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Firebrand
I sink down on one knee. The purple and black vines embroidered on my skirts spread elegantly out around me.
"Your Grace of Coranza," I say with a little inclination of my head. "Will you do me the honour of accepting my hand in marriage?"
For a long moment, the Duke doesn't answer me. I'm beginning to think that he's going to throw me in a dungeon after all.
When adventurous widow Kadia Warner inherits the airship Concordia, she finds herself at the eye of a gathering storm. In the one duchy that remains free of the Empire, can she find love with the Emperor's erstwhile best friend? And how far will the Emperor go to get the Concordia - and Kadia - back? An industrial fantasy romance inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s Angria novelettes, featuring castles with dungeons, border fortresses without dungeons, kidnappings, masquerades, railway stranglers, duels with sword and pistol, airships, the opera, shady business practices, love, sex, danger and a mechanical birdcage
"Your Grace of Coranza," I say with a little inclination of my head. "Will you do me the honour of accepting my hand in marriage?"
For a long moment, the Duke doesn't answer me. I'm beginning to think that he's going to throw me in a dungeon after all.
When adventurous widow Kadia Warner inherits the airship Concordia, she finds herself at the eye of a gathering storm. In the one duchy that remains free of the Empire, can she find love with the Emperor's erstwhile best friend? And how far will the Emperor go to get the Concordia - and Kadia - back? An industrial fantasy romance inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s Angria novelettes, featuring castles with dungeons, border fortresses without dungeons, kidnappings, masquerades, railway stranglers, duels with sword and pistol, airships, the opera, shady business practices, love, sex, danger and a mechanical birdcage
420 pages, ebook
First published October 18, 2012
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325 people want to read
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February 12, 2013
I hate that I almost passed up this book simply because of the rather frequent reference to Charlotte and Bramwell Brontë's Angria novelettes (whatever that is) people can't seem to stop themselves from making when describing the book. I hate, with a driving passion, Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights and that's put me off the whole Brontë clan. And yeah, I know Jane Eyre rocks, I just can't bring myself to read it...
Where was I going with that? Oh, right, regardless of the origins of the idea for this story, there is no discernible link to Victorian literature evident in this novel—much to the benefit of the readers, IMO. The setting is steampunk with Victorian-ish elements (mostly fashion and political/imperial expansion). But those elements are a thin veneer over a great story, told with a modern sense of pacing, and validating modern sensibilities of the role/value of women in society (against a backdrop of Victorian-inspired rules regarding gender etiquette).
I really liked Kadia, the viewpoint character. She's remarkably (but believably) unjaded from two disastrous marriages, coping with the aftermath of her mother's recent death—including the consequence of inheriting a massive new airship that is coveted by the voracious emperor. She’s determined and cheerful and unwilling to put up with simply coasting on her inheritance. And I really liked her choice to be completely honest with John, the love-interest. While it's a reasonable spur-of-the-moment resolution (the only way she was likely to convince him to believe her in that moment), I like that she sticks to it over time. That choice is refreshing in a romantic drama as it prevents so many side-plots and errors of miscommunication that authors often rely on to spice up a courtship.
And I also liked how Wells handled the background regarding the warplings and the things surrounding what we'd call magic. We have Kadia's viewpoint (which is interested, if incomplete) and that gives us a starting point that grows over the course of the story.
The plot is a little predictable, in the end, but overall it was a very enjoyable read. It probably doesn't fully deserve all five stars, but even days after finishing I'm still uncharacteristically charmed with the memory so five stars it is...
A note about Steamy: There are two pretty spicy sex scenes of reasonable length—extremely yummy, and not jarring for the “period”, either (i.e. doesn't assume the sexual freedom of readily accessible and reliable birth control).
Where was I going with that? Oh, right, regardless of the origins of the idea for this story, there is no discernible link to Victorian literature evident in this novel—much to the benefit of the readers, IMO. The setting is steampunk with Victorian-ish elements (mostly fashion and political/imperial expansion). But those elements are a thin veneer over a great story, told with a modern sense of pacing, and validating modern sensibilities of the role/value of women in society (against a backdrop of Victorian-inspired rules regarding gender etiquette).
I really liked Kadia, the viewpoint character. She's remarkably (but believably) unjaded from two disastrous marriages, coping with the aftermath of her mother's recent death—including the consequence of inheriting a massive new airship that is coveted by the voracious emperor. She’s determined and cheerful and unwilling to put up with simply coasting on her inheritance. And I really liked her choice to be completely honest with John, the love-interest. While it's a reasonable spur-of-the-moment resolution (the only way she was likely to convince him to believe her in that moment), I like that she sticks to it over time. That choice is refreshing in a romantic drama as it prevents so many side-plots and errors of miscommunication that authors often rely on to spice up a courtship.
