' stance here is weak.
Spoiler
There's the whole issue with Abigail Monroe vs. Rosa Morgenstern splitting the movement. Abigail Monroe is a selfish racist conservative, but Rosa Morgenstern is just straight-up manipulative. Claire was right, when she said that she honestly hated the people in power because they were all bad choices.nerdynicky's review against another edition
1.0
I hardly got 100 pages into this book before I DNF'd it. The way certain things were described just left me feeling dirty and some of it should not be in a YA book.
nataliem22's review against another edition
5.0
For those of us wondering, What would America have looked like as a monarchy, here is your answer. Brittany Cavallaro's stunning and fierce newest release is an alternative take on American history, which combines a big of magic and a girl who holds the power of the nation in her hands--literally. Muse is a thrilling and twisty story that dives deep into the political machinations of a nation at the same time as it uncovers secrets of the hearts. Its unrelenting scrutinization of men in power begs the question of who is allowed to wield power? Its twists will leave you gasping for breath, and after the final page is closed, you will be begging to know whose hands hold the future of St. Cloud, and whether they are real leaders to root for.
Brittany Cavallaro is the author of the New York Times bestselling Charlotte Holmes series and the poetry collection Girl-King. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Michigan. Find her at her website, www.brittanycavallaro.com, or on Twitter @skppingstones. You can find more of my reviews of Brittany's work here.
The year is 1893, and war is brewing in the First American Kingdom. But Claire Emerson has a bigger problem. While her father, Jeremiah, prepares to reveal the mighty weapon he's created to showcase the strength of their province, St. Cloud, at the World's Fair, Claire is crafting a plan to escape. Jeremiah is a sought-after inventor, but he believes his genius is a gift granted to him by his daughter's touch. He's kept Claire under his control for years. As St. Cloud prepares for war, Claire plans to claim her life for herself, even though her best friend, Beatrix, wants her to stay and help with the growing resistance movement that aims to see a woman on the throne. At any cost. When her father's weapon fails to fire on the fair's opening day, Claire is taken captive by Governor Remy Duchamp, St. Cloud's young, untried ruler. Remy believes that Claire's touch bestows graces he's never had, and with his governing power weakening and many political rivals planning his demise, she might be his only and best ally. But the last thing that Claire has ever wanted is to be someone else's muse. Still, affections can change as quickly as the winds of war. And Claire has a choice to make: Will she quietly remake her world from the shadows--or bring it down in flames? New York Times bestselling author Brittany Cavallaro delivers the first book in a dazzling duology about revolution, love, and friendship in a reimagined America.
I felt I could immediately relate to Claire the second she was brought to life on the page, scuttling around her city with her best friend doing everything in her power to avoid her father. In a lot of ways, this is a story about power, and the lengths one will go to attain it. Claire has some power in her abilities but not a whole lot of power elsewhere. She's not able to boldly stand up for herself; she sticks to the shadows. She maps a plan to wrest back control the only way she knows how: from passing herself from one man to the next. Pulled into an impossible power struggle, Claire has to learn the political machinations of her city fast. Who wants what is an important detail throughout the story that we as readers would do well not to forget. In the middle of spying, visiting the Fair with her Governor, conversing with her best friend Beatrix on politics, Claire's vision for her future is clouded. And, in the midst of all of this, Claire finds her voice. Even if she doesn't get to plot her own future or make those decisions as soon as she would like, Claire learns how to do the things she couldn't in the opening pages: stand up for herself, speak out against the men in her life controlling her, and make her own decisions, even if they might be bad ones.
Claire's not the only character whose story is our own. The fire-in-her-veins Beatrix is fighting for a cause that might cost her everything--even her friendship with Claire. The young Governor, suffering from a lonely past, faces accusations from all sides as he struggles to find allies in a province that overwhelms him. Captain Miller, allegiances unknown, has a hidden past of his own that makes him a strange but flimsy ally to Claire and Remy. All of these characters' choices push Claire into corners, give her breathing room, and find Claire herself questioning who to believe. Can she even trust herself? It's been a long time since I've read a book where the secondary characters felt as strong as the main characters, without the author giving them chapters in their points-of-view. Cavallaro expertly folds Beatrix, Remy, and Captain Miller into Claire's story, while taking care to give each of them a story and heart of their own.
I fell in love with the alternate United States history immediately. The way the very first chapter was titled "Preamble" and how the map of the First American Kingdom didn't come until after that was a form of world building I had never seen before. Cavallaro sticks as close to the truth as possible--her Fair resembles that of Chicago's Fair in 1893; much of the buildings her characters populate existed; the customs and traditions of the time are very much in place. And yet, Cavallaro builds a world that is distinctly her own: Claire's "magic touch" that only works on men; the presence of an army that populates the province of St. Cloud; a baseball team for the King's whim, too. It is not so difficult to imagine that this could have been our history, had those previous leaders chosen differently, and I believe that is Cavallaro's point with this unique setting. While this world isn't ours, it is, which is especially seen in the ways Claire's and Beatrix's and Miller's and Remy's fights are still our own.
