Scan barcode
ellelainey's review
4.0
Madame Destine is incredible. I love Cornelius Quaint and his relationship with Destine, but I also love that she's getting a bigger part in the story here. She's a great character and deserves this time in the spotlight.
I love that we get to see more of both Cornelius' and Destine's pasts and how they intersected without either of them knowing about it beforehand.
I love that we get to see more of both Cornelius' and Destine's pasts and how they intersected without either of them knowing about it beforehand.
ajraffles's review
4.0
I still continue to loathe that Goodreads doesn't have a half star system. For most of the book, I was set on giving this three stars, but the last half to third of it really pushed it to 3.5 stars for me. Too bad this site doesn't allow it...
So for all intents and purposes, do pretend it has a 3.5 rating from me. I gave it four because I decided that it was better rather than worse and so went down that path.
I felt for the first book that the author tried (a bit) to use Victorian lingo and jargon, but in the second book was like "eh, what the hey" and largely went without. People have complained enough about it, but it doesn't really concern me too much (and I say this as a great lover of all things Victorian--you honestly have no idea).
People have also complained about the weapon that leads into the third book (which I have neither read nor possess at this current time). There was a theory that came out in 1849 that proposed bacteria to be the cause of cholera, but the man proposing it and the theory itself was largely dismissed. So people were kicking the proposal around at roughly the time the book is set. I understand the journal details from 1833, but it isn't like he's writing about 1347 and he has a peasant saying "BY JOVE, I BELIEVE BACTERIUM TO BE THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR ILLS".
Maybe I am just biased; I don't know. I just love Cornelius Quaint. He checks off my "really great name with a fine ring to it" box and he's the hero you just enjoy reading about. I thought it might have been a bit better if Destine didn't fall (yet again) to be the bait to rile up Quaint, but I suppose it can't be helped.
I think it's a pretty solid book. It starts off a little slow; slower to me than did the previous one considering the first started off with a murder. Regardless, by the halfway mark you don't want to put it down and want to power through to the end to see how Quaint pulls his (and, I suppose, the world's) bacon out of the fire.
Can't wait to get and read the third book!!!
So for all intents and purposes, do pretend it has a 3.5 rating from me. I gave it four because I decided that it was better rather than worse and so went down that path.
I felt for the first book that the author tried (a bit) to use Victorian lingo and jargon, but in the second book was like "eh, what the hey" and largely went without. People have complained enough about it, but it doesn't really concern me too much (and I say this as a great lover of all things Victorian--you honestly have no idea).
People have also complained about the weapon that leads into the third book (which I have neither read nor possess at this current time). There was a theory that came out in 1849 that proposed bacteria to be the cause of cholera, but the man proposing it and the theory itself was largely dismissed. So people were kicking the proposal around at roughly the time the book is set. I understand the journal details from 1833, but it isn't like he's writing about 1347 and he has a peasant saying "BY JOVE, I BELIEVE BACTERIUM TO BE THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR ILLS".
Maybe I am just biased; I don't know. I just love Cornelius Quaint. He checks off my "really great name with a fine ring to it" box and he's the hero you just enjoy reading about. I thought it might have been a bit better if Destine didn't fall (yet again) to be the bait to rile up Quaint, but I suppose it can't be helped.
I think it's a pretty solid book. It starts off a little slow; slower to me than did the previous one considering the first started off with a murder. Regardless, by the halfway mark you don't want to put it down and want to power through to the end to see how Quaint pulls his (and, I suppose, the world's) bacon out of the fire.
Can't wait to get and read the third book!!!
More...