And I also liked how Wells handled the background regarding the warplings and the things surrounding what we'd call magic. We have Kadia's viewpoint (which is interested, if incomplete) and that gives us a starting point that grows over the course of the story.
The plot is a little predictable, in the end, but overall it was a very enjoyable read. It probably doesn't fully deserve all five stars, but even days after finishing I'm still uncharacteristically charmed with the memory so five stars it is...
A note about Steamy: There are two pretty spicy sex scenes of reasonable length—extremely yummy, and not jarring for the “period”, either (i.e. doesn't assume the sexual freedom of readily accessible and reliable birth control).
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February 5, 2013This rollicking, lusty steampunk romance was inspired by Charlotte and Branwell Bronte's Angria juvenilia, only Wells wisely cut a lot of the melodramatic gnashing of teeth and blanching white and blushing fiery red of the original teenage-Angria stories, though there are still plenty of blazing, scorching and smoldering gazes, some of which lead to steam that has nothing to do with the half-magically propelled airships.
Fantasy lovers might feel unsatisfied at some very intriguing threads left dangling, and others might sigh at the first-person present tense (which I don't much care for myself) but the female characters are vivid, varied, and absolutely on stage in this tale, as our twice-widowed heroine attends yet another funeral, her inheritance catching the attention of the Emperor . . . which sends her straight to a problematical Duke. I loved the voice, sometimes chuckling out loud as I read it straight through while taking a long train ride up the beautiful coast of California. There were times I forgot to look out the window at the sea!
Fantasy lovers might feel unsatisfied at some very intriguing threads left dangling, and others might sigh at the first-person present tense (which I don't much care for myself) but the female characters are vivid, varied, and absolutely on stage in this tale, as our twice-widowed heroine attends yet another funeral, her inheritance catching the attention of the Emperor . . . which sends her straight to a problematical Duke. I loved the voice, sometimes chuckling out loud as I read it straight through while taking a long train ride up the beautiful coast of California. There were times I forgot to look out the window at the sea!
Read
February 21, 2013Wow. I just cannot decide on a star rating. The voice, which is first-person narrative of our heroine, Kadia Warner, two time widow and owner of an extremely valuable airship, is fantastic. It's really sharp and funny, and I'd give the book at least 5 stars for that. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and am grateful to Sherwood for bringing the book to my attention, and to Jacob as well.
However, I have to admit that I had a few problems with the plot, and once I'd noticed one, it fed back a bit to indicate another problem. Starting with the simplest of all, I was confused by the very explicit Christianity practiced in the book's world. (I don't mean that it's in any way preaching Christianity, as it certainly isn't.) There are at least two mentions of "Scripture", and in both cases there's a quote and it is "our" Bible. (Both times it's what we call the Old Testament, but I'm not being oblivious in talking about Christianity instead of Judaism, as will become apparent.) When Kadia's late husband's relative comes to stay with her, she says she's "a Dissenter", but this I thought might be an adjectival description, despite the capitalization. But there's also a mention of "some Protestant reformers" later in the book, and this is just too absolutely tied to the history of our world to make any sense without some indication that it was intended as a hint that the world of the book split off from our world sometime after the Reformation. Actually, later again, if you take account of the fact that it's the King James version of the Bible being quoted. Maybe there was such a hint and I missed it, but it really threw me out of the story.
Once that had happened, it occurred to me that having Kadia be the widow of the Bishop was a bit unbelievable, both because she was unlikely to have married him (knowing, as she did, what she "was about to give up by marrying the Bishop"), and because he was even less likely to have married her. Everything that's said about his character indicates that he'd never have been willing to put up with anything other than complete and utter respectability, and Kadia is far from respectable.
I liked John, and was very happy for Kadia that she found him such a satisfying match - in every way. (Always good to see that a woman's been keeping up her pelvic floor exercises, too!) The romance itself didn't do as much for me as it might have seemed likely to, for whatever reason, but my final problem with the book was the ending, which was very strange. I'm not one who loves an overwhelming revenge on the bad guy(s) of a book, but all the same, some kind of comeuppance is usually warranted in fantasy novels for people who do Bad Things. And for all the high drama of the book, the ending was strongly lacking in even a simple consequence for bad-doing, let alone a comeuppance.
Overall a lot of fun, but for the romantic comedy-of-manners, I'd far prefer Sherwood Smith's Danse de la Folie , which kept popping into my mind as I read along. I was very much struck with how much better I thought the just desserts served to the nasty female character were in Sherwood's book. Very, very fitting and yet not unduly cruel.
