ree_the_owlgirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Self harm, Child abuse, Confinement, Torture, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexism, Grief, and Racism
patorcer's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Torture
gemstonejasper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Was this book well written? No. Did it have good worldbuilding? No. Did I feel like I was in the early 1900s? No. Was it 100 pages too long? Yes. Could I predict the entire plot? Yes. But could I put it down? No.
I read this in three days (and it's around 500 pages). That's saying something because I have dyslexia and am a really slow reader. The story follows the love story of Jack and Wilhelm, the assistants to two rival magicians performing at the same fair in 1909. I personally think that's all you should go in knowing.
If I were a critic and rating this book solely on technical aspects, I would give it a 2.5-3 star rating. The writing is nothing special. It seemed like the characters repeated the same thing too many times. Therefore it could have probably been 100 pages shorter. I got immensely frustrated with every major character. It didn't even come close to making me feel like it took place in 1909 Seattle. I could predict the entire plot from a mile away (except for how exactly they defeated the villian).
That being said, I'm not a critic. I'm a general reader who picked up this book to be entertained. So I chose to rate it based on my enjoyment level. 4.5 stars. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but I really did enjoy this book and would read it again. I literally couldn't rip myself away. Maybe it was the two adorable queer romances. Maybe it was the magical feel of the world. Maybe I was genuinely terrified of the villian. Maybe I even grew attached to the two main characters and wanted to see them succeed.
There is one reason I'm not giving this a 5 star and that is because of a conscious choice the author made. The story takes place in 1909, meaning no person of color would have been treated as mildly as Ruth was treated by the white characters. There is also no way that the two queer couples (one of which is interracial) could have been out in the open without severe consequences. The author's note at the back of the book explains his reasoning behind this. He wanted to write a happy queer story. While I respect the decision he made, I also would not have chosen that direction myself. Because of this, I had a hard time immersing myself in the story. I had to take half a star for that decision.
Graphic: Racism, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Murder, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Medical content, Homophobia, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Sexism
monniebiloney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I loved the setting alot, and William and Jack were cute together. I loved how even though the "romance" was the main motivator for the main characters actions (it's because Jack liked William that he decided that he had to help William away from his' abusive "family", and it's because William was in love with Jack that he was willing to brave against his abusive "Father" ).
The best part of this book was definitely the climax,
Spoiler
the fact the MC told his "mother" about what happened and they all worked together to con Teddy so that Teddy would get arrested was great! I thought it was hilarious when the mom diches out with the gold. It's a slight plot hole that she decided to not tell Jack and just ditch out on him [it felt like that was done just so that Jack could be free, rather then something she would do]Moderate: Trafficking, Torture, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Sexism, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Stalking, Lesbophobia, and Racism
samthebookdevotee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Spoiler
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence and Racism
lastblossom'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
A beautiful queer romance front and center against a historical backdrop that sparks the imagination.
About
Jack Devin's great at sleight of hand, which is a good skill to have when your boss is a stage magician. He's also got flexible morals, which is a good mindset to have when your boss is ALSO a con artist. When Jack and his employer, the Enchantress, find themselves with a show at the Alaska Yukon Pacific World's Fair, it looks like the money's going to start flowing in. At least, until rival magician Laszlo appears with tricks that even Jack can't figure out. But Jack soon discovers he's much more interested in Laszlo's assistant, the quiet and enigmatic Wilhelm.
What I Liked
Stories about stage magicians are great. Even more when the author seems to respect the craft and the work that goes into it. Very little is spent on the actual magic, but all the tricks seem grounded and researched. Huuuge plus in my book. The setting - a World's Fair in Seattle - is full of potential and enthusiasm for the future, and the author does a great job of carrying the reader into that hopeful space. Both POVs are likable, and written with distinct voices, making the narrative easy to follow. The supporting cast are painted clearly with their own lives, dreams, and motivations. I've seen some descriptions liken this to The Prestige. It definitely had some similarities to the film (not the book, though), but it's a lot less dire of an ending, so I think I prefer this.
What Wasn't For Me
For a story about people who are also con artists, there was very little time spent on cons. The one we do get wasn't quite as twisty as I had hoped. But that feels like a very minor complaint overall.
Graphic: Confinement and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racism, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Torture, and Sexism
Minor: Colonisation
meliroo's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Racism, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Sexism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Torture, Vomit, and Murder
doylee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
I needed someone cute & queer & I got exactly that! Love that for myself. I love these fantastical historical fiction stories that allow the past to be a little better than it actually was. I was invested in this story fairly quickly & I was able to get to know & love (or hate) all the characters pretty quickly too which I love.
Sometimes I was confused a bit by the writing. And I almost never notice writing faults. Some scenes were very rushed & not descriptive enough for my taste & then sometimes the descriptions just didn’t really make sense in my mind.
Apart from that, this is a fun story that I really enjoyed after being in such a reading slump for all of February. It was quite sad at times but the overall emotion is pretty happy & I loved that.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Racism and Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Death of parent
aus10england's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Wow, my least reached genres are for sure historical fiction and fantasy, but in this case it just WORKED for me.
I found the main characters charming yet flawed, and their actions made sense with their character development.
I may be biased as a Seattleite, but I very much enjoyed being sent back to that time and learning some new history along the way. It was nice to have characters who were free to love in the 1910’s even though that would be very historically inaccurate for the time period obviously.
Overall, a great read that I’ll be thinking about for the rest of the year!
Graphic: Kidnapping, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Alcohol
greyys_library's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Vomit and Torture