lizzy_22's review against another edition
4.0
Rounding up because while Gilded still has some of the issues I complained about in Tarnished THE ENDING (!!) just about made me scream!! Our dear Miss St. Croix is at quite a crossroads as this story ends and I literally have no idea what direction she will go and how it will all shake out. Where is book 3?! I don't even see mention of it and that makes me sad!
loishojmark's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know how to rate this book. It is not well written, but still it evoked at lot of feelings reading this... mostly of the WTF kind and Noooo! I hate the ending! But I guess that's kind if the point. I mean what's there to like?!? But if a book conjures so many feelings in me, the writer must have done something right.
Cherry... oh my god... for a smart girl she does a lot of stupid things. I almost dread reading the next book in the series.
Cherry... oh my god... for a smart girl she does a lot of stupid things. I almost dread reading the next book in the series.
beth_dawkins's review against another edition
3.0
Cherry St. Croix is a society lady by day, but at night she is a collector. A collector is something like a bounty hunter who flies under the radar, or in this case below the drift. There is a kind of fog that surrounds most of London. Most of society lives above it for the most part. Cherry is invited to a luncheon and given a mystery that leads her to a dead college professor. As she is piecing together the mystery and Earl decides to court her.
Gilded is the second book of Karina Cooper’s The St. Croix Chronicles. It took me a little while to get used to the tone of the novel. Cherry starts out in her collector disguise, and then moved to her getting home. I was thrown by it, not only because of the double lives, but because she seemed to self-aware and independent on the street and the complete opposite at home. I didn’t read the first book, Tarnished. It did fill in some of the background that happened in the first book, but some parts were a little confusing. In other words, it’s best to start with book one.
My favorite thing about this book, other than the jaw dropping ending, is that I had no idea how versatile Cooper is. The tone of the novel is completely different from anything I have ever read by her. I thought when I opened the book it would remind me of her Paranormal series, but it didn’t. Instead it surprised me.
Let’s be honest, history wasn’t that great to women. Steam Punk has a funny nature about carrying over some of the things I don’t like about the Victorian age. All those manners, all those rules give me the shivers. Cherry would agree with me, the difference is she has to live it. The problem here though is that while she is a no fear kind of girl, she does fear the social elite. This kept me at a distance from her. So much of her claims not to care, but in that she is very dishonest, she does care or it wouldn’t give her fits.
I haven’t gone hardcore into the plot, and that’s because it’s hard without being spoilerish. I have said there is a mystery, and who is dead, but there is a lot more going on. She is being pursued for her hand by an Earl, who isn’t bad looking. This rivaled for my attention when it came down to it. This isn’t something that takes a back seat in the plot. Everything is connected in some way, but the main mystery opens doors to bigger ones like her family’s past. Even the Earl’s family provides little hidden details into what, or who her parents were as people. There are some serious secrets playing in the background of the overall plot line.
I mentioned the jaw dropping ending. Actually, the very end wasn’t so jaw dropping, but the space right before it. Gilded took me by surprise. It wasn’t something I expected, and it has a lot more flavor than other Steam Punk novels out there. The main character isn’t my favorite. I felt distant from Cherry and her ever wandering mind. The dead professor mystery seemed a little bland, and not for me. On the other hand a glimpse at the bigger picture going on behind the actually story held my interest. I often say, ‘yea, that novel didn’t go far enough.’ That’s not true here. I was pleasantly surprised by how far it went.
Gilded is the second book of Karina Cooper’s The St. Croix Chronicles. It took me a little while to get used to the tone of the novel. Cherry starts out in her collector disguise, and then moved to her getting home. I was thrown by it, not only because of the double lives, but because she seemed to self-aware and independent on the street and the complete opposite at home. I didn’t read the first book, Tarnished. It did fill in some of the background that happened in the first book, but some parts were a little confusing. In other words, it’s best to start with book one.
My favorite thing about this book, other than the jaw dropping ending, is that I had no idea how versatile Cooper is. The tone of the novel is completely different from anything I have ever read by her. I thought when I opened the book it would remind me of her Paranormal series, but it didn’t. Instead it surprised me.