However, I have to admit that I had a few problems with the plot, and once I'd noticed one, it fed back a bit to indicate another problem. Starting with the simplest of all, I was confused by the very explicit Christianity practiced in the book's world. (I don't mean that it's in any way preaching Christianity, as it certainly isn't.) There are at least two mentions of "Scripture", and in both cases there's a quote and it is "our" Bible. (Both times it's what we call the Old Testament, but I'm not being oblivious in talking about Christianity instead of Judaism, as will become apparent.) When Kadia's late husband's relative comes to stay with her, she says she's "a Dissenter", but this I thought might be an adjectival description, despite the capitalization. But there's also a mention of "some Protestant reformers" later in the book, and this is just too absolutely tied to the history of our world to make any sense without some indication that it was intended as a hint that the world of the book split off from our world sometime after the Reformation. Actually, later again, if you take account of the fact that it's the King James version of the Bible being quoted. Maybe there was such a hint and I missed it, but it really threw me out of the story.
Once that had happened, it occurred to me that having Kadia be the widow of the Bishop was a bit unbelievable, both because she was unlikely to have married him (knowing, as she did, what she "was about to give up by marrying the Bishop"), and because he was even less likely to have married her. Everything that's said about his character indicates that he'd never have been willing to put up with anything other than complete and utter respectability, and Kadia is far from respectable.
I liked John, and was very happy for Kadia that she found him such a satisfying match - in every way. (Always good to see that a woman's been keeping up her pelvic floor exercises, too!) The romance itself didn't do as much for me as it might have seemed likely to, for whatever reason, but my final problem with the book was the ending, which was very strange. I'm not one who loves an overwhelming revenge on the bad guy(s) of a book, but all the same, some kind of comeuppance is usually warranted in fantasy novels for people who do Bad Things. And for all the high drama of the book, the ending was strongly lacking in even a simple consequence for bad-doing, let alone a comeuppance.
Overall a lot of fun, but for the romantic comedy-of-manners, I'd far prefer Sherwood Smith's Danse de la Folie , which kept popping into my mind as I read along. I was very much struck with how much better I thought the just desserts served to the nasty female character were in Sherwood's book. Very, very fitting and yet not unduly cruel.
April 3, 2013
First thing you need to know about Firebrand is that it is laugh-out-loud funny, which is a great thing to discover on a packed train. My scarf was the recipient of a lot of giggling, and the person next to me looked very discomfited. The second thing you need to know is that it is awesome. I was basically onto a winner with this one immediately because, like The Maker's Mask and The Hawkwood War everyone is so very very competent, and I just cannot resist competent female characters being generally awesome, and independent, and sarcastic.
November 5, 2012
This is more of a 3.5 because of world-building questions that didn't get answered, but I'm rounding up for enjoyment's sake.
Kadia Warner, gratefully widowed from her contempuous second husband, is less gratefully orphaned. Her engineer mother leaves her a gorgeous and newly built airship--which the selfish, ambitious, and hedonistic emperor wishes to seize. (He'd also be very happy to seize Kadia.) She flees to the only state that has resisted the emperor's armies so far, the duchy ruled by the emperor's erstwhile best friend.
Things I loved:
* If you had asked me what I wanted for my birthday, "science-fantasy fanfiction taking place in Charlotte and Branwell Bronte's childhood paracosm Angria" would not have been on the list only because I wouldn't have been brilliant enough to think of it. Just reading the mention in Wells' blog overwhelmed me with happiness.
* As expected from the author of the Books of Requite, the voice is terrific -- clever, insightful, and funny. Kadia is quick-witted, competent, and -- for much of the book -- so weighed down by emotional abuse from her stepdaughters and late husband that she severely underestimates herself. Seeing her come (back) into her own after what's clearly been a long hibernation is a delight.
* The romance is sexy and convincing, if a bit rushed.
* It is nice to read a fantasy where most of the characters are grown-ups -- some with adult children, all with previous romances.
* The background world-building is intriguing -- the steampunk technology runs by "ingenii" stones and at the edges of the empire conditions (possibly the mining?) can have strange consequences, such as turning normal humans into "warplings" (more politely called ingenii) aka magical mutants with strange powers and unusual appearances.
* Lots of complicated and well-developed characters, especially women.
* I liked that Wells kept Zashera's demonic sex appeal from the Bronteania, while very sharply underlining the ways in which he exploited women -- and his (male) supporters and friends enabled this. It's not just Zashera; it's the patriarchy.
Things that I didn't like as much:
* I expected a lot more to be revealed about the ingenii. Their powers ended up being both a prerequisite for storytelling (that is okay, I am in favor of airships) and a deus ex machina in the end.
* I'm not entirely sure about the pacing -- it seems rushed in some ways, both in terms of the relationships being developed and in terms of Kadia (and the reader) exploring her world. I could have used a bit less of Kadia (understandably but repetitively) hating on her stepdaughters and a bit more of negotiation with the ingenii and its consequences. One major development seemed extremely rushed () and another seemed left hanging ().
* Zashera got off way too lightly, but then emperors often do.
