Reviews

The Lady in the Coppergate Tower by Nancy Campbell Allen

katiemayveil's review against another edition

5.0

This steampunk retelling of the story of Rapunzel includes romance, mystery, and danger. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wished there were more to read!
Hazel Hughes is the main character. She is a talented nurse who is plagued by a recurring dream that has gotten increasingly more troubling. Sam McInnes is her employer and a prestigious doctor who has pioneered medical advancements and who is sought out by the most eligible single ladies of London. When Hazel is approached by a long lost relative, Sam is determined to accompany her on an unexpected trip to ensure that no harm comes her way. After journeying in an enormous submarine, trying to solve a mystery regarding Hazel's ladies maid, and figuring out a family mystery, Hazel and Sam's relationship is deepening and becoming something more than what it was.
Nancy Campbell Allen has crafted yet another steampunk romance that will enthrall readers and keep them interested until the last page.

comfortable_with_uncomfortable's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

brittaninaylor's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

happyreadingwatching's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 To fully enjoy and understand this world, I highly recommend reading the first two! Beauty and the Clock Work Beast and Kiss of A Spindle. 
This one is a  brothers grimm Rapanzel retelling. This one took a little longer to read due to the fact I read at night, and this one "properly" scared me. (see what I did there...) 
 I spook easily, so take that as you will. 

This book was truly a ride. It had me guessing because it wasn't a prouper romance! This book was a mystery, thriller with a dash of romance. 
I did enjoy the romance and would have really enjoyed having seen more of it. 

Eugene (the robot) was my favorite character in this story. I just loved him! The  sassniess & and wit. Eugene was the comical relief through the story.

Recommend to be read around Halloween or fall time🎃

I wouldn't recommend this one to young readers due to the darker elements in it. 
This one was not my favorite of the series, but I'm still happy I read it and will continue with the series! 

Looking forward to book 4, it's going to be a Cinderella retelling!


Content
Mild violence 
Mild Romance 
Language (one bad word)
Some dark elements

3rd Read 9-19-20
I love the main characters and the romance. If I'm honest, the plot was not my favorite. It's a little dark for my taste. I reread this one to prep for book 4 :)

4th read 1/2022 
I liked it a little more this reread 📖💜

5th Reread May 2022

6th reread Aug 2023

brokenrecord's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars.  I liked this, but a little less than the first two.  I think it's mainly just that, while I thought the romance was sweet, it wasn't the type of romance that I'm normally super into.  Their friendship had already basically developed prior to the start of the book, and Hazel knows she's in love with Sam, and Sam clearly has some sort of feelings for her even if he hasn't admitted them to himself, but he realizes them very early on in their journey, and there's a little flirtation, but the main thing keeping them apart is just timing of stuff relating to events on the submarine and the mystery plot. 

Spoiler

Even after they kiss, they're mostly focused on the mystery/plot without much time/focus on their burgeoning relationship, and then in the end they get married, the end.

  There just isn't a whole lot of development or change in their relationship throughout the book which is the part of romance plots that I typically gravitate towards, so this one didn't really do it for me, even though I liked both Sam and Hazel a lot and thought they were sweet together.  

I did find the mystery interesting, possibly the most interesting of the series, although it's been about a year since I read the first two, and I don't fully remember what went on in those.  I definitely didn't guess exactly what was going on with Marit and the count and all of that. 

Spoiler

I will say that I didn't fully get the point of Renton attacking Sally other than to give Sam and Hazel a reason to doubt the count and be suspicious of the situation, but I thought they already WERE a bit wary of everything, so idk if it was super necessary?

 

Anyways, I still enjoyed reading this, even if the romance wasn't the type I typically go for, and I enjoyed seeing Hazel and Sam work together as a team.  I'm guessing there'll be another book with Oliver/Emme as the main pairing (probably Cinderella-related given the couple references to her step-family?), and I really enjoy this series and the setting and the characters, so I'll be happy to read it if that's the case.

linaria's review against another edition

2.0

It's sad when I was way more interested in a side character's exploits than in the hero or heroine. I found myself hoping that Eugene was going to be a romantic lead or something because I just was not into Sam and Hazel and no amount of trying helped. I think it's because I found the plot very stagnant until they actually got to Romania, and then the plot was WILD. Hazel and Sam were both hopelessly naive and the plot with the resurrection just absolutely lost me.

I think that more established fans of Nancy Campbell Allen will appreciate this installment, and I have no doubt I will read the next one. However, I do hope that the series goes back to the steampunk fairytale roots in the next installment.

leslie_books_and_socks_rock's review against another edition

4.0

I have loved the first two Steampunk books by Allen. I have really come to love Rapunzel retellings and was excited to see what Allan could do with it with the steampunk element. These books can be read as a stand alone but I think you really need to read the first two as other characters and events from those books are mentioned throughout. I felt it was a little slow at the beginning but I loved the submersible. I loved the history and magic she incorporated. I loved Eugene and Sam. I felt the ending was resolved a little too quickly, not as big of a "battle" as the second book, but still enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the fourth book. I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

heather_pluim's review against another edition

5.0

I love a good fairytale retelling and this one was amazing! I can't wait for the next one.

kristaallysa's review against another edition

3.0

Hazel and Sam set off on a long journey, from London to Romania, at the request of Hazel's long lost uncle in order to help save a sister she didn't even know existed. 

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, so had high expectations for this one. The Lady in the Coppergate Tower had an interesting premise, but the storytelling fell flat for me. It seemed like it was a whole book where very little happened. There was little character development, and I really didn't care much about them. The plot, which could have been very interesting, ended up feeling rather bland.

The best part of the book was the automaton, Eugene. He was funny and added some interest to an otherwise kinda meh story.

amelia990's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I'd summarize the book in one sentence by saying this story follows Hazel and Sam as they travel to Eastern Europe with Hazel's long-lost uncle after learning Hazel's twin sister is in trouble and that Hazel is the only one who can help.  The book was fine, although I found the summary provided on the book misleading.  The front cover says the story is a steampunk Rapunzel retelling, which was part of why I picked it up.  I haven't seen a lot of Rapunzel retellings and there are interesting things that could be done with that story.  Unfortunately, there is very little from Rapunzel and only at the end where a few details from the fairy tale are wedged in despite not being needed for the plot.  The novel pulls far more inspiration from Bram Stoker's Dracula than it does from Rapunzel.  (Although don't worry if you don't like horror; there is no horror here).  The other thing I was promised from the book cover was that the two leads were pining but struggling with a class divide.  This is mentioned maybe twice and resolved in the first couple chapters; it's not an ongoing plot complication.  I would have happily overlooked the misleading nature of the book cover had the book made me care about the characters, but neither felt very well developed and I felt no connection to either.  I'd call this one "could have been a cool idea, but failed in execution"