I stumbled across this book recently, and I don't even really remember how it happened. But I have a bit of a thing for all things Poe, and I thought I stumbled across this book recently, and I don't even really remember how it happened. But I have a bit of a thing for all things Poe, and I thought it might be cute/interesting, so I grabbed it from the library.
Of course, I also thought it could be absolutely terrible, and was, honestly, a bit trepidatious when I started reading it, and I was still a bit leery as the first chapter introduces us to the man Poe and why we should care about him, and even a bit into the first chapter...
But, after that, things went swimmingly and I ended up really enjoying it.
I think this is one of those books that had a good story for children and it can serve as a cool introduction to Poe, but it works on additional layers when you're already familiar with his works because you see a lot of elements on his stories as you read through - like his history lesson in school on the Spanish Inquisition, his befriending of a talking raven, his meeting of a magician with a secret (view spoiler)[monkey (hide spoiler)] and, of course, the little imp who rides on his shoulder and takes his thoughts and pondering into dark and scary territory, named McCobber. (Get it?)
But while we see elements of his horror stories, at its heart it's a mystery story - and this aspect I just loved since Poe is the father of detective stories, though not a lot of people know that, so it seemed really fitting that this story about Eddie Poe is one where he plays detective to root out the truth.
It's a short, quick read, and a really enjoyable one. I don't know if there are any plans to turn it into a series, and it definitely stands alone well - but I would certainly not be opposed to reading any more down the line.
***
Accompanying the story are lots of illustrations - and I mean lots. Practically on every page. And the artwork is really good. Gustafson, who does both the writing and illustrating, captures the essence of Poe's distinct profile wrapped in a young face of innocent wonder.
My only quibble is that raven's should have black beaks - and not just because the yellow beak looks silly. They really do have black beaks....more
First and foremost let me say this is a book of characters and ideas. Meaning it's not about the plot, and, as such, the plot that does exist is a 3.5
First and foremost let me say this is a book of characters and ideas. Meaning it's not about the plot, and, as such, the plot that does exist is a bit slow going and mostly serves to further develop the characters.
As long as I'm interested in the characters or the ideas, I am totally cool with this. For those who are not, though, this is not the book for you.
It changes perspectives and pretty much covers the spectrum from first-person through third-person omniscient. I'm not sure what it is about circus books and random second person chapters, but it annoyed me here a little less than in Night Circus - maybe 'cause it was so rare, or maybe because the you is still sort of referring to someone in the book, so it's not really breaking the fourth wall.
And it also shifts around in time a bit. It starts telling the story, and then will fill you in on some backstory by going back in time in little vignettes.
There's no demarcation of these changes, and you just have to follow them - but, honestly, I didn't have much trouble with it. Every now and again I might have to take a second or two to situate myself in the timeline, especially in the very beginning, but, after awhile, I just went with it - and it works.
As to the story itself - well, it is what it says on the tin: a tale of the Circus Tresaulti.
Set in some unstated timeframe (though I think it's easily future dystopian), a world is falling apart after decades of war, and this circus tries to get by.
But the circus is populated with people who have brass bones - but it's not really steampunk, 'cause this sucker is all magic. Crazy, undefined, random, beautiful magic.
But in this war torn land, can the circus stay safe when the power at Boss's fingertips can be put to much more dire purposes?
***
The reason I'm giving it 3.5 instead of a full 4 is because while I did really like it, I also didn't find it compulsive. It's one of those books that, while I was reading, would wrap around me and pull me in... but when I put it down, I would almost forget what it was that had me so enraptured in the first place.
I think, in a way, that's one of the downsides of the dream-prose... like a dream it's ephemeral and frail.
That said, while this is, thus far, a standalone book, I would definitely be on board for more....more
This book first came to my attention when someone in a group I'm in linked to it, and the cover instantly drew my eye. Well, hell, with that red it'd This book first came to my attention when someone in a group I'm in linked to it, and the cover instantly drew my eye. Well, hell, with that red it'd be hard not to, right? Plus Steampunk is a weakness of mine. But when I read the blurb I was kind of ambivalent, and figured I might give it a pass.
But then it was picked as a member's choice book-of-the-month and I figured - hey, why not? I needed a workout read anyway, and this was as good as any of my other options.
I'm really glad I gave it that chance. Doubly glad since, 9-times-outta-10, I'm usually disappointed in books acquired under similar circumstances.