Cavallaro's writing in her newest release is fierce, angry, righteous, and cackles with electricity Nikola Tesla could only dream of. The fact that women were treated as property is personified to an unimaginable (yet not unrealistic) level. The language surrounding women is all possession-based, and Claire rebels against it as forcefully as any modern day reader would. Knowing distantly that women were treated this way does little to stop the shock and horror at actually feeling it through Cavallaro's writing. It is brilliant that she makes us recognize the implications of women as property through her words and through Claire's thoughts and actions. Not only is Claire treated as property, but as a muse, an inspiration, as magic for any man who can get a hold of her--literally. Cavallaro attempts to untangle the implications of Claire's being a muse, especially for her father and for Remy. Everything from the color of Claire's clothes, the timing of certain events, and each deliberate word choice give suggestions about how everyone else views Claire. This is important so that she can uncover how she wants to view herself and how she wants to transform that perception of her.
Quite possibly my favorite moments of language during this book is when Cavallaro engages with free indirect discourse (or at least some version of free indirect discourse). When Claire's and Cavallaro's thoughts converge on the page, becoming part of the narration rather than just what's going on in Claire's thoughts, make for extremely powerful moments of prose. My favorite such instance? "No. Enough of this. I'm not without two hands and a will" (93), unitalicized lines converging Cavallaro's beliefs on the power of women and Claire's determination that she can take back some control. Absolutely brilliant and striking, and very well done!
I was absolutely struck by the ending of this book, and knew at once that no matter what the second one held, I needed it immediately. Unfortunately for me, I can't even seem to find a release date for book #2, so we're just going to have to stay tuned!
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
Brittany Cavallaro is the author of the New York Times bestselling Charlotte Holmes series and the poetry collection Girl-King. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Michigan. Find her at her website, www.brittanycavallaro.com, or on Twitter @skppingstones. You can find more of my reviews of Brittany's work here.
The year is 1893, and war is brewing in the First American Kingdom. But Claire Emerson has a bigger problem. While her father, Jeremiah, prepares to reveal the mighty weapon he's created to showcase the strength of their province, St. Cloud, at the World's Fair, Claire is crafting a plan to escape. Jeremiah is a sought-after inventor, but he believes his genius is a gift granted to him by his daughter's touch. He's kept Claire under his control for years. As St. Cloud prepares for war, Claire plans to claim her life for herself, even though her best friend, Beatrix, wants her to stay and help with the growing resistance movement that aims to see a woman on the throne. At any cost. When her father's weapon fails to fire on the fair's opening day, Claire is taken captive by Governor Remy Duchamp, St. Cloud's young, untried ruler. Remy believes that Claire's touch bestows graces he's never had, and with his governing power weakening and many political rivals planning his demise, she might be his only and best ally. But the last thing that Claire has ever wanted is to be someone else's muse. Still, affections can change as quickly as the winds of war. And Claire has a choice to make: Will she quietly remake her world from the shadows--or bring it down in flames? New York Times bestselling author Brittany Cavallaro delivers the first book in a dazzling duology about revolution, love, and friendship in a reimagined America.
I felt I could immediately relate to Claire the second she was brought to life on the page, scuttling around her city with her best friend doing everything in her power to avoid her father. In a lot of ways, this is a story about power, and the lengths one will go to attain it. Claire has some power in her abilities but not a whole lot of power elsewhere. She's not able to boldly stand up for herself; she sticks to the shadows. She maps a plan to wrest back control the only way she knows how: from passing herself from one man to the next. Pulled into an impossible power struggle, Claire has to learn the political machinations of her city fast. Who wants what is an important detail throughout the story that we as readers would do well not to forget. In the middle of spying, visiting the Fair with her Governor, conversing with her best friend Beatrix on politics, Claire's vision for her future is clouded. And, in the midst of all of this, Claire finds her voice. Even if she doesn't get to plot her own future or make those decisions as soon as she would like, Claire learns how to do the things she couldn't in the opening pages: stand up for herself, speak out against the men in her life controlling her, and make her own decisions, even if they might be bad ones.
Claire's not the only character whose story is our own. The fire-in-her-veins Beatrix is fighting for a cause that might cost her everything--even her friendship with Claire. The young Governor, suffering from a lonely past, faces accusations from all sides as he struggles to find allies in a province that overwhelms him. Captain Miller, allegiances unknown, has a hidden past of his own that makes him a strange but flimsy ally to Claire and Remy. All of these characters' choices push Claire into corners, give her breathing room, and find Claire herself questioning who to believe. Can she even trust herself? It's been a long time since I've read a book where the secondary characters felt as strong as the main characters, without the author giving them chapters in their points-of-view. Cavallaro expertly folds Beatrix, Remy, and Captain Miller into Claire's story, while taking care to give each of them a story and heart of their own.
