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dear_alice's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Okay, I bought this book for the beautiful cover and the interesting title... Not having a clue that I just picked up part 3 of a series. That didn't help. This is probably my first time reading a book with an autistic-reading protagonist. It offered an interesting perspective... but was, at times, also exasperating to read her continuous misunderstanding of idioms. Then again, perhaps that says more about my own ableism that I was not aware of. The characters grew on me, became more charming. The intimate scenes were spectacularly well-written and offered insight in handling those as a neurodiverse person with sensory issues and mental overload. The overall "plot" and other characters though... too much #lolrandom for my taste. But still 3,5 stars for ingenuity and originality and offering insight in people with differently-wired brains.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
attolis's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
4.5
Yeah. Ok
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.75
This third book in the Dangerous Damsels collection has a lot more going for it than the previous titles, though your mileage may vary. Personally I am in love with it because I finally feel represented in a romance story.
As in previous books the action focuses around the pirates, who dress big, and use magic to fly around in houses, (avoiding sun and freckles), and with gallant rumbistification (a word coined by a different Kiwi author so I'm sticking to it), witches who don't exist and while not doing so use magic to move objects around and artfully assault any who would come into conflict with them. Add to this Her Majesty's spies, a.. downstairs network of handmaids, butlers and sundry help in deep cover attempting to keep the other two factions away from each other while protecting the interests of The Crown.
While the other 2 books were, nerdy, bookish, sex-positive, and loaded with Jane Austen-like verbal jousting, a new element is introduced in the narrative - that of hyper-literal Autism. When a couple of your main characters are being baffled by deft social-maneuvering and would rather slip off into a quiet room and read some poetry, all of a sudden this storytelling becomes entirely relatable.
OOof, this book made me catch feels. When your two main characters are Autistic, and kept under thumb by a manipulative organisation that praises them for being gifted and efficient, while gaslighting them and encouraging them lean into their tendency to ignore their emotions, this all gets a little DARK. Traumatised orphans, trained to excellence, trained to follow rules and orders, punished into compliance, and thus developing idiosyncratic coping strategies... is all a bit close to home.
As far as romance and sexytimes is concerned these two are so marvellous. They are very broken by their previous experiences, but start their navigation of each other by co-regulating, making each other feel safe, discussing their needs and expectations beforehand, identifying their triggers and sensory differences, and trying to get the hang of how their own feelings work. It's a work of art, and I loved the journey. Very saucy.. and neuro-spicy.
Again, your mileage may vary, but I am the target audience.
As in previous books the action focuses around the pirates, who dress big, and use magic to fly around in houses, (avoiding sun and freckles), and with gallant rumbistification (a word coined by a different Kiwi author so I'm sticking to it), witches who don't exist and while not doing so use magic to move objects around and artfully assault any who would come into conflict with them. Add to this Her Majesty's spies, a.. downstairs network of handmaids, butlers and sundry help in deep cover attempting to keep the other two factions away from each other while protecting the interests of The Crown.
While the other 2 books were, nerdy, bookish, sex-positive, and loaded with Jane Austen-like verbal jousting, a new element is introduced in the narrative - that of hyper-literal Autism. When a couple of your main characters are being baffled by deft social-maneuvering and would rather slip off into a quiet room and read some poetry, all of a sudden this storytelling becomes entirely relatable.
OOof, this book made me catch feels. When your two main characters are Autistic, and kept under thumb by a manipulative organisation that praises them for being gifted and efficient, while gaslighting them and encouraging them lean into their tendency to ignore their emotions, this all gets a little DARK. Traumatised orphans, trained to excellence, trained to follow rules and orders, punished into compliance, and thus developing idiosyncratic coping strategies... is all a bit close to home.
As far as romance and sexytimes is concerned these two are so marvellous. They are very broken by their previous experiences, but start their navigation of each other by co-regulating, making each other feel safe, discussing their needs and expectations beforehand, identifying their triggers and sensory differences, and trying to get the hang of how their own feelings work. It's a work of art, and I loved the journey. Very saucy.. and neuro-spicy.
Again, your mileage may vary, but I am the target audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death and Pregnancy
itsbexx's review against another edition
adventurous
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
lacyparrish's review against another edition
5.0
This book is perfection ... and I don't say that lightly. Ideally, it would be best if you read the previous offerings in the trilogy to maximize your enjoyment of this instalment. Meeting the pirates and witches, being familiar with all of the side characters and established relationships, and comfort level with the writing style is important to its perfection. That said, I feel like Alice and Daniel are the strongest of the main couples and are working towards the same goal from the beginning, being A.U.N.T. operatives. The references and callbacks to classic British literature are the cherry on top of a perfectly balanced sundae. To my delight, there is a preview of a new series that India Holton has coming out in 2024 ... perfectly placed to assuage my dismay at this book being finished, as more shenanigans are to come!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
samchase112's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A delightful end to the series, complete with all the wackiness and heart I’ve come to except. While this sadly wasn’t my favorite — that title goes to The League of Gentlewoman Witches — I flew through it and still enjoy the world it takes place in. I was excited to read about Alice and Daniel, but sadly their characters fell a bit flat for me, especially since we barely got any Daniel POV (only when he was lusting or meeting friends??). Mainly, I was just looking for more; more character, more cohesive plot. But all in all, I’m sad to leave this series behind!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Abandonment
jencolumb0's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Utterly bonkers, but with tremendous heart and wry wit. Like the first book in this series, I find Holton’s writing style to be so visual and precise in their description and action-packed that I, honestly, would prefer them as movies. (Total bonus if Baz Luhrmann could direct and I’ve already worked out a lot of the cast.) While it took a bit of effort to focus on the story and not the cinematography I’d want to see, the emotional territory explored by Holton in the resolution (and Epilogue) was worth the effort to become engrossed in the story. I was also really delighted with the neurodiversity represented in the characters.
A word about the content warnings: while there is, technically, a lot of physical violence included in this book, 95% of it is of such a campy variety that the characters survive (and most are downright cheery about it - IYKYK). The other little bit is also survived by all parties, ultimately challenged, and resolved.The most difficult parts are fleeting and involve rather limited mentions of draconian school policies involving corporal punishment.
A word about the content warnings: while there is, technically, a lot of physical violence included in this book, 95% of it is of such a campy variety that the characters survive (and most are downright cheery about it - IYKYK). The other little bit is also survived by all parties, ultimately challenged, and resolved.The most difficult parts are fleeting and involve rather limited mentions of draconian school policies involving corporal punishment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Forced institutionalization
shaipanda's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I’ve been in such a reading slump most of this year so this took me a while to finish but I loved ittt - it was completely ridiculous but super fun and had a really great time reading it :) it really gripped me esp in the second half
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
annikaa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
what I liked
- had some of my favourite tropes (fake dating, secret identities, rivals)
- Alice was such a badass
- Daniel was a badass with hidden softness (my weakness)
- I really liked the neurodivergent (autism) representation
- funny
- very charming and witty writing style
- I loved all the references to books as well as all the literary quotes (and misquotes)
- the chapter titles were very innovative and I liked them a lot (they really added to the overall witty writing style)
what I didn’t like
- a little hard to get into at first (probably due to the fact that I read the third book in the series first and that I haven’t really read any historical fiction yet. Also, as someone whose first language isn’t English, the writing style took a little while to get used to)
- the middle part was dragging a bit (it wasn’t really much happening plot-wise)
- the reveal that
Dr. Snodgrass was the secret villain was no surprise to me (he was more of a caricature than a character)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content