Anyway -
In some ways the book is kind of standard. Xandy is a halvie - half-vampire, half-human - and works for a sort of protective detail in the government for aristocrats, all of which are full vampire or werewolf. Queen Vicky is still on the throne, and has been for 175 years, and there's a blending of past and present, with motorcars on the same streets as horse-drawn carriages, and tech resembling cellphones and televisions, but with a steampunky kind of vibe to it.
It has the feel of fantasy steampunk, but it's technically set in present day.
Anyway, the book opens with Xandy's sister going missing and her hunt for the truth, and that leads her into a whole deeper level of things than she was aware of going on. The protag is an outcast, even amongst her own kind, there's a super-sexy alpha-wolf that she's into, and her family loves her, but doesn't get her.
So, in some ways, it has a sort of typical set-up and character types.
But, for all that, it's written well. I've come to realize lately, as I've paid more attention to such things, how important voice is in a story. I mean, it can literally make or break a book for me - and, in this instance, it went a long way to making it.
Also, there are enough twists and turns to keep things hopping, and, even though Xandy's a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, there were some which genuinely took me aback. At one point I was pretty sure the story was going one way, and it managed to throw me a bit of a curveball. Granted, maybe I just wasn't paying attention, wrapped up in things as I was, but it was nice to have a twist which I didn't see coming.
(And it doesn't hurt that her ever-so-sexy love-interest really is damned sexy. A lot of times I find myself boggled at the romance aspect of these stories, but Vex, who started off as pretty one-dimensional, quickly became more developed and an important part of the overall story. And while his alpha-thing was a bit eye-rolling at times, I also liked how it was handled from Alexandra's end, i.e. (view spoiler)[she recognized it for what it was, was sometimes a bit annoyed with it, but also appreciate it on some level. She never became helpless, was able to take care of herself even after the guy entered the picture which, so often in these stories, the guy sort of takes uber-charge and the previously spunky girl becomes dithering and useless.
But Xandy didn't - but she did recognize that sometimes she needed help and sometimes it was nice to be taken care of. She was always the strong one, taking care of everyone else, and she realized how it could be nice to have someone else take the role from time to time.
I gotta say - I've always considered myself more of a vamp girl, but between Macoon in Parasol Protectorate and Vex in this, I might be on the road towards conversion. *growl*
Anyway -
It was an enjoyable romp, not without a few bumps here and there, but I found myself connecting with the characters and rooting for them and thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, which seems to be a rarity of late.
So while it was something of a 3.5 overall, I'm bumping it to 4 and looking forward to the next in the series....more
I just finished this today at lunch. I liked it - I think I'll go 3.5 stars, though I can't decide if I want to round up or down. Possibly down.
At firI just finished this today at lunch. I liked it - I think I'll go 3.5 stars, though I can't decide if I want to round up or down. Possibly down.
At first I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I was expecting more of a horror story, and less of a sort of urban fantasy, and I definitely wasn't expecting the sort of romance angle. (Yeah, I must've skipped half the blurb or something.)
So take the fact that it wasn't what I was expecting, add that in with the fact that the reddish-brown lettering on the yellowish paper was killing my eyes - yes, I imagine it's meant to be like dried blood. Didn't help it not hurt my eyes - and compound that with the fact it was a bit of a slow start, and I honestly wasn't digging it at first.
But, eventually, my eyes got used to it, and I was able to be brought around to it being more a urban fantasy sort of thing, and I tried not to think too hard about certain aspects... and I started liking it.
The characters grew on me, even though their reactions were a bit unrealistic and/or annoying at times, and I started sort of rooting for Cas and Anna (though I couldn't stop wondering how Anna is so physical? And it could just be written off as her being uber-powerful and stuff, but the other ghosties seemed to have it, too, which didn't make a whole lot of sense.)
Anyway - one thing I really liked was when they helped Anna by (view spoiler)[dealing with her fetter instead of killing her (hide spoiler)]. I was a little irritated with Cas, to be honest. I mean, I know that that's his deal and all but, come on...
But, overall, I got into the story and the characters and while it wasn't really ever what I would call scary or anything, there were definitely some tense bits, especially at the end. My heart was thumping and everything. ;)
I also liked the representation of Wicca and magic and stuff. It wasn't all fires from your fingertips and lightning bolts. And I liked that it wasn't dismissive of kitchen and herbal witches, which a lot of these kind of stories tend to be. (It was one thing that kinda irritated me about Buffy, to be honest.)
That said, there were still a few things that bugged me.
I didn't think the action scenes were very well written. I had a hard time following what was meant to be going on at times, and it didn't always make sense. It was especially annoying when I had to go back and try to work out the logistics of things in my head, which pulled me out of the tenseness of the moment.