I fell in love with the alternate United States history immediately. The way the very first chapter was titled "Preamble" and how the map of the First American Kingdom didn't come until after that was a form of world building I had never seen before. Cavallaro sticks as close to the truth as possible--her Fair resembles that of Chicago's Fair in 1893; much of the buildings her characters populate existed; the customs and traditions of the time are very much in place. And yet, Cavallaro builds a world that is distinctly her own: Claire's "magic touch" that only works on men; the presence of an army that populates the province of St. Cloud; a baseball team for the King's whim, too. It is not so difficult to imagine that this could have been our history, had those previous leaders chosen differently, and I believe that is Cavallaro's point with this unique setting. While this world isn't ours, it is, which is especially seen in the ways Claire's and Beatrix's and Miller's and Remy's fights are still our own.
Cavallaro's writing in her newest release is fierce, angry, righteous, and cackles with electricity Nikola Tesla could only dream of. The fact that women were treated as property is personified to an unimaginable (yet not unrealistic) level. The language surrounding women is all possession-based, and Claire rebels against it as forcefully as any modern day reader would. Knowing distantly that women were treated this way does little to stop the shock and horror at actually feeling it through Cavallaro's writing. It is brilliant that she makes us recognize the implications of women as property through her words and through Claire's thoughts and actions. Not only is Claire treated as property, but as a muse, an inspiration, as magic for any man who can get a hold of her--literally. Cavallaro attempts to untangle the implications of Claire's being a muse, especially for her father and for Remy. Everything from the color of Claire's clothes, the timing of certain events, and each deliberate word choice give suggestions about how everyone else views Claire. This is important so that she can uncover how she wants to view herself and how she wants to transform that perception of her.
Quite possibly my favorite moments of language during this book is when Cavallaro engages with free indirect discourse (or at least some version of free indirect discourse). When Claire's and Cavallaro's thoughts converge on the page, becoming part of the narration rather than just what's going on in Claire's thoughts, make for extremely powerful moments of prose. My favorite such instance? "No. Enough of this. I'm not without two hands and a will" (93), unitalicized lines converging Cavallaro's beliefs on the power of women and Claire's determination that she can take back some control. Absolutely brilliant and striking, and very well done!
I was absolutely struck by the ending of this book, and knew at once that no matter what the second one held, I needed it immediately. Unfortunately for me, I can't even seem to find a release date for book #2, so we're just going to have to stay tuned!
*This review can also be found on my blog, toreadornottoreadnm.blogspot.com*
pebbletown's review against another edition
2.0
Such an interesting premise and so much potential with the Chicago World Fair/Tesla/alternate monarchical US history/steampunk (?) backdrop, but my god, this just did absolutely nothing with it. Claire spends the entire novel buffeted around by other people’s schemes and plans and desires, and I never had a clear image of where she even wanted to go. In the last few pages (after dragging myself to the finish line) she says something like, “I can want things, I can make things happen!”
I understand that achieving autonomy can be a hero’s journey in itself, but being stuck with a point-of-view character who doesn’t figure that out until the last chapter was toooortuuuree.
I understand that achieving autonomy can be a hero’s journey in itself, but being stuck with a point-of-view character who doesn’t figure that out until the last chapter was toooortuuuree.
vodaas's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
cboddie's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
7th & up
abinthebooks's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at about 50%
What? I actually don't really get what I just read (or at least the 50% I read). First of all, this book is set in a world of If George Washington became a king instead of a president. Which was the absolute worse choice Cavallaro could possibly make. It basically ERASES the entirety of the Revolutionary War! She tries to justify this whole...problem in the 4 pages of the prologue, but no, no I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS. We worked almost 10 years to officially gain our freedom and for what??? For George Washington to take a kingdom and call one of the Providences, St. Cloud? NO. It makes no fucking sense.
And then we get introduced to our useless MC who I hate. She is the basis of annoying through and through. I don't like our love interest either, and I especially don't like any of our supporting characters. This was such a disappointment. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, as I loved the Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro. However ultimately, this fell flat for me.
What? I actually don't really get what I just read (or at least the 50% I read). First of all, this book is set in a world of If George Washington became a king instead of a president. Which was the absolute worse choice Cavallaro could possibly make. It basically ERASES the entirety of the Revolutionary War! She tries to justify this whole...problem in the 4 pages of the prologue, but no, no I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS. We worked almost 10 years to officially gain our freedom and for what??? For George Washington to take a kingdom and call one of the Providences, St. Cloud? NO. It makes no fucking sense.
And then we get introduced to our useless MC who I hate. She is the basis of annoying through and through. I don't like our love interest either, and I especially don't like any of our supporting characters. This was such a disappointment. This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, as I loved the Charlotte Holmes series by Brittany Cavallaro. However ultimately, this fell flat for me.
charlespuangthong's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0