midnightisquiet's review against another edition
I can't deal with the MC anymore. And I'm trying to keep in mind that she's only like 17, but still!
She's not like other girls! But at the same time she's desperately trying to be like one of Jane Austens heroines. She throws a fit and starts pouting when her parents tell her she has to marry to save the family estate, but like...honey, you're a high born english lady in 1817. Surely it's not such a surprise to you, that you have to marry at some point.
She's not like other girls! But at the same time she's desperately trying to be like one of Jane Austens heroines. She throws a fit and starts pouting when her parents tell her she has to marry to save the family estate, but like...honey, you're a high born english lady in 1817. Surely it's not such a surprise to you, that you have to marry at some point.
hannchilada's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, another book I wanted to rate 3.5 but rated 4 just because the concept amused me. I'm getting predictable!
The main character in Dangerous Alliance is the everywoman who loves Jane Austen (so, the everywoman). The concept is kitsch in the best possible way. The references aren't subtle, but if you read the subtitle and thought they would be, that's really on you. It's a little sad to me that this book wouldn't pass muster without the Austen references, but it's also the thing that refreshes a tired genre.
Vicky is charming enough, and, to me, she feels like a vessel for the reader. Hence, the everywoman. Her counterpart, Tom, is also kind of my ideal man. So, Jennieke Cohen, if you're reading this, I want to know how you got my diary. I don't know if I necessarily needed both POVs, though. I really enjoyed Tom's point of view, but I wonder if it couldn't be discovered by Vicky as the story continues. That way a lot of the suspense would be preserved.
Speaking of suspense, I appreciated that there was a twist at the end, but it didn't feel like there was enough build up to it.
To me, Athena and Vicky's relationship fell flat as well. You almost dislike Athena, and I don't think someone in her circumstances should be portrayed in such a way. Dain also felt like a very two-dimensional villain. Easy to hate, but also easy to put down.
The final chapter was unnecessarily cheesy. The tone as a whole really took away from the attempt at a Jane Austen imitation. I think there was just a lot of depth this novel was capable of, but it fell short. For example, I was on board with the themes, but they were presented in such a juvenile way. I think this lack of depth only contributes to the feeling that Dangerous Alliance is completely crutched on Jane Austen's fame. If the characters were more complex and the plot had more suspense, even more shameless Austen-plugging could have been put in without it coming across as too juvenile.
Heaven knows I love my shameless Austen-plugging.
This is a lot of critique for what ends up being an enjoyable book, so I won't revoke my 4 stars, because that's how I felt after closing it. Ultimately, if the concept sounds like it's up your alley, give it a read. Who'd give up the chance to spend a few days in another Austen-esque novel, after all?
The main character in Dangerous Alliance is the everywoman who loves Jane Austen (so, the everywoman). The concept is kitsch in the best possible way. The references aren't subtle, but if you read the subtitle and thought they would be, that's really on you. It's a little sad to me that this book wouldn't pass muster without the Austen references, but it's also the thing that refreshes a tired genre.
Vicky is charming enough, and, to me, she feels like a vessel for the reader. Hence, the everywoman. Her counterpart, Tom, is also kind of my ideal man. So, Jennieke Cohen, if you're reading this, I want to know how you got my diary. I don't know if I necessarily needed both POVs, though. I really enjoyed Tom's point of view, but I wonder if it couldn't be discovered by Vicky as the story continues. That way a lot of the suspense would be preserved.
Speaking of suspense, I appreciated that there was a twist at the end, but it didn't feel like there was enough build up to it.
Spoiler
Charles and Silby came across as negligible, and I would have liked their "betrayal" to feel more surprising because I actually believed the character traits the protagonists assumed they had. In addition, I felt like Carmichael was thrown under the bus in order to have a twist ending that wasn't really a twist. I wouldn't have minded if there was genuine emotion from Vicky about breaking his heart.To me, Athena and Vicky's relationship fell flat as well. You almost dislike Athena, and I don't think someone in her circumstances should be portrayed in such a way. Dain also felt like a very two-dimensional villain. Easy to hate, but also easy to put down.
The final chapter was unnecessarily cheesy. The tone as a whole really took away from the attempt at a Jane Austen imitation. I think there was just a lot of depth this novel was capable of, but it fell short. For example, I was on board with the themes, but they were presented in such a juvenile way. I think this lack of depth only contributes to the feeling that Dangerous Alliance is completely crutched on Jane Austen's fame. If the characters were more complex and the plot had more suspense, even more shameless Austen-plugging could have been put in without it coming across as too juvenile.
Heaven knows I love my shameless Austen-plugging.
This is a lot of critique for what ends up being an enjoyable book, so I won't revoke my 4 stars, because that's how I felt after closing it. Ultimately, if the concept sounds like it's up your alley, give it a read. Who'd give up the chance to spend a few days in another Austen-esque novel, after all?
maxtaz's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
tea_cup_'s review against another edition
4.0
Libro letto grazie al “reclutamento recensori” di OscarVault.
