A review by stefhyena
Gilded: The St. Croix Chronicles by Karina Cooper
2.0
Seemed promising to begin with but was very disappointing. It gets two stars (one and a half really I suppose) because it had patches of feminism and even though I think in many ways Cherry was a sell-out there wasn't the more obvious romantic bent to that.
It's a well imagined steampunk world with potentially fertile explorations of class, gender, social mobility, wealth and identity. It seems to degenerate more often than not into the spectacular (by which I mean the chapter is just a spectacle with no real content) of clothes, settings and movie-like sets. Characters seemed to be underdeveloped and there are some troubling stereotypes: e.g. the good feminist is attractive, radiates sexuality and a sort of tragedy whereas the bad feminist is unattractive (to men, to society women) and really just a hyena in a petticoat. Women are uncomlicated back-stabbing bitches and women's power is mean-girl power.
The relationship between Cherry and Zylphia (did I get that right? she was elusive enough in the book for me to be unsure) was also promising but underdeveloped. Cherry seems to see nothing untoward or troubling at her "friend" waiting on her, staying up to do her errands after she collapses exhausted and being less than a confidant and less significant to her than the initially discarded earl. Zylphia is a racialised, exoticised non-event in a book that pays lip-service to feminism and women's relationships but seems to find equal relationships between anyone not only too hard to manage, but not necessary.
Consider p329: '"leave it to me my future countess" he repeated firmly "I will take care of you"'. Sure within the plot as a whole that is somewhat ironic...extremely ironic but nevertheless it sums up the earls whole (2 dimensional) personality very simply. He in fact does nothing to alleviate any of the suffering he is part of (like the bullying of his mother) does not even have anything to say to her that is remotely supportive or helpful, simply abandons her to all that and dangles material advantage to force her to accept his proposal because she could grow to feel affection for him.
The opium theme through the book was sort of excessive and tiresome (as other reviewers have pointed out) and the constant minute description of clothing and society people made me doubt the author's commitment to the ideas of agency, action and women's empowerment espoused in part of the book. Hawke was sickening and I didn't need him lingered on as somehow attractive in his misogyny and exploitative attitude.
Worst of all the ending. I just can't and won't read the next in the series considering where she is bound next.
It's a shame because all the two tiered fog/aether society and the access to university stuff and the many sorts of diversities on the fringes of the novel could have made the novel (with it's alchemical, pseudo-scientific and mystery aspects) really, really mindblowingly good. If it didn't degenerate into titillation (that didn't work for me) and spectacle.
It's a well imagined steampunk world with potentially fertile explorations of class, gender, social mobility, wealth and identity. It seems to degenerate more often than not into the spectacular (by which I mean the chapter is just a spectacle with no real content) of clothes, settings and movie-like sets. Characters seemed to be underdeveloped and there are some troubling stereotypes: e.g. the good feminist is attractive, radiates sexuality and a sort of tragedy whereas the bad feminist is unattractive (to men, to society women) and really just a hyena in a petticoat. Women are uncomlicated back-stabbing bitches and women's power is mean-girl power.
The relationship between Cherry and Zylphia (did I get that right? she was elusive enough in the book for me to be unsure) was also promising but underdeveloped. Cherry seems to see nothing untoward or troubling at her "friend" waiting on her, staying up to do her errands after she collapses exhausted and being less than a confidant and less significant to her than the initially discarded earl. Zylphia is a racialised, exoticised non-event in a book that pays lip-service to feminism and women's relationships but seems to find equal relationships between anyone not only too hard to manage, but not necessary.
Consider p329: '"leave it to me my future countess" he repeated firmly "I will take care of you"'. Sure within the plot as a whole that is somewhat ironic...extremely ironic but nevertheless it sums up the earls whole (2 dimensional) personality very simply. He in fact does nothing to alleviate any of the suffering he is part of (like the bullying of his mother) does not even have anything to say to her that is remotely supportive or helpful, simply abandons her to all that and dangles material advantage to force her to accept his proposal because she could grow to feel affection for him.
The opium theme through the book was sort of excessive and tiresome (as other reviewers have pointed out) and the constant minute description of clothing and society people made me doubt the author's commitment to the ideas of agency, action and women's empowerment espoused in part of the book. Hawke was sickening and I didn't need him lingered on as somehow attractive in his misogyny and exploitative attitude.
Worst of all the ending. I just can't and won't read the next in the series considering where she is bound next.
It's a shame because all the two tiered fog/aether society and the access to university stuff and the many sorts of diversities on the fringes of the novel could have made the novel (with it's alchemical, pseudo-scientific and mystery aspects) really, really mindblowingly good. If it didn't degenerate into titillation (that didn't work for me) and spectacle.