Also, I wish more was explained about the Anna and Cas thing. Like (view spoiler)[why could she not kill him. What was it about him that was different? And aside from him being impressed with her awesomeness, what was different about her for him, too. (hide spoiler)] There was a bit too much of an instant attraction thing going on, and it never really was adequately explained.
And I know I already mentioned it - but what's with the ghosts being so physical? I was half expecting (view spoiler)[Cas' hand to sort of not be able to touch Anna, and them have that unfulfillable longing thing going on... and while that's still there, for other reasons, it just seemed weird to me that, aside from being dead, Anna was pretty much just a person. (hide spoiler)]
But, like I said, enjoyable overall, and I've already put the next book on hold at the library....more
Simply gorgeous... but I'm not sure I can even explain its hold on me. With simple language containing hidden depths of meaning, its like the book 4.5
Simply gorgeous... but I'm not sure I can even explain its hold on me. With simple language containing hidden depths of meaning, its like the book skipped my brain and went right to my soul.
I think I need to mull on it awhile to make any coherent sense... just wanted to say that it was profound and beautiful and sad and sweet and just lovely.
***
7/26/13
There's a conversation in Sandman which kept popping into my head while reading this book:
"So what I want to know is, when I'm asleep, do I really remember how to fly? And forget how when I wake up? Or am I just dreaming I can fly?"
"When you dream, sometimes you remember. When you wake, you always forget."
"But that's not fair!"
"No."
Chloe and Dream
Whenever I think of those lines, which is fairly often, all things considered, I get a bit of a hitch in my chest and a thickness in my throat - an emotional response which I couldn't really explain but which happens regardless.
The whimsical, weird and wonderful part of me thinks that it's because, deep down, in my secret heart, there's a part of me which knows it's true. Not rationally or physically or empirically true... but true nonetheless.
To quote from Sandman once more:
"People think dreams aren't real just because they aren't made of matter, of particles. Dream are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes."
John Dee
Of all of Gaiman's works that I've read, I would definitely say that this book reminds me strongest of Sandman - partially because of the reactions it elicits from me, and partially because both are stories about stories.
This is a story about dreams and memories and about how much of our lives is based on mundane facts of what happened and how much is shaped by fuzzy memory and the stories we are told - and the ones we tell ourselves.
It's also a story about discovery and change and loss...
It's a book which I can't really explain too well without getting into details - such as the way the Hempstock's are like (view spoiler)[ other female triplicities we have seen in Gaiman's works, like the Norns and the Zoryas (hide spoiler)] - but I don't really want to give away too much - and fear I've already done so. (Some of the quotes I put in my status updates really resonated with me - but I worry that a) it gives away too much and b) won't entirely make sense of out of context. I don't really think they're spoilery but, just in case, you might want to skip them anyway.)
Honestly, I think, maybe, I shouldn't have tried to write a more coherent review and just stuck with the original... it's a lovely book and it touched me on many levels and it's one of those things that will either speak to you or not but, for me, it was simply beautiful. ...more
This story was very cute and silly, and the perfect balm for my reading rut.
I loved how Miss Lumley - Lumawoo to the children - is very sort of mat3.5
This story was very cute and silly, and the perfect balm for my reading rut.
I loved how Miss Lumley - Lumawoo to the children - is very sort of matter-of-fact about her three wild charges, and the humor in her prim and proper sort of interaction with them is amusing.
Her innocence and naivety is also really sweet, contrasted ever so sharply by the Ashtons.
The only real fault, I would say, is that the humor, which I loved in the beginning of the book, was a bit thin by the end, and there was a little bit of that author addressing her readers thing which sometimes come off as cute and, othertimes, a bit repetitive.
Overall, a very fun diversion and I highly recommend it, especially to younger kids....more
I will freely admit that a good part of the consideration of this 4-star rating is that I'm really enamored with the whole idea and premise of the thiI will freely admit that a good part of the consideration of this 4-star rating is that I'm really enamored with the whole idea and premise of the thing - the animated skeleton, who's also a wizard, and a detective? It's like Harry Dresden and Bob all rolled into one snarky, crime-fighting, bad-guy-stopping-pacakge. So, if the execution faltered here and there - the idea is just too cool.
Another part of the 4-star rating is that I like the characters. I like Skulduggery and Stephanie, and I can see how she has great potential to grow as a character. Tanith Low is really cool, too - a nice mix of age and ability, with a sometimes youthful openness. And Mr. Bliss and Ghastly are interesting additions. Where the story is strongest is in the character interactions - their banter and the wit and humor peppered through-out made it enjoyable.
