Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

23 reviews

jencolumb0's review against another edition

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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.
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meghanm404's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing tense 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? Yes

3.75

Although the gimmick of “the Dangerous Damsels” is getting a bit stale, this book is still charming, littered with literary references, cheeky, and has the best pairing/situation in the entire trilogy. 
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shaipanda's review against another edition

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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 
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nenaveenstra's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? No

4.0

This book was incredibly funny and I - as an autistic person - really related to Alice and Daniel. Without saying it outright, this book is a great representation of what being autistic is like (although I wouldn't say we are all as naive/innocent...). I laughed out loud several times, and I also wiped away tears. The romance was very slow, though. 

I think I would love this book even more upon reread, now knowing what to expect. I miss these characters already.
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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious 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

3.0

The first and second book in this series were gifted to me by Michael Joseph Penguin Publishing and when I saw that the third book was released, I had to find out how it ended. I didn’t overly enjoy the first two books, so I didn’t have high hopes for this, and it was okay just not mind blowing. 
 
This book has two points of view. The first is Alice also known as Agent A and she is the top operative within the Agency of Undercover Note Takers, a secret government intelligence group that is fortunately better at espionage than at naming itself. From managing deceptive witches to bored aristocratic ladies, nothing is beyond Alice’s capabilities. She has a steely composure and a plan always up her sleeve. So when rumours of an assassination plot begins to circulate, she’s immediately assigned to the case. But she’s not working alone. Daniel Bixby, otherwise knowns as Agent B and Alice’s greatest rival, is given the most challenging undercover assignment of his life – pretending to be Alice’s husband. Together they will assume the identity of a married couple, infiltrate a pirate house party and foil their plans. Determined to remain consummate professionals, Alice and Daniel must ignore the growing attraction between them, especially since acting on it might prove more dangerous than their target.  

If you are wanting enemies-to-lovers – this isn’t it. This book is two people denying their feelings for 200 pages and one of them pretending to hate the other and the other of them having a crush on them but having conflicted feelings about. The only saving grace of this book was the dual POV and hearing Daniel’s thoughts and him being protective of Alice.  

I think this book would have actual enemies-to-lovers instead of fake dating and pretending to hate each other. I wanted to know the conflict and why they hated each other and none of them had a valid reason. Another issue I had with this book was I was waiting for something to happen, anything to happen that when the big “villain” got revealed I was almost rooting for him because this book was just a bunch of filler pages until the reveal. I would have liked the separation after the mission to have been longer, but it was like they are forced apart in one chapter and back together in the next.  

Throughout this series, all I've wanted was more from it and never got it. It was an alright read but I don’t think I'll re-read them again.  
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kshertz's review against another edition

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funny mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

I love this whole series. These spies for the pirates are adorable. You root for agent A and agent B the whole time. It’s so smart. The humor makes me laugh aloud which is so hard to do. I love these witches. And these pirates. And their butlers and maids. I’ll keep going with this series for as long as this author wants to write them 
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middle_name_joy's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Love this series to pieces. ❤️
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sydapel's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny slow-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? It's complicated

2.75

The core relationship between Daniel and Alice really drives this book, and while their dynamic is wonderful, to me it suffered from not delving into particularly Alice's previous abuse. There's this weird disconnect between the quirky situations the characters find themselves in and a really tragic past I wanted more from. I also did not understand what the larger plot of this was at all, which was frustrating. I maintain that these are fun and silly and I probably shouldn't be thinking about this in too much depth, but oh well, that's my ouvre
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purplepenning's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

"You are a professional."
"Yes, ma'am," Alice said.
"You would never behave in a manner contrary to the agency's Code of Conduct."
"No, ma'am."
"Because this is a thriller, not a romance, isn't that so, Agent A?"
"Yes, ma'am."

The final thrillingly fantastical romantic farce in India Holton's Dangerous Damsels series is even more packed with literary (mis)quotes, (mis)adventures, and innuendo. And this time with two book-nerd protagonists — Alice (Agent A) and Bixby (Agent B) — who steal our hearts and have us instantly under the spells as if they were born to piracy or witchcraft instead of the secret service. 

“Reading is not a hobby,” she said. “It is a way of life.” He was silent a moment as he considered this, then he nodded in agreement." 

Alice and Bixby, two orphans who were (mis)educated  and molded into top agents, are clearly the heart of this story, but readers of the series will be happy to find that Cecilia and Ned, Charlotte and Alex, and the elderly piratical matriarchs all have significant roles here at the end — and at the end of the end in a surprisingly touching epilogue that champions female friendship and found family.

It's the middle of the story that lags a bit for me. Alice and Bixby's undercover attempts to find a weapon at a house party of pirates drags on a bit long for my tastes, though there are plenty of pirate shenanigans and (un)veiled sexual tension to keep most readers happy.

Besides Alice and Bixby's relationship (superb), the good-natured lampooning of the literary (always amusing), and the incorporation of past characters, the rambunctiously intelligent writing voice is what makes me a fan of these books. The Secret Service of Tea and Treason reaches Terry-Pratchett-levels of a sort of anthropocentric metaphoring that I never cease to find blazingly brilliant and absurdly amusing.

His brain ran around shouting urgent orders and waving red flags, trying to forestall an eruption of emotion he absolutely could not afford... And his heart, sighing in defeat, packed up all its wild and hungry longings and went to hide under a blanket.

Daniel and Alice exchanged a glance that didn't know whether to be amused or anxious, but that mostly wished it could go sit in a corner somewhere and read a book.

A laugh sounded... It was dry, brief; the kind of laugh that has eyes in the back of its head and just knows when you're about to do something stupid.    

As the silence lengthened, growing heavy with overtones, undertones, and implications, the air between them blushed, made up an excuse, and departed the room in awkward haste. 
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