Kadia Warner, gratefully widowed from her contempuous second husband, is less gratefully orphaned. Her engineer mother leaves her a gorgeous and newly built airship--which the selfish, ambitious, and hedonistic emperor wishes to seize. (He'd also be very happy to seize Kadia.) She flees to the only state that has resisted the emperor's armies so far, the duchy ruled by the emperor's erstwhile best friend.
Things I loved:
* If you had asked me what I wanted for my birthday, "science-fantasy fanfiction taking place in Charlotte and Branwell Bronte's childhood paracosm Angria" would not have been on the list only because I wouldn't have been brilliant enough to think of it. Just reading the mention in Wells' blog overwhelmed me with happiness.
* As expected from the author of the Books of Requite, the voice is terrific -- clever, insightful, and funny. Kadia is quick-witted, competent, and -- for much of the book -- so weighed down by emotional abuse from her stepdaughters and late husband that she severely underestimates herself. Seeing her come (back) into her own after what's clearly been a long hibernation is a delight.
* The romance is sexy and convincing, if a bit rushed.
* It is nice to read a fantasy where most of the characters are grown-ups -- some with adult children, all with previous romances.
* The background world-building is intriguing -- the steampunk technology runs by "ingenii" stones and at the edges of the empire conditions (possibly the mining?) can have strange consequences, such as turning normal humans into "warplings" (more politely called ingenii) aka magical mutants with strange powers and unusual appearances.
* Lots of complicated and well-developed characters, especially women.
* I liked that Wells kept Zashera's demonic sex appeal from the Bronteania, while very sharply underlining the ways in which he exploited women -- and his (male) supporters and friends enabled this. It's not just Zashera; it's the patriarchy.
Things that I didn't like as much:
* I expected a lot more to be revealed about the ingenii. Their powers ended up being both a prerequisite for storytelling (that is okay, I am in favor of airships) and a deus ex machina in the end.
* I'm not entirely sure about the pacing -- it seems rushed in some ways, both in terms of the relationships being developed and in terms of Kadia (and the reader) exploring her world. I could have used a bit less of Kadia (understandably but repetitively) hating on her stepdaughters and a bit more of negotiation with the ingenii and its consequences. One major development seemed extremely rushed () and another seemed left hanging ().
* Zashera got off way too lightly, but then emperors often do.
April 21, 2013
I'm usually not much of a steampunk fan, but I adored this book, largely due to the fabulous, witty voice of the narrator, Kadia Warner. The whole thing was a wonderfully funny, adventurous romance filled with swordfights, feminism, and some very hot chemistry between Kadia and her Duke. I loved it, and I can't wait to read more by Ankaret Wells.
April 19, 2013
Original review posted at Kirkus
There are some things I do understand, very thoroughly. My body is my own. The Concordia is my own. And I will do as I please with both.
Firebrand is a Fantasy/Steampunk Romance novel that has just made the Tiptree Award’s Honor list. The Tiptree Award is an annual prize for SciFi and Fantasy with the intention to reward works that expand our understanding of gender. Well, this bombastic combination of Fantasy/Steampunk, Romance AND gender conversation has “Ana” written all over it.
After reading it though, I find myself with mixed feelings.
When her mother dies, widow Kadia Warner inherits the Concordia, an airship that the Emperor wants for himself (and if he can bed Kadia in the bargain, all the better). Kadia is adamant that the ship and her body remain her own and flees to the neighbouring Duchy of Coranza—the one place that still remains free of the ever-growing Empire. There, she will find herself falling for its Duke as she tries to keep the Emperor’s unwanted attentions at bay.
On the one hand, Firebrand is a fun romp, following Kadia’s adventures, and there are good reasons for the book to be on the Tiptree list. Kadia is a well-developed lead, who is honest about her desires and has no qualms about it. She is adventurous in bed, has taken lovers in between her two unhappy marriages and is keen to start a sexual relationship with John, the Duke of Coranza (their sexytimes are fun and hot). The book has a multitude of female characters in positions of power that are typically presented as “male” professions (pilots, lawyers, engineers) and at the same time makes astute observations about gender inequalities and double standards applied to men and women. At one point, she argues with John about how, if he had been the one to own Concordia, the Emperor would have an entirely different strategy:
“I think he’d take you gambling and throw a parade for you in the streets of New Trinovantium, and when he tried to steal your airship he’d argue to himself that all’s fair when you’re fighting a worthy equal.” My eyes feel hot and itchy with tears, but I’m too angry to cry. “Whereas he calls me my sweet delight and threatens me.”
