Review: Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

4 out of 5 stars

Published 2009 by Macmillan

I don't know what it is with asylums that attracts me so much. Is it the horror of treatment? The mental illnesses? The big question of how they will get out? Will they be able to escape? Whatever it is, asylums make for great settings in a book. Wildthorn was no exception.

Louisa is a little different than the other girls of her age. She wants to be a doctor. Everyone in her family thinks she is being ridiculous, as doctor is clearly a profession only for men. Louisa should concentrate more on finding a suitable husband, and getting ready to start a family. A few months after the death of her father, she finds herself locked away in an insane asylum. Who sent her here and why? And more importantly, how will she get out?

A common theme in fiction set in the Victorian age is feminism. More often than not the main female character rebels against the set role for women, namely motherhood. What I found interesting in Wildthorn is that even though Louisa rebels against the prejudices, she is no revolutionist. She doesn't want to change the world, call all women to arms, overturn the world's thinking. The only thing she wants is to be left alone, so she can pursue her dream and become a doctor. Her goal is a personal one. She doesn't resent other girls for wanting to marry. She just acknowledges that it's not right way for her. I thought this was very well done, and I admire Ms. Eagland for taking this road, and writing something believable, something that might have actually happened a few hundred years ago.

Louisa is a likeable character. I really felt for her. With flashbacks set at a regular interval throughout the books we learn about her past, everything that has happened to her the past years. I though it was very interesting to read about these events in first person, instead of just being told "hey, five years ago, this happened!". If I would have been in her shoes, I probably would have handled everything the way she did.

A fair warning, this book is not for homophobes. Please don't read this book if you're against lesbian romance. Or if you're against the gay "lifestyle", like most homophobes put it. Don't get me started on homosexuality being a "lifestyle", I can rant about this all day. So I'll just give you a warning. There is a romantic plot, and yes, it's between two girls. Deal with it. It would be such a shame to let your prejudices stand in the way of this great book.

Wildthorn is a very quick read, and a very exciting one. As Louisa slowly unravels the secret of her incarceration, her situation becomes more and more bleak. This book might not be that suitable for the faint of heart. Life in an asylum just isn't roses and sunshine, it's brutal and unfair. Especially towards the end of the book, I couldn't stop reading any more. And when the ending came, I could finally sigh a content sigh. The ending is sweet, cute, and everything it should be.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone that likes historical romance in young-adult form. I think fans of Sarah Waters's Fingersmith might enjoy this too.

Blurb

Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself - and others - in order to be set free. And love may be the key...

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (4/5 Stars)
• Review: LoveLife by Rachel Spangler (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall (5/5 Stars)
• Review: The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository / Amazon

Review: The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

4 out of 5 stars

Published May 1st 2012 by Amulet
ARC received through Netgalley

After reading all of the negative reviews on The Peculiars I wasn't expecting that much. I was happily surprised that although the book is rather slow-paced, the setting was definitely worth it.

Lena's dad was a goblin, a Peculiar. Now the government has decided that all Peculiars have to be sent to work in mines in Scree, a inhospitable and wild land. She has the strange triple-jointed hands and large feet that point to goblinism, and she is scared she has also inherited her father's wickedness. When she turns eighteen and receives a letter of her father, she decides to go to Scree to find him.

I think the blurb of The Peculiars is very misleading. It boasts a thrilling adventure, but to be honest the adventure part of this book is very little. It's mostly about Lena's insecurity about her identity and how to live with the stigma of being different. Big parts of the story are spent in libraries, in coaches and in tearooms. It reminds me of the slow but dark gait of Victorian fiction.

The steampunk aspect of the book is rather light - I think you could better classify The Peculiars as alternate history. There are some nifty inventions, but since Lena herself doesn't really have an interest in them, they are only in the background.

I was very interested in the mythology behind the Peculiars, but this book didn't answer all of my questions. I hope we learn more about them in the next book. Or isn't there going to be one? I can't find information on this being a series or not, but if it's a standalone I'm going to be very disappointed.

Even though the main character Lena is rather whiny, I very much enjoyed the story because of an interesting cast of secondary characters and the overall mood. Ms McQuerry does dark and foreboding very well, and that was mostly what kept me reading. I would like to read more about this world and find out which kind of Peculiars there are and how they came to be.

Blurb

This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance. On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. 

Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. 

On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Eve by Anna Carey (3/5 Stars)
• Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (4/5 Stars)

More links

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• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless by Gail Carriger
(Parasol Protectorate  #1)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Published by Orbit

This was one of the surprises of the year. Even though I have had the Parasol Protectorate series on my TBR for a while, I never really looked into them and what they were about. All I knew was that they were classified as steampunk, a genre I love.

Miss Alexia Tarabotti is a special woman, in several ways. She is a spinster in her twenties, deemed unmarriageable because of her mysterious Italian father, her interest in science and other unladylike topics, and her slightly sarcastic wit. On top of that, she is a preternatural. Miss Tarabotti is not in possession of a soul. When she is most rudely attacked by a vampire, she is sucked into quite dangerous business, dealing with even more dangerous yet very attractive werewolves...

I absolutely ADORE the world Ms Carriger has created. Not only is the story of Soulless set in Victorian society, even the supernaturals are affected by the setting. Being a werewolf is no excuse for dressing poorly, and you better have good table manners as a vampire. It makes for such bizarre situations, it is utterly brilliant. I actually snickered while reading this book. Maybe I am even guilty of outright giggling.

Another massive plus is that at no point in the story the romance felt icky. Usually, when the heroine and hero are getting the hots for each other, I am not quite there with them yet. In Soulless I had no such issue. From all the adult romance storylines I have come across, this was one I was most comfortable with. It all felt so natural, the bickering, the little bits and pieces of tenderness. It all came together in such a way that I was fully invested in the scene, which is accomplished very rarely by books I read.

Alexia was an interesting character to read about. Even though she might not technically has a soul, she has enough brains to make up for it. She is a pleasant conversationalist with a healthy self-image and enough thinking capacity. She is nothing like her shallow half-sisters, constantly fussing about who wears what, and what they will wear to that party. What I liked was that even though Alexia in spirit resembles a modern woman, she still has some very distinct Victorian values. It was a great little touch, adding a lot of credibility to the story. You can really feel Ms Carriger has thought every detail through.

Soulless is a highly original book that I would certainly recommend to all lovers of steampunk, the paranormal, or historical romance. From the first page the dreamlike prose draws you in, and won't let you go until you have finished the story. I cannot wait to read the next installment, and find out what is in store next for this soulless heroine.

Blurb

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Stone Kissed by Keri Stevens (2/5 Stars)
• Review: Storm Front by Jim Butcher (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads