mint9's review against another edition
4.0
This book stayed on my shelve pretty long time unread but when I finished it I couldn't stop thinking about it.
This book was interesting, a bit creepy, had the moments were I couldn't stop reading it. This book gave me the chills. I could probably talk about this book for hours and wouldn't have said everything.
After all I fell like this book was a bit to much for me. But I would still give this book a 4/5 stars. This book is definitely worth to read.
This book was interesting, a bit creepy, had the moments were I couldn't stop reading it. This book gave me the chills. I could probably talk about this book for hours and wouldn't have said everything.
After all I fell like this book was a bit to much for me. But I would still give this book a 4/5 stars. This book is definitely worth to read.
lenemsl's review against another edition
I saw someone recommend this one if you wanted something that felt like House of Hollow, and gave it a shot.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The world it was set in, the characters, the unraveling of the mystery of what was going on. Even the bad characters mostly had motivations and depths to them that balanced them out, and the characters that were supposedly good came with their own flaws and gave the narrative and story a nuance I really apprechiated.
I see the comparison to House of Hollow, in the link between sisters trying to untangle a supernatural conundrum. It is also in many ways different. Its set in a different time and the angle and nature of the supernatural element is different. While I enjoyed the prose, and it has been quite some time since I read HoH now, I believe it is less flowery purple prose and more coloured by the time it is set in.
If I were to compare I am too much of a sucker for purple prose done well, and prefer HoH for that, but beyond that I truly enjoyed this story and was very invested in seeing how it would play out and if the characters I grew to care for would be ok in the end or not, and what that would even look like.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The world it was set in, the characters, the unraveling of the mystery of what was going on. Even the bad characters mostly had motivations and depths to them that balanced them out, and the characters that were supposedly good came with their own flaws and gave the narrative and story a nuance I really apprechiated.
I see the comparison to House of Hollow, in the link between sisters trying to untangle a supernatural conundrum. It is also in many ways different. Its set in a different time and the angle and nature of the supernatural element is different. While I enjoyed the prose, and it has been quite some time since I read HoH now, I believe it is less flowery purple prose and more coloured by the time it is set in.
If I were to compare I am too much of a sucker for purple prose done well, and prefer HoH for that, but beyond that I truly enjoyed this story and was very invested in seeing how it would play out and if the characters I grew to care for would be ok in the end or not, and what that would even look like.
emily_7's review against another edition
1.0
It doesn't even deserve a rating just so bad, usually I give books a chance and I feel bad when I stop reading one but I could not continue. Oh wow she had an accident and her parents don't let her do anything and the pure suspense of wanting to find more about her brother and the way Triss treats her. It didn't grip me and to be honest I didn't want to find out more. There was nothing that was good about it, compared to all those amazing YA novels it didn't achieve any of my interest what so ever!
ALL THESE BOOKS I'VE READ ON CARNEGIE ARE SO BAD :( :'(
ALL THESE BOOKS I'VE READ ON CARNEGIE ARE SO BAD :( :'(
aliciablack's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
aratecla_the_bookrat's review against another edition
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book but I have to admit that I liked it more than I expected given that I wasn't liking at all at the beginning.
We follow the story of Triss, then not-Triss, finally Trista, and the Crescent family with evil creatures and weird things happening in the town of Ellchester. The historical setting is some time after the First World War and the devastating aftermath of it seep throughout the book. This is a dark and peculiar coming of age novel with likeable main characters.
There were some passages that touched me, especially the ones regarding the relationship between Trista and Pen, but above all I admired the resilience and determination of Trista.
I do feel though that some scenes did not serve any purpose whilst I expected others to be expanded on to make the story whole. In addition, I felt a crescendo of suspense that even if resolved in the end, did not have the expected effect, at least on me.
I am happy I read it as it was an unexpected tale and I liked it more as I went on reading, but I feel there were some holes that resulted in a bit of dissatisfaction. I still recommend it as an interesting read nonetheless.
We follow the story of Triss, then not-Triss, finally Trista, and the Crescent family with evil creatures and weird things happening in the town of Ellchester. The historical setting is some time after the First World War and the devastating aftermath of it seep throughout the book. This is a dark and peculiar coming of age novel with likeable main characters.
There were some passages that touched me, especially the ones regarding the relationship between Trista and Pen, but above all I admired the resilience and determination of Trista.
I do feel though that some scenes did not serve any purpose whilst I expected others to be expanded on to make the story whole. In addition, I felt a crescendo of suspense that even if resolved in the end, did not have the expected effect, at least on me.
I am happy I read it as it was an unexpected tale and I liked it more as I went on reading, but I feel there were some holes that resulted in a bit of dissatisfaction. I still recommend it as an interesting read nonetheless.
thefoxy_booklady's review against another edition
The writing is REALLY hard to stay focused on. Which I think is more to the fact that it’s based in early London so the the way the talk is very different. Maybe if I had more time to read this slowly I would like it, but right now I’m finding myself not looking forward to reading it.
ruthmaloney's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Brilliant as always. Hardinge's descriptions never fail to amaze
flamingo2023's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0