On the other hand, the story is kind of fleeting and many of its storylines, underdeveloped and even, possibly problematic. Firebrand is what I’d call Wallpaper Fantasy: Its fantastical elements are never truly explored in any depth. Its “Steampunk” elements—like its “clockwork” mechanisms—are mostly supernatural and magic rather than scientific and therefore Not Really Steampunk (in my not-so-humble opinion). Given how the Emperor is spreading his tentacles all over, there are questions of race, colonization and oppression that are merely glossed over and never truly addressed.
The emphasis and focus here is definitely on the romance between Kadia and John. But the extent to which one can suspend disbelief and not ask questions about setting and background when reading a Romance novel is directly related to whether the romance works or not.
The problem here is that Firebrand doesn’t work as a full-fledged romance either. The hero is of the Nice and Hot variety (as opposed to the antagonist who is Hot but Not Nice) and is a cardboard cut-out Romance Hero with a Sad Past. I know close to nothing about him beyond the fact that he is Nice and Hot and I have no idea why the heroine has fallen in love with him so fast. The vast majority of romance novels are actually written in third person and the male point of view makes up for half the narrative—I am not necessarily bemoaning the lack of a hero point of view or the first person narrative here, but I do regret that John was not nearly as developed as Kadia. Part of me thinks this is okay because Kadia is awesome on her own. But because the romance takes up so much of the story, I wish I had enjoyed this side of the novel more.
The most problematic thing for me is how the novel ends with the hero saving the day and everybody hand-waving all of the emperor’s ignominious actions throughout the book (and throughout the history within the world) including kidnapping, abusing and attempting to rape the heroine. But this is all okay because he apologizes and he might actually have a Heart of Gold and that’s it: They all live happily ever after. I am actually not entirely sure that the ending doesn’t in fact neutralize all of the gender observations the novel had made previously.
To sum up: fabulous heroine, great female characters and some genuinely good gender talk. Not so good everything else.
In Book Smugglerish, a lukewarm 5 out of 10.
There are some things I do understand, very thoroughly. My body is my own. The Concordia is my own. And I will do as I please with both.
Firebrand is a Fantasy/Steampunk Romance novel that has just made the Tiptree Award’s Honor list. The Tiptree Award is an annual prize for SciFi and Fantasy with the intention to reward works that expand our understanding of gender. Well, this bombastic combination of Fantasy/Steampunk, Romance AND gender conversation has “Ana” written all over it.
After reading it though, I find myself with mixed feelings.
When her mother dies, widow Kadia Warner inherits the Concordia, an airship that the Emperor wants for himself (and if he can bed Kadia in the bargain, all the better). Kadia is adamant that the ship and her body remain her own and flees to the neighbouring Duchy of Coranza—the one place that still remains free of the ever-growing Empire. There, she will find herself falling for its Duke as she tries to keep the Emperor’s unwanted attentions at bay.
On the one hand, Firebrand is a fun romp, following Kadia’s adventures, and there are good reasons for the book to be on the Tiptree list. Kadia is a well-developed lead, who is honest about her desires and has no qualms about it. She is adventurous in bed, has taken lovers in between her two unhappy marriages and is keen to start a sexual relationship with John, the Duke of Coranza (their sexytimes are fun and hot). The book has a multitude of female characters in positions of power that are typically presented as “male” professions (pilots, lawyers, engineers) and at the same time makes astute observations about gender inequalities and double standards applied to men and women. At one point, she argues with John about how, if he had been the one to own Concordia, the Emperor would have an entirely different strategy:
“I think he’d take you gambling and throw a parade for you in the streets of New Trinovantium, and when he tried to steal your airship he’d argue to himself that all’s fair when you’re fighting a worthy equal.” My eyes feel hot and itchy with tears, but I’m too angry to cry. “Whereas he calls me my sweet delight and threatens me.”
On the other hand, the story is kind of fleeting and many of its storylines, underdeveloped and even, possibly problematic. Firebrand is what I’d call Wallpaper Fantasy: Its fantastical elements are never truly explored in any depth. Its “Steampunk” elements—like its “clockwork” mechanisms—are mostly supernatural and magic rather than scientific and therefore Not Really Steampunk (in my not-so-humble opinion). Given how the Emperor is spreading his tentacles all over, there are questions of race, colonization and oppression that are merely glossed over and never truly addressed.
The emphasis and focus here is definitely on the romance between Kadia and John. But the extent to which one can suspend disbelief and not ask questions about setting and background when reading a Romance novel is directly related to whether the romance works or not.
The problem here is that Firebrand doesn’t work as a full-fledged romance either. The hero is of the Nice and Hot variety (as opposed to the antagonist who is Hot but Not Nice) and is a cardboard cut-out Romance Hero with a Sad Past. I know close to nothing about him beyond the fact that he is Nice and Hot and I have no idea why the heroine has fallen in love with him so fast. The vast majority of romance novels are actually written in third person and the male point of view makes up for half the narrative—I am not necessarily bemoaning the lack of a hero point of view or the first person narrative here, but I do regret that John was not nearly as developed as Kadia. Part of me thinks this is okay because Kadia is awesome on her own. But because the romance takes up so much of the story, I wish I had enjoyed this side of the novel more.
