A review by bmyurs
The Forgotten Palace by Alexandra Walsh
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book!
The Forgotten Palace is a dual timeline narrative- between present day and the early 20th century. It's two main women characters are both in search of new beginnings after some pretty awful men in their lives take advantage of them.
Things that I enjoyed: great character development- I especially liked both of the women and how they grew into their own during the story. With that being said, the character development didn't slow down the plot line of the book- it moved at a pretty fast pace. I also liked that this was loosely based on historical events, and while it could have, it didn't get too far into the world of magical realism.
Things I didn't like: I think the ending missed some loose ends (and not in a good way); the end came together too quickly and didn't feel like it was fully thought out. There's no really any big plot twist, I was just expecting the ending to be different and I was disappointed in how it ended so fast and incomplete. Overall though the first 90% of the book is excellent.
The Forgotten Palace is a dual timeline narrative- between present day and the early 20th century. It's two main women characters are both in search of new beginnings after some pretty awful men in their lives take advantage of them.
Things that I enjoyed: great character development- I especially liked both of the women and how they grew into their own during the story. With that being said, the character development didn't slow down the plot line of the book- it moved at a pretty fast pace. I also liked that this was loosely based on historical events, and while it could have, it didn't get too far into the world of magical realism.
Things I didn't like: I think the ending missed some loose ends (and not in a good way); the end came together too quickly and didn't feel like it was fully thought out. There's no really any big plot twist, I was just expecting the ending to be different and I was disappointed in how it ended so fast and incomplete. Overall though the first 90% of the book is excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death and Rape