That said - I had trouble following the action sequences. And there's a lot of action. (One of the blurbs for the book says it's movie ready, and I agree, but I don't necessarily see this as a good thing - because I'd like, at times, a bit more depth.) But I couldn't always quite get a handle and "see" what was going on in my head. The action is also a bit repetitive - they sneak about, get found, fight it out, get overwhelmed, run away... only to repeat the pattern again. And again.
Also, the plot is pretty standard good vs. evil kind of stuff - complete with hokey villian and annoyingly incompetent good guy council, whom the rouge, and mistrusted agent, must work around to defeat the bad guy.
I think, for the target age group, they'll be so caught up in the characters, the banter, and the downright cool magic tidbits unique to this world (like the reflection thing), and they won't care a wit if the villian's cartoony. But, for me, while I still enjoyed it, it was weak in places.
That said - I'm still itching to get my hands on the next in the series. I hope that the pros stay strong, and the weaknesses get fleshed out a bit more, because this has the potential to be a really good, and really fun series.
p.s. There's a short story at the end, in the Extras section, which is really good and funny, and which gives me a lot of hope for the possible future of the series....more
I really enjoyed this. I even stayed up late to finish it - it was a quick and light read, and definitely kept me turning pages.
The premise is pretty I really enjoyed this. I even stayed up late to finish it - it was a quick and light read, and definitely kept me turning pages.
The premise is pretty absurd and I classify it as historical fiction is the loosest possible sense that it's a fictional book that takes place in a generally historical time period - i.e. Victorian London - but it's not based on any real people or events. The Agency is a group of sort of private investigators/spies who are all women - the concept being that because women are overlooked and ignored they are all the more in the position to overhear things.
The protagonist is an anachronistically spunky girl - which, I admit, I have a soft spot for. Saved from the gallows, educated by the heads of the Agency who also run a school for underprivileged girls, we follow her here on her first assignment.
It suffers from some of the pitfalls of many mystery type books - villains revealing their plans to people they leave to die, tending to learn more by accident than design - but there's intrigue and chases, hiding and near misses, some sad parts, some touching parts and, yes, a nicely played portion of bantering romance-y bits. (view spoiler)[(For a chapter or two I dreaded the possibility of a love triangle but, luckily, that was a feint.) (hide spoiler)]
I liked Mary. She was realistic - flawed, but not hopeless, perhaps a bit overeager and getting herself in trouble - but relatable. And, yeah, I liked the Darcy-esque romantic interest, too. (I guess it's not really much of a spoiler, but I'll be vague just in case.)
Anyway - not life altering literature or anything, but just a really enjoyable story. I look forward to reading the next in the series....more
A steampunkish space adventure based on the old Victorian adventure stories, complete with huzzahs! to the glorious Empire - but also those against3.5
A steampunkish space adventure based on the old Victorian adventure stories, complete with huzzahs! to the glorious Empire - but also those against the Empire and characters pointing out how not so glorious it is to come about and muck with people quite happy on their own, thanks much.
It's hard to really say whether this is sci-fi or fantasy. One would expect sci-fi since there are aliens and space adventures; however, there's nothing remotely realistic about the science, what with people running around and breathing quite happily on the moon, in space, on Mars, etc. It's also not entirely steampunk, even though it's set in Victoriana, since, while some tech, like automatons, are steam power, the ships themselves are alchemically engineered.
But, whatever - pish tosh and all that.
The story was pretty predictable, but the narration, mostly via the perspective of young Art, but sometimes through the endearingly annoying Myrtle, who does get better as the story progresses.
But, really, space pirates and aliens and alchemy and giant spiders and rip-roaring adventures - what's not to like? Very much a plot driven book, it falters a bit with characterization, though there are funny quirks, like Myrtle worrying about propriety and her dress while trying to stop a rampant machine or after being resuced from a giant Moth.
A cute, quick little story that I read in a couple of hours last night. It does have some dark parts that some parents might not like for6/19/2010
3.75
A cute, quick little story that I read in a couple of hours last night. It does have some dark parts that some parents might not like for their young children, though - i.e. it references the Ripper murders at one point, talking about a prostitute who was slit open.
Enola, the scandalously younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, sets out to unravel her own mystery when her mother disappears. She also has to deal with the prospect of going to boarding school, the horrors of which are told in some detail. She gets side-tracked with another mystery, and adventure ensues.
