A review by xeni
The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan
4.0
While reading this book I always felt that I should be enjoying it more than I was. I liked the premise a lot. I liked a lot of the elements (the split England into Republic and Kingdom, the fact that the protagonist is both herself and her brother, the circus moments) but I am not sure I liked them together.
I kept having to push myself to continue reading. I often found myself just putting down the book and not being too inclined to pick it up again. But it was well written, it was interesting, it had something special and different. I just don't think it entirely worked for me.
I wanted to love this book far more than I did. In it's elements it's perfect for me: alt-history britain which splits off into Republic and Kingdom halves, however the actual main power in this world is the Patent Office. The protagonist is a woman (but at the same time also her twin brother who never actually existed, but was a creation in her childhood her circus-running father helped her maintain) who is hired to investigate a missing nobleman from the Kingdom.
It is at times a mystery, at times an adventure tale. Elizabeth ends up living at a different circus for a while. Then she's on the run (again) across to the Kingdom this time, where she is a fugitive. It's all quite a lot, and I think I would have loved it more if I wasn't always on the edge of my seat. I dislike that much tension.
Also I did not understand a lot of the character motivations, I did not understand a lot of this world. I think it was grittier and darker than it intended to be; than the surface appears. It was a tough read for a myriad of reasons, not all of which I have understood yet.
But it's also incredibly unique, rather well written, plays around with interesting gender issues in a patriarchal world that you don't often see.
I kept having to push myself to continue reading. I often found myself just putting down the book and not being too inclined to pick it up again. But it was well written, it was interesting, it had something special and different. I just don't think it entirely worked for me.
I wanted to love this book far more than I did. In it's elements it's perfect for me: alt-history britain which splits off into Republic and Kingdom halves, however the actual main power in this world is the Patent Office. The protagonist is a woman (but at the same time also her twin brother who never actually existed, but was a creation in her childhood her circus-running father helped her maintain) who is hired to investigate a missing nobleman from the Kingdom.
It is at times a mystery, at times an adventure tale. Elizabeth ends up living at a different circus for a while. Then she's on the run (again) across to the Kingdom this time, where she is a fugitive. It's all quite a lot, and I think I would have loved it more if I wasn't always on the edge of my seat. I dislike that much tension.
Also I did not understand a lot of the character motivations, I did not understand a lot of this world. I think it was grittier and darker than it intended to be; than the surface appears. It was a tough read for a myriad of reasons, not all of which I have understood yet.
But it's also incredibly unique, rather well written, plays around with interesting gender issues in a patriarchal world that you don't often see.