Let’s be honest, history wasn’t that great to women. Steam Punk has a funny nature about carrying over some of the things I don’t like about the Victorian age. All those manners, all those rules give me the shivers. Cherry would agree with me, the difference is she has to live it. The problem here though is that while she is a no fear kind of girl, she does fear the social elite. This kept me at a distance from her. So much of her claims not to care, but in that she is very dishonest, she does care or it wouldn’t give her fits.
I haven’t gone hardcore into the plot, and that’s because it’s hard without being spoilerish. I have said there is a mystery, and who is dead, but there is a lot more going on. She is being pursued for her hand by an Earl, who isn’t bad looking. This rivaled for my attention when it came down to it. This isn’t something that takes a back seat in the plot. Everything is connected in some way, but the main mystery opens doors to bigger ones like her family’s past. Even the Earl’s family provides little hidden details into what, or who her parents were as people. There are some serious secrets playing in the background of the overall plot line.
I mentioned the jaw dropping ending. Actually, the very end wasn’t so jaw dropping, but the space right before it. Gilded took me by surprise. It wasn’t something I expected, and it has a lot more flavor than other Steam Punk novels out there. The main character isn’t my favorite. I felt distant from Cherry and her ever wandering mind. The dead professor mystery seemed a little bland, and not for me. On the other hand a glimpse at the bigger picture going on behind the actually story held my interest. I often say, ‘yea, that novel didn’t go far enough.’ That’s not true here. I was pleasantly surprised by how far it went.
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
This wasn't necessarily bad, but despite finding the first book in the series decent I couldn't really find the interest in reading further.
eliz_s's review against another edition
1.0
The pacing is all wrong in this book. I got almost a quarter of the way through and encountered a lot of world-building & description, but not enough action or dialogue. Not enough to keep my interest, I'm afraid.
stefhyena's review against another edition
2.0
Seemed promising to begin with but was very disappointing. It gets two stars (one and a half really I suppose) because it had patches of feminism and even though I think in many ways Cherry was a sell-out there wasn't the more obvious romantic bent to that.
It's a well imagined steampunk world with potentially fertile explorations of class, gender, social mobility, wealth and identity. It seems to degenerate more often than not into the spectacular (by which I mean the chapter is just a spectacle with no real content) of clothes, settings and movie-like sets. Characters seemed to be underdeveloped and there are some troubling stereotypes: e.g. the good feminist is attractive, radiates sexuality and a sort of tragedy whereas the bad feminist is unattractive (to men, to society women) and really just a hyena in a petticoat. Women are uncomlicated back-stabbing bitches and women's power is mean-girl power.
The relationship between Cherry and Zylphia (did I get that right? she was elusive enough in the book for me to be unsure) was also promising but underdeveloped. Cherry seems to see nothing untoward or troubling at her "friend" waiting on her, staying up to do her errands after she collapses exhausted and being less than a confidant and less significant to her than the initially discarded earl. Zylphia is a racialised, exoticised non-event in a book that pays lip-service to feminism and women's relationships but seems to find equal relationships between anyone not only too hard to manage, but not necessary.
Consider p329: '"leave it to me my future countess" he repeated firmly "I will take care of you"'. Sure within the plot as a whole that is somewhat ironic...extremely ironic but nevertheless it sums up the earls whole (2 dimensional) personality very simply. He in fact does nothing to alleviate any of the suffering he is part of (like the bullying of his mother) does not even have anything to say to her that is remotely supportive or helpful, simply abandons her to all that and dangles material advantage to force her to accept his proposal because she could grow to feel affection for him.
The opium theme through the book was sort of excessive and tiresome (as other reviewers have pointed out) and the constant minute description of clothing and society people made me doubt the author's commitment to the ideas of agency, action and women's empowerment espoused in part of the book. Hawke was sickening and I didn't need him lingered on as somehow attractive in his misogyny and exploitative attitude.
Worst of all the ending. I just can't and won't read the next in the series considering where she is bound next.
It's a shame because all the two tiered fog/aether society and the access to university stuff and the many sorts of diversities on the fringes of the novel could have made the novel (with it's alchemical, pseudo-scientific and mystery aspects) really, really mindblowingly good. If it didn't degenerate into titillation (that didn't work for me) and spectacle.