Littered through-out the story, also, are the trials and travails of a girl growing up in that time period. The barbaric undergarments, and societal restrictions of the upper-class, but also the more day-to-day horrors of the lower-classes. Very interesting historical tidbits for younger children to appreciate, I think.
I liked the character of Enola, and how she out-witted her two older brothers. I found myself chuckling at the depiction of Sherlock - both kind of accurate to his own stories, and yet from an interesting perspective, as the story is told in first person. Mycroft, who I really only know by name from the other stories, I didn't like in this one.
I'll definitely be seeking out more of this fun little series.
(As a side-note, I found this series when a friend of mine posted a list of female authors in sci-fi and fantasy. Nancy Springer was one of several names I'd never heard of before, and I put her name, like the others, into the amazon search to see what came up. I was delighted by the possibilities of this series, so snatched up the first book. The rest, as they say, is history... or, at least, reviewed above. :> )
***
6/8/11
Wasn't planning on re-reading the series, but I was stalled out on the other book I was reading and needed something light and fun - and since the last two books are finally coming out in paperback (yay!) I picked this up.
I will say that mystery stories, in general, lose a little bit when you know the twists and turns and how everything comes out. That said, the characters and characterizations and little bits and bobs from the time period continue to delight.
"Thus, while people regarded both of them well enough, people also tended to leave well enough alone." ~ pg. 5
"The universities are nothing but breedi"Thus, while people regarded both of them well enough, people also tended to leave well enough alone." ~ pg. 5
"The universities are nothing but breeding grounds for agitators and anarchists - that is to say, men who lack proper opinions." ~ pg. 23
"A saber might be stopped by a shield. A bullet might be dodged by a stroke of luck. But you can't dodge a word. If one is flung at you, it will hit its mark unerringly. No, Garritt, there's nothing in the world more dangerous than talk." ~ pg. 76
***
Take 'Pride & Prejudice', 'Jane Eyre', mix it in a stew, throw in some magic elements with semi-typical male vs. female dichotomies, and you might come out with this story.
I didn't mind the weird change from third person omnicient, to first person particular, and back to third person - perhaps because I was aware of it beforehand. My biggest complaint was that Ivy seemed so different, in some ways, from the first to the second part - particularly in relation to Clarette. Here is a fanciful girl, saying strange things, and Ivy gets angry with her for lying - but considering how patient she is with her sister Rose, it didn't really make a lot of sense to me. I suppose we are meant to take that the atmosphere of the house is affecting her, as we are told this many times, but it just seemed out of character.
As others have said, I wish they would've developed the relationship between Ivy and Mr. Quent some more (not to mention not sort of giving away that particular plot point in the name of the title). I also wish we would've seen more of the sisters, particularly in the second part, which became impossible with the first person narrative. (Not to mention the fact that it seemed really odd that after so much time is spent learning to like Mr. Quent, he's pretty much absent from the entire third half, except via a few letters and then at the end.) And, lastly, the bits with Eldyn and his sister, while sometimes interesting, seemed mostly fragmentary and not really tied into the rest of the story. I mean, I know it was, what with Westen's appearance and fate and how that effects the rest, but those parts just didn't grab my fancy, and I waited to get back to the others.
Oh, and the weird varying lengths of days didn't bother me that much. Yes, it's scientifically impossible and didn't make any sense, but this being fantasy, I sort of just went with the "blame it on magic" and left it at that. It's amazing what I can let go when I'm enjoying a story - a point which might irritate the hell out of me otherwise.
Ah well... I would say this book is more romance than magic, with the magic bits strewn throughout the first two parts only really coming together in the last, rushed part - but I got attached to the characters, and am interested in what will happen next, so I'll definitely be picking up the sequel....more
I was expecting more of a mystery and a bit less of a PNR, but, even with that said, I quite enjoyed the story and the characters. I quite like strongI was expecting more of a mystery and a bit less of a PNR, but, even with that said, I quite enjoyed the story and the characters. I quite like strong, intelligent, "modern" women but in old time periods when women were under-rated and devalued. The mix of brashness and feminity, of both flouting and adhering to conventions, was quite fun.
The romance was to my taste - titillating without being overly graphic or, worse, uncomfortably voyeuristic, even if there were a few times and places where it was inappropriate. Of course, bonus points for their a) being a logical reason within the story as to why and how it happened that way and b) recognition from the characters that it was bad timing.
A few cons:
Firstly, it grew tiresome to be reminded that Alexia is Italian, tan and had a big nose on every other page. Yes, she did not fit in to the pale, botton nose English society. I get it and do not need to be reminded constantly.
