3.5 stars Madeleine has never left her house or been outside. She’s got a rare auto-immune disorder and lives in a house hermetically sealed, with special filters making sure nothing gets in that could hurt her. The only people she sees regularly are her mother, whose a doctor, and her nurse, Carla. On very special occasions, when he’s been decontaminated thoroughly, she’s allowed to meet one of her favourite tutors, but Madeline’s life is lived mostly vicariously through books and the internet, dreaming of the […]
A tale of three cities
In the world of V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy, in which this is the first book, there are parallel worlds. There used to be gateways between them, but now only the magical Antari (identified by having one normal and one fully black eyeball) are able to travel through to the various worlds, using their blood and magical ability. Young Kell, fostered with the royal family in Red London is one of these Antari. In each of the four worlds, there is a London, the geographical […]
Let Us Now Praise Jessica Trent
On the recommendation of Malin and Mrs. Julien, I picked up Lord of Scoundrels over a year ago. I had a hard time getting past the prologue. Finally, with permission from Our Ladies of the Kissing Books, I skipped the prologue and a chunk of the first chapter. I was going through a reviewing slump when I read the book, so, um, it’s been a while. Here is faintingviolet‘s review. Somehow I shall endeavor to say different things, but this is what I would have […]
Revisiting a classic I had seriously forgotten every aspect of – also, Cannonball
Sara Fielding and Derek Craven have a hell of a “meet-cute”. While researching her future novel in one of the seedier corners of the East End, Sara comes across Craven being held down and attacked by two thugs. They’ve slashed his face open, and she intends only to fire a warning shot from her pistol (which sh obviously keeps in her reticule for defencive purposes), when she instead ends up killing one of the assailants. She discovers that the man whose life she saved is […]