It's a well imagined steampunk world with potentially fertile explorations of class, gender, social mobility, wealth and identity. It seems to degenerate more often than not into the spectacular (by which I mean the chapter is just a spectacle with no real content) of clothes, settings and movie-like sets. Characters seemed to be underdeveloped and there are some troubling stereotypes: e.g. the good feminist is attractive, radiates sexuality and a sort of tragedy whereas the bad feminist is unattractive (to men, to society women) and really just a hyena in a petticoat. Women are uncomlicated back-stabbing bitches and women's power is mean-girl power.
The relationship between Cherry and Zylphia (did I get that right? she was elusive enough in the book for me to be unsure) was also promising but underdeveloped. Cherry seems to see nothing untoward or troubling at her "friend" waiting on her, staying up to do her errands after she collapses exhausted and being less than a confidant and less significant to her than the initially discarded earl. Zylphia is a racialised, exoticised non-event in a book that pays lip-service to feminism and women's relationships but seems to find equal relationships between anyone not only too hard to manage, but not necessary.
Consider p329: '"leave it to me my future countess" he repeated firmly "I will take care of you"'. Sure within the plot as a whole that is somewhat ironic...extremely ironic but nevertheless it sums up the earls whole (2 dimensional) personality very simply. He in fact does nothing to alleviate any of the suffering he is part of (like the bullying of his mother) does not even have anything to say to her that is remotely supportive or helpful, simply abandons her to all that and dangles material advantage to force her to accept his proposal because she could grow to feel affection for him.
The opium theme through the book was sort of excessive and tiresome (as other reviewers have pointed out) and the constant minute description of clothing and society people made me doubt the author's commitment to the ideas of agency, action and women's empowerment espoused in part of the book. Hawke was sickening and I didn't need him lingered on as somehow attractive in his misogyny and exploitative attitude.
Worst of all the ending. I just can't and won't read the next in the series considering where she is bound next.
It's a shame because all the two tiered fog/aether society and the access to university stuff and the many sorts of diversities on the fringes of the novel could have made the novel (with it's alchemical, pseudo-scientific and mystery aspects) really, really mindblowingly good. If it didn't degenerate into titillation (that didn't work for me) and spectacle.
imjustcupcake's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book a lot, more than the first one. It was faster paced, and not as odd at the previous. There are still a lot of unanswered questions.
One of my predictions was proven very false. I now have a new prediction for the same thing, but really who knows.
I truly hope that it doesn't take too long for the next one to be out. I need to know what happens to Cherry.
One of my predictions was proven very false. I now have a new prediction for the same thing, but really who knows.
I truly hope that it doesn't take too long for the next one to be out. I need to know what happens to Cherry.
catcrowcandle's review
1.0
I don't remember if I even finished this. I tried this book (the second in the series) to give the series one more chance. It doesn't get a third.
cejaypi's review
4.0
Clever worldbuilding and heartbreaking moments, a flawed heroine and gruesome mysteries - I am really enjoying this series!
silky_octopus's review
3.0
Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that twist!
This novel feels like its setting up a lot of mysteries to be explored in future novels, and in some ways the ending made it feel like I'm halfway through a longer novel, so naturally I've plunged straight into the next volume. I have the feeling that the heavy focus above the fog in this novel will mean that the next will delve resolutely below, and I'm really looking forward to some confrontations between Cherry and her hidden antagonists.
Cherry felt out of her depth in a lot of this novel when it came to high society, but with what looks like an interesting potential ally was established fairly well in this novel and I'll be disappointed if there isn't more on that front in the next. I'm also wondering how much further Cherry's opium addiction is going to be explored...
This novel feels like its setting up a lot of mysteries to be explored in future novels, and in some ways the ending made it feel like I'm halfway through a longer novel, so naturally I've plunged straight into the next volume. I have the feeling that the heavy focus above the fog in this novel will mean that the next will delve resolutely below, and I'm really looking forward to some confrontations between Cherry and her hidden antagonists.
Cherry felt out of her depth in a lot of this novel when it came to high society, but with what looks like an interesting potential ally was established fairly well in this novel and I'll be disappointed if there isn't more on that front in the next. I'm also wondering how much further Cherry's opium addiction is going to be explored...
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