The most problematic thing for me is how the novel ends with the hero saving the day and everybody hand-waving all of the emperor’s ignominious actions throughout the book (and throughout the history within the world) including kidnapping, abusing and attempting to rape the heroine. But this is all okay because he apologizes and he might actually have a Heart of Gold and that’s it: They all live happily ever after. I am actually not entirely sure that the ending doesn’t in fact neutralize all of the gender observations the novel had made previously.
To sum up: fabulous heroine, great female characters and some genuinely good gender talk. Not so good everything else.
In Book Smugglerish, a lukewarm 5 out of 10.
July 15, 2015
This was an "also-bought" on Amazon from the book I read immediately before it, The Steerswoman.
I've been known to complain before about how steampunk novels typically take a great idea and execute it poorly. This one, in a refreshing change, takes a great idea (drawn from the fantasy world that Charlotte Bronte created as a child, which reflects more cultivation and knowledge of the 19th century than most steampunk authors show) and executes it fairly well, though very far from flawlessly.
The wonderful and wonder-filled world is more or less a background to the story, and, to be honest, the plot is not great and somewhat pitted with holes. The great strength is the main character and narrator, but even she has her flaws - not "character flaws" that appear in the book, but flaws considered as a literary character and potential protagonist. She's an intelligent and very witty woman, but she doesn't seem to apply that intelligence to anything, or have any useful skills or areas of knowledge - or even any useless ones. (I suppose that being quite good at sex is a useful skill, in context.) She doesn't have a really clearly articulated goal, nor does she pursue clear goals against opposition; she more or less drifts about reacting to events a lot of the time, and often reacting to them not very effectively.
The most decisive thing she does (small spoiler for an early event) is propose marriage to the sole remaining independent duke, apparently in order to escape the attentions of the emperor, but as I say, it's not clearly articulated what her plan is, or even if she has one. The duke, who has remained faithful to the memory of his late wife for years, and the main character, who has had two unsatisfactory marriages and a few unsatisfactory liaisons, then fall in instalove. This is the biggest unlikeliness in the plot, right up to the point where the big threat just kind of collapses at the end. It seems that the people of the duchy, who venerate the late duchess, become, quietly and in the background, mild converts to the cult of the new would-be duchess, for no really clear reason. But then, she's the kind of character that everyone loves (except people who are obviously nasty, like her stepdaughters), for no really clear reason.
There's some back-and-forth for the rest of the book in which it seems like possibly they might not get married for one reason or another, but I was never convinced by any of it, and it wasn't strong enough to drive a plot. Nor were the various, mostly half-hearted attempts to kidnap or assassinate her, which never seemed to result in her being assigned a military guard or taking any kind of precautions.
There's not quite one editing error per chapter, on average, which isn't a bad run rate (though they include a missing apostrophe from "children's" and "ten years' time" and a misplaced one in "gentlemen's" and "stepdaughters'" - I'm giving the correct versions here). Some of them are places where the present tense (which the book is narrated in) slips momentarily into past, or where there's a word missing from a sentence, or repeated.
So why four stars? It sounds like a bit of a mess. Well, it is, kind of, but the banter and the voice of the main character are very funny, and I always award a humour bonus to books that make me laugh. Listen to this: "There are enough potted palms to choke a camel. Somewhere a few rooms away a small orchestra are diligently at work. One of them may actually be choking a camel, though if so it's a soprano one." Or this: "I don't feel like myself, but whoever I am seems to be coping better with what's just happened than I would."
I was entertained, despite the lack of protagonism or a strong sense of plot (two things which are intertwined), and being entertained is important. I don't know if I'll read another book by this author, but I have another sample on my Kindle, so I'll give it a try and see what it's like, and if it shows signs of not having the same issues I'll buy it.
I've been known to complain before about how steampunk novels typically take a great idea and execute it poorly. This one, in a refreshing change, takes a great idea (drawn from the fantasy world that Charlotte Bronte created as a child, which reflects more cultivation and knowledge of the 19th century than most steampunk authors show) and executes it fairly well, though very far from flawlessly.
The wonderful and wonder-filled world is more or less a background to the story, and, to be honest, the plot is not great and somewhat pitted with holes. The great strength is the main character and narrator, but even she has her flaws - not "character flaws" that appear in the book, but flaws considered as a literary character and potential protagonist. She's an intelligent and very witty woman, but she doesn't seem to apply that intelligence to anything, or have any useful skills or areas of knowledge - or even any useless ones. (I suppose that being quite good at sex is a useful skill, in context.) She doesn't have a really clearly articulated goal, nor does she pursue clear goals against opposition; she more or less drifts about reacting to events a lot of the time, and often reacting to them not very effectively.
