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vireogirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
shinypurplepants's review
5.0
I called many but not all twists in the mystery and loved the eventual reveal. Absolutely favorite read of the year so far! Cannot wait for book two???
Moderate: Misogyny and Murder
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
aria_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy
bessadams's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Suicide, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Classism
silver_valkyrie_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It started off strong, with clear homages to Jane Austen, without trying to replicate her style. (I could have imagine Austen reading this book with chuckle, in fact.)
My usual annoyance with complaints about the harsh social restrictions of the Regency world was abrogated by clearly making these harsh restrictions in an alternate history and so over the top as to be amusing.
Things started to peter out toward the end though... The societal complaints took on a more generic feminist flavor, and in general the characters devolved a bit towards being just the usual you'd expect from any Regency knockoff.
I found the character arcs to be completely predictable (including who must turn out to be the murderer) but found the other mysterious elements actually baffling until revealed, which was rather fun.
Overall, worth reading if you love good writing and witty humor, as long as you don't mind a weak ending.
(Also, this is probably just a personal thing, but I found the references to snot and saliva needlessly icky and gross.)
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy
angorarabbit's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
things100's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death of parent
tabookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: War
miniingrid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Hay puntos un poco previsibles, pero otros han conseguido despistarme y se agradece en una novela de este tipo.
Me alegro de no haber abandonado, ha sido divertido.
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Confinement, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
beepbeep101's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Our fearless heroine, Beatrice Steele, navigates her love of solving true crime while trying to also adhere to the comically strict social expectations of a proper lady in her native Swampshire in this Regency-era tale complete with inclement weather of eyeball-sized hail, dangerous squelch holes, luminescent frogs leaping across the moors, more secrets than rooms in a country mansion, a rakish Wickham character with a good heart, a wonderfully batty spinster, a leering and malodorous rich cousin, a possible (probable) werewolf, and the blandes- I mean, most agreeable, eligible young bachelor of ten thousand a year. Ten thousand what? Mary may never know.
Fans of both Jane Austen and Agatha Christie will catch numerous references throughout this “loving pastiche,” as the author puts it, that made me laugh out loud multiple times.
Excellent, excellent, want to read more by this author. No dragons, yes werewolf.
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol