A Treatise of Air

by C.L. Jarvis

Edinburgh, 1784. It takes a scoundrel to catch a thief...Crowded, intellectual Edinburgh is catalysing Scotland into the industrial age. In a city where any man can make extraordinary discoveries, none bank on that possibility more than Elizabeth wife of medical student Thomas and amateur chemist-magician. When a valuable trade secret is stolen from the Port of Leith, Elizabeth gambles her magical power and intelligence is strong enough to steal it back.

To recover their prize from the wealthy English aristocrat who covets it for himself, Elizabeth and Thomas need the smartest minds of the Enlightenment. A chemist with secrets. An absent-minded, brilliant economist. A bickering clutch of physicians. And a lowlife scribbler with grandiose dreams of flight.

Together, they pursue their wealthy foe in a cat-and-mouse game through the glittering, seedy rooms of 18th century Edinburgh. But there is more than the object of the heist at the aristocrat's ruthless ambitions could destroy Scotland's economy and everything Elizabeth cares about.

Fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora and the dark fantasies of Leigh Bardugo will love this explosive continuation to The Edinburgh Doctrines series by CL Jarvis.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2023

About the author

CL Jarvis holds a PhD in chemistry and worked as a science journalist, healthcare copywriter, and medical writer before sitting down to write her first novel. Originally from Scotland but living in Philadelphia, USA, she's held together by cat hair and double espressos.

Reviews

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally on JamReads

A Treatise of Air is the second installment in the Edinburgh Doctrines series, written by the Scottish author CL Jarvis; and while it is a loose sequel to The Doctrines of Fire, it can be perfectly read as a standalone. We maintain the setting, Enlightenment Edinburgh, but changing some characters, losing our George Stephens, but gaining in exchange the Fulhame marriage; also passing from dark academia to a more conventional mystery with plenty of action.

Elizabeth Fulhame is aiming to get recognised with her chemistry experiments; a colossal task, taking into account that she is lacking many of the necessary equipment and that due to her genre, she's not really taken into account in an academical society ruled by men. She has hopes than once her husband, Thomas, finishes his medical degree, their situation improves and getting more equipment wouldn't be just a dream. When Dr Joseph Black tasks Thomas with receiving a French inventor who claims selling a valuable industrial dyeing process, the Fulhame marriage sees in this an opportunity to change their luck; however, the secret gets stolen by an English aristocrat.
Being this their best shot at scaling in Edinburgh's society, Elizabeth decides to steal it back with her wits and magical abilities; starting in the process a deadly cat-and-mouse game that will take them to the dangerous wynds and the high society balls of Edinburgh. She's risking much, but her goal is everything for her, and by extension, to Thomas.

In this second installment, we get the Fulhame marriage as the main characters, with whom CL Jarvis establishes a different dynamic than with our previous one, George Stephens; the chemistry and the complicity between Thomas and Elizabeth is certainly enviable. Elizabeth is dealing with the sexism attached to the academy, and she's looking for recognition, even if in the process she has to work harder than anybody; meanwhile, Thomas is just aiming to finish his degree.
Profesor Black and Cullen return in this novel, but they pass to a secondary role in comparison with the first one; it's particularly interesting to see their evolution towards accepting Elizabeth once they see their ability.

As we saw in the first book, the setting is one of the main selling points of this book, as Jarvis manages to create a really accurate portrait of Enlightenment Edinburgh; and in this installment we get to visit places that wouldn't be possible with George, examining other aspects such as the dyeing industry and the society balls.

In comparison, the pacing is slightly slower, but we are rewarded with more memorable scenes; still, a book that you devour naturally due to how well it is written.

A Treatise of Air is an excellent second novel, which can be read as a standalone, in this historical fantasy series. If you like mystery and want to explore a historical period with a great amount of detail, give a try to this series.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having enjoyed The Doctrines of Fire, I moved quite quickly onto the sequel. There seems to be a current trend for doing series of novels with separate characters and plots. It's not my preferred method of storytelling, but I've grown to it through some of the books I've recently read. This... didn't quite hit the mark. The characters from the first novel seemed so much more vivid than the characters here. And the narrative seemed more meandering.

The narrative was just less interesting than the first novel. There's no dead bodies here, just a theft. A theft of possibly important scientific documents, but a theft nonetheless. There's very little medicine, although there's more than enough chemistry and physics. There's a whole lot more of English/Scottish nobility and some international politics which were genuinely entertaining. It didn't hook me as much as the first novel though. It's also slower than the first novel.

There were still some things that I genuinely loved here. Elizabeth's attempts to be seen seriously in the 1780's medical community due to her gender was very well done. She's a smart, strong and innovative character. Her only flaw - for the time she lives in - is that she's female. Other than Cullen and Black who get far less page time here, Elizabeth is probably the only character who truly caught my attention here. Her journey, both in gaining the respect of others and learning to give herself the respect she deserves is a highlight here.

The historical setting and scientific discoveries are also wonderfully depicted though. It hooked me less, as the focus had moved away from medicine, but I can't fault the attention to detail and the ability to draw reader into the past world. The magic is very much in the background, particularly as Elizabeth feels constrained by her gender as well as by her inexperience in wielding it.

All in all, not as good as the first novel. But a decent read. The characters weren't as defined, and the characters you've grown to love play a backer role. The narrative didn't really have a hook; it engaged me but didn't enthral me. It was also slower. But there are some excellent moments here and if you enjoy historical fantasy, with a focus on the historical, this may be worth your while. I'd definitely recommend the first novel.

[Cari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midway through the story, it was a solid four stars, but by the end, it had launched itself right up to five! I loved the subtle humor (my favorite kind) sprinkled throughout the book and that all of the characters were very much individuals with unique personalities (some more unique than others). Admittedly, Elizabeth was my favorite. I enjoyed her observations, many of which held that subtle humor that I mentioned above.

I found the system of magic (for lack of a better term) just as interesting in this book as I had in the first, and we have the chance to see a little more of it in this story. Which made me happy.

A good portion of the book moves from scene to scene, many times without an obvious transition. But, as the threads start to weave together that smooths out, and I did not really find it to be a detriment. The flavor of the book is wonderful. I have an interest in history but certainly would not call myself a history buff, but I enjoyed it immensely. For someone who is a history buff, I feel this book would be even more appealing. I loved that the author added the “historical note” after the story’s conclusion. I feel it added just a little something extra to an already satisfying story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Renée Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I've read in this series, so Elizabeth and Thomas Fulhame were new to me. Elizabeth is a woman longing to be recognized as an equal mind and voice among a society of men who value education, but believe she is incapable of full understanding because of her gender. It was interesting to see the dynamics between the husband and wife. They often think as one and understand each other perfectly, yet struggle with feeling supported by the other, despite their affection. The ending feels fully satisfactory as Elizabeth is gaining respect - for herself, and from her husband and his colleagues. The story is action-packed, a cat-and-mouse chase through old Edinburgh to catch a thief and murderer. I loved the prose, which is authentic and knowledgeable. I also loved that it was a mystery and historical fiction (based on a true heroine), with elements of magic. Well done.

[little 📚 birdee · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍃…thank you so soOoh much for this arc ~ an interesting storyline that has you page turning thru’ to its conclusion ~ already hankering to get into the third instalment ~ Claire your work is awesome ~ wishing you much success in your endeavours!…💭