The most decisive thing she does (small spoiler for an early event) is propose marriage to the sole remaining independent duke, apparently in order to escape the attentions of the emperor, but as I say, it's not clearly articulated what her plan is, or even if she has one. The duke, who has remained faithful to the memory of his late wife for years, and the main character, who has had two unsatisfactory marriages and a few unsatisfactory liaisons, then fall in instalove. This is the biggest unlikeliness in the plot, right up to the point where the big threat just kind of collapses at the end. It seems that the people of the duchy, who venerate the late duchess, become, quietly and in the background, mild converts to the cult of the new would-be duchess, for no really clear reason. But then, she's the kind of character that everyone loves (except people who are obviously nasty, like her stepdaughters), for no really clear reason.
There's some back-and-forth for the rest of the book in which it seems like possibly they might not get married for one reason or another, but I was never convinced by any of it, and it wasn't strong enough to drive a plot. Nor were the various, mostly half-hearted attempts to kidnap or assassinate her, which never seemed to result in her being assigned a military guard or taking any kind of precautions.
There's not quite one editing error per chapter, on average, which isn't a bad run rate (though they include a missing apostrophe from "children's" and "ten years' time" and a misplaced one in "gentlemen's" and "stepdaughters'" - I'm giving the correct versions here). Some of them are places where the present tense (which the book is narrated in) slips momentarily into past, or where there's a word missing from a sentence, or repeated.
So why four stars? It sounds like a bit of a mess. Well, it is, kind of, but the banter and the voice of the main character are very funny, and I always award a humour bonus to books that make me laugh. Listen to this: "There are enough potted palms to choke a camel. Somewhere a few rooms away a small orchestra are diligently at work. One of them may actually be choking a camel, though if so it's a soprano one." Or this: "I don't feel like myself, but whoever I am seems to be coping better with what's just happened than I would."
I was entertained, despite the lack of protagonism or a strong sense of plot (two things which are intertwined), and being entertained is important. I don't know if I'll read another book by this author, but I have another sample on my Kindle, so I'll give it a try and see what it's like, and if it shows signs of not having the same issues I'll buy it.
April 23, 2015
This is one of those books that starts off running and just keeps going! There weren't really any boring drawn out lulls, something is always happening. Overall the outline of the book was fun and entertaining. When you get down to it though so much felt so off.
The Emperor, Zashera, was introduced as a womanizing slug, then this whole strong soldier persona is built, then he becomes a terrifyingly disgusting pig, and a few pages later he's acting like a whole other person and is lighthearted and jolly. All of the main characters kind of go through this, like there is no set personality for them and they change according to how peppy the author was feeling when writing that day. At the beginning Kadia's cynical but up-beat attitude was charming and humorous, but after awhile she started sounding too shallowly flippant and one dimensional. She got a little annoying honestly. I can't really explain John's (the Duke) character since all we see are "statesman John," "protective John," and "lust-filled John." None of which really help to build a well rounded character.
I don't like insta-love, and draw this out for a month, but this was still very much insta-love/lust. Here is a man who has not slept with a woman since his beloved wife died 20 years ago and the entire duchy has basically canonized her into sainthood. Along comes Kadia who proposes to him about 15 minutes after they've met, and BAM they are heatedly making out and he's craving her like a bad habit. You'd also think the citizens who all wear miniatures of the dead Duchess would be a little upset with having an outsider with a bad reputation come out of nowhere and marry their Duke. Kadia and John bandy words for the whole of the book (I guess this is supposed to be hot tension and exciting), but they really show no growth of affection, it's all just lust.
The plot wandered a bit trying to cover etc., etc.
This would have worked out so much better as a series. Everything felt so crammed together and hurried. Things didn't get explained well, which they could have been if done as a series (who knows, maybe Wells intended this to be a series but the publisher wasn't feeling it IDK).
The Emperor, Zashera, was introduced as a womanizing slug, then this whole strong soldier persona is built, then he becomes a terrifyingly disgusting pig, and a few pages later he's acting like a whole other person and is lighthearted and jolly. All of the main characters kind of go through this, like there is no set personality for them and they change according to how peppy the author was feeling when writing that day. At the beginning Kadia's cynical but up-beat attitude was charming and humorous, but after awhile she started sounding too shallowly flippant and one dimensional. She got a little annoying honestly. I can't really explain John's (the Duke) character since all we see are "statesman John," "protective John," and "lust-filled John." None of which really help to build a well rounded character.