Secondly, I thought the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly and too neatly. I had guessed the perpetrators before our detectives did (though, luckily, not too much sooner where it became ridiculous), but the way it all came together in the end seemed just a bit too pat.
Other than that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next in the series.
(As a side note, the first book that comes to mind as a comparison is 'Dead Until Dark', the first and, thus far, only Sookie Stackhouse book I've read. I know many people on my list enjoyed the Sookie book more than I did, because I found Sookie vapid and annoying and Bill one-dimensional. I recommend this highly to those who liked the Sookie books because, imo, it has the same elements that makes Sookie fun, but with far fewer of that book's pitfalls.)
***
On second read, I still find the story delightful. A bit slower in some places than I remembered, but I was actually less annoyed by some of the things that annoyed me the first time, instead of more annoyed....more
This book is not without its flaws, and if I were judging from a pure literary merit, then 4 stars is probably much too high.
A modern gothic fiction, This book is not without its flaws, and if I were judging from a pure literary merit, then 4 stars is probably much too high.
A modern gothic fiction, replete with several stock characters, including the "persecuted maiden", a Byronic-type hero, the femmes fatales, demons and ghosts and the big bad evil. You know this story... you know these characters... you know how it will end.
And perhaps that it part of its charm, or at least its comfort.
The dialogue was painful at times, and oddly placed at others. The budding romance didn't quite have the same tension of Jane Eyre, or Pride & Prejudice, but it was still there. The descriptions were annoyingly repetitive. As another reviewer said, there were far too many "noble brows" and "regal bearings" and nobles and regals in general. And how many times do we really need to be told that Alexi wears all black and Percy is freakishly white?
I think my biggest complaints was that our damsel, timid and shy and all that, would gain some confidence and show some backbone, only to quake and quail and need her man to save her at the slightest provocation. I would've liked her to have developed a bit more than she did, but I do have hope that she'll be a bit less mealy in future installments.
The second was in regards to the dimness of all of the Group. This is a bit spoilery - but, I mean, it's not like you don't know from the outset how this thing is going to end.
So, anyway, in the Prologue there is 'The Prophecy' and it tells of a seventh member, and so the six are on constant look-out for the signs. But the goddess tells them that the seventh will not come with answers - she will be ignorant, lost and confused.
And then Alexi, our brooding melancholy with the firey heart, finds our Percy and thinks her the seventh, but one thing that keeps getting in the way (save the missing 'signs'), is that she is so very clueless.
And our temptress, the one that the other five leatch onto as the seventh... well, she just seems to be so very in-the-know. Oh, she plays coy and innocent, to a degree (a very, small degree) - but she does seem to have more answers and command of her power than one might suspect from someone whose foretold to be, well, clueless.
I kept thinking "Did none of you actually listen to your stupid prophecy!"
Damned, it was annoying.
But, ah well - we know how these things must happen. There must be the doubt, the drama... the ever so poignant moments of loss and regret and reunion.
But Alexi got off far too easily for being such a prat. But, then, that is also the way of gothic heroines, isn't it?
Ah well. As I said, nothing ground-breaking, something infuriating... and yet, for all of that, I didn't want to stop reading. Perhaps I'm just a sucker. A sentimental romantic. Heck, one particular scene in the story reminded me strongly of a moment of my own life...
Yes, well. I am a romantic, for all that, and I do have a weakness for my brooding, melodramatic, idiot leading men. *le sigh*...more
This was one of the books that, while browsing through Amazon, I saw the cover and thought "that looks cool", which lead me to read the summary to whiThis was one of the books that, while browsing through Amazon, I saw the cover and thought "that looks cool", which lead me to read the summary to which I thought "hmmm, interesting", and then I found out it was co-written by Bill Willingham, of Fables, which I *love*, so then it was an "I *have* to get this."
All I can say is I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the stories, both the overall story and the vignettes - and I love the "cameo" by Cain and Able and the notion that this is the House from the Dreaming. The characters seem like they could be interesting, and I hope that we see them get fleshed out more. The art by Rossi is always a pleasure, and some of the "guest artists" were quite nice, too.
I was, in turns, amused, and disgusted, and intrigued... and I anxiously await the next volume.
My only quibble was that, at times, the characters seemed a little too familiar, like rehashes of characters we've seen before, and there is the danger in my mind that they will remain pastiches.
I look forward to see how the Mystery unfolds. ...more
colleen the convivial curmudgeon
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