Il libro mi è piaciuto. Trovo che sia stata molto piacevole e per niente pesante. La scrittura è scorrevole e ti ritrovi a voltare pagina su pagina senza neanche accorgertene. La trama mi è sembrata più creativa rispetto ad altri libri che ho letto ambientati in quest’epoca, sebbene si ritrovino un po’ di cliché e avrebbe potuto essere elaborata meglio in alcuni punti. Trovo che la protagonista, nonostante mi sia trovata (stranamente) ad apprezzarla per la sua schiettezza in alcuni punti del libro, nella maggior parte degli eventi sia esageratemente ingenua e tenda a fidarsi troppo di ciò che gli altri personaggi le dicono. Per non parlare del fatto che basa la sua personalità sui personaggi di Jane Austin. Certo questo romanzo non manca di difetti. Il primo è il continuo riferimento alle opere di Jane Austen. Ho apprezzato le citazioni all’autrice all’inizio di ogni capitolo, ma durante la lettura ho riscontrato un gran numero di citazioni e riferimenti, che nel complesso sono risultati ripetitivi. Successivamente trovo che gli eventi del finale siano stati accelerati un po’ troppo.
Nel complesso ritengo che questo libro sia una valida lettura per coloro che sono appassionati della Londra di inizio ottocento e delle opere di Jane Austin.
Il libro mi è piaciuto. Trovo che sia stata molto piacevole e per niente pesante. La scrittura è scorrevole e ti ritrovi a voltare pagina su pagina senza neanche accorgertene. La trama mi è sembrata più creativa rispetto ad altri libri che ho letto ambientati in quest’epoca, sebbene si ritrovino un po’ di cliché e avrebbe potuto essere elaborata meglio in alcuni punti. Trovo che la protagonista, nonostante mi sia trovata (stranamente) ad apprezzarla per la sua schiettezza in alcuni punti del libro, nella maggior parte degli eventi sia esageratemente ingenua e tenda a fidarsi troppo di ciò che gli altri personaggi le dicono. Per non parlare del fatto che basa la sua personalità sui personaggi di Jane Austin. Certo questo romanzo non manca di difetti. Il primo è il continuo riferimento alle opere di Jane Austen. Ho apprezzato le citazioni all’autrice all’inizio di ogni capitolo, ma durante la lettura ho riscontrato un gran numero di citazioni e riferimenti, che nel complesso sono risultati ripetitivi. Successivamente trovo che gli eventi del finale siano stati accelerati un po’ troppo.
Nel complesso ritengo che questo libro sia una valida lettura per coloro che sono appassionati della Londra di inizio ottocento e delle opere di Jane Austin.
ironskin's review against another edition
I think I’m not the right audience. The 17year old felt very 17. Sometimes I enjoy fantastical tales and sometimes I find them a bit dull
alyram4's review against another edition
4.0
I had to space this book out between other things, but I am glad to say that I really enjoyed this book. Dangerous Alliance is such a fun book filled with witty banter, Jane Austen references, and a mystery. While I will admit that I haven't read much Jane Austen -which is something I should probably correct tbh- I still understood the references.
I usually try to read books in one sitting, and if I can't then I usually take that as a sign that the book isn't for me. That wasn't the case here. I actually enjoyed spacing out the book between chapters. It made me more delighted to return to the world and get to the bottom of the mystery, with some romance dashed in of course. The pacing of this novel was almost perfect. It had a few slow moments here and there, but I believe the spacing of my reading actually made those more noticeable. The beginning is a tad slow for my liking, but after about 5 chapters I really started to fall into the book. From then on it was smooth sailing, save for maybe a few pages here and there. The buildup to the end of the mystery and the final chapters was superb, and I definitely didn't expect the outcome of the mystery that we got!
The characters truly make this book. Vicky isn't like your usual romance heroines, especially for a historical romance novel. She is extremely relatable, courageous, smart, witty, and just an overall amazing MC. I had so much fun with her character, and I even found myself being something akin to a hype man for her! Tom was also a well done character. I assumed they'd just fall in love and then that was that. Definitely not the case here. Tom respects Vicky, confides in her, and is willing to grow and learn with her as they figure out what's going on between them. It felt really realistic and not shoved in our face. The ending scene with them just made it all the better, which I of course won't go into further detail about. Just take my word that their romance really does seem genuine and something that could happen in real life.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book! It might not be 5 stars, but it's pretty damn close. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, especially if you have a soft spot for Jane Austen-inspired novels. If you want a fun book, witty banter, a strong heroine, some realistic romance and a mystery, definitely give this one a shot.
ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I usually try to read books in one sitting, and if I can't then I usually take that as a sign that the book isn't for me. That wasn't the case here. I actually enjoyed spacing out the book between chapters. It made me more delighted to return to the world and get to the bottom of the mystery, with some romance dashed in of course. The pacing of this novel was almost perfect. It had a few slow moments here and there, but I believe the spacing of my reading actually made those more noticeable. The beginning is a tad slow for my liking, but after about 5 chapters I really started to fall into the book. From then on it was smooth sailing, save for maybe a few pages here and there. The buildup to the end of the mystery and the final chapters was superb, and I definitely didn't expect the outcome of the mystery that we got!
The characters truly make this book. Vicky isn't like your usual romance heroines, especially for a historical romance novel. She is extremely relatable, courageous, smart, witty, and just an overall amazing MC. I had so much fun with her character, and I even found myself being something akin to a hype man for her! Tom was also a well done character. I assumed they'd just fall in love and then that was that. Definitely not the case here. Tom respects Vicky, confides in her, and is willing to grow and learn with her as they figure out what's going on between them. It felt really realistic and not shoved in our face. The ending scene with them just made it all the better, which I of course won't go into further detail about. Just take my word that their romance really does seem genuine and something that could happen in real life.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book! It might not be 5 stars, but it's pretty damn close. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, especially if you have a soft spot for Jane Austen-inspired novels. If you want a fun book, witty banter, a strong heroine, some realistic romance and a mystery, definitely give this one a shot.
ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
henren's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.75
navigatingthroughthepages's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5