I don't like insta-love, and draw this out for a month, but this was still very much insta-love/lust. Here is a man who has not slept with a woman since his beloved wife died 20 years ago and the entire duchy has basically canonized her into sainthood. Along comes Kadia who proposes to him about 15 minutes after they've met, and BAM they are heatedly making out and he's craving her like a bad habit. You'd also think the citizens who all wear miniatures of the dead Duchess would be a little upset with having an outsider with a bad reputation come out of nowhere and marry their Duke. Kadia and John bandy words for the whole of the book (I guess this is supposed to be hot tension and exciting), but they really show no growth of affection, it's all just lust.
The plot wandered a bit trying to cover etc., etc.
This would have worked out so much better as a series. Everything felt so crammed together and hurried. Things didn't get explained well, which they could have been if done as a series (who knows, maybe Wells intended this to be a series but the publisher wasn't feeling it IDK).
June 5, 2017
This is one of those times when the lack of half-stars really hurts. I usually choose my star-ratings based on the goodreads tooltips for what the stars mean, and there were some portions of this book that were solidly in the "I liked it." category, and others that only merited an "it was ok". Rounding up or down between those two was a coin toss sort of decision.
Anyway, the "I liked it" bits: There are some pretty cool bones here. The female lead is solidly in the "adult" realm and arrives complete with an interesting backstory (and attendant baggage) right out of the gate. The first-person narrative voice for our heroine has a nice snarky attitude without going so over-the-top with it, so it doesn't come off as too modern or not appropriate to the setting, and Kadia was generally a very likeable heroine. The worldbuilding, while not deeply explored, had some nice specificity to it with the complications brought into things by the presence of warplings and the references to different religious factions (I should mention that I have no idea how much of that comes from the Bronte inspiration material vs. being original to this book?). The basic forward movement of the plot didn't have me on the edge of my seat, but it was plenty entertaining enough for a "light read" sort of book like this.
The "it was ok" bits: I really think the marketing on this oversold the "steampunk" elements and undersold the "romance" elements. The steampunk side of things never rises beyond set-dressing - there are airships, there are a few mechanical birds, but both could have easily been replaced with other plot tokens without much difference to the story. And I'm someone who enjoys a good love story in my fantasy... but this was too far into "romance novel" tropes territory for my tastes. Characters are barely in a single scene together before they're madly in love. Every subsequent scene where they're in the same room makes copious mention of the love interest's broad shoulders and other masculine attributes, usually while making much over bodies pressing together (or how much our heroine WISHES their bodies were pressing together). I don't think there were any "heaving bosoms", but there might as well have been. What could have been an interesting relationship dynamic of two people deciding to get married for political expediency and having to work through how to form a relationship out of that, instead went immediately into insta-love territory that just had me rolling my eyes. Not my cup of tea, by a long shot, on that score.
So, to sum up, I think if I could go through and tone down the writing on the romance to be a little less tropey, this would have easily earned that third star... but since the romance DID have a pretty big role in the book, I think it disenchanted me enough to leave it at two.
Anyway, the "I liked it" bits: There are some pretty cool bones here. The female lead is solidly in the "adult" realm and arrives complete with an interesting backstory (and attendant baggage) right out of the gate. The first-person narrative voice for our heroine has a nice snarky attitude without going so over-the-top with it, so it doesn't come off as too modern or not appropriate to the setting, and Kadia was generally a very likeable heroine. The worldbuilding, while not deeply explored, had some nice specificity to it with the complications brought into things by the presence of warplings and the references to different religious factions (I should mention that I have no idea how much of that comes from the Bronte inspiration material vs. being original to this book?). The basic forward movement of the plot didn't have me on the edge of my seat, but it was plenty entertaining enough for a "light read" sort of book like this.
The "it was ok" bits: I really think the marketing on this oversold the "steampunk" elements and undersold the "romance" elements. The steampunk side of things never rises beyond set-dressing - there are airships, there are a few mechanical birds, but both could have easily been replaced with other plot tokens without much difference to the story. And I'm someone who enjoys a good love story in my fantasy... but this was too far into "romance novel" tropes territory for my tastes. Characters are barely in a single scene together before they're madly in love. Every subsequent scene where they're in the same room makes copious mention of the love interest's broad shoulders and other masculine attributes, usually while making much over bodies pressing together (or how much our heroine WISHES their bodies were pressing together). I don't think there were any "heaving bosoms", but there might as well have been. What could have been an interesting relationship dynamic of two people deciding to get married for political expediency and having to work through how to form a relationship out of that, instead went immediately into insta-love territory that just had me rolling my eyes. Not my cup of tea, by a long shot, on that score.
So, to sum up, I think if I could go through and tone down the writing on the romance to be a little less tropey, this would have easily earned that third star... but since the romance DID have a pretty big role in the book, I think it disenchanted me enough to leave it at two.
September 13, 2023
3.5, rounded up to 4 stars. I was expecting something more like the Requite books, which were a bit rough-edged but had complex world-building and a sense of history that I loved - the world felt lived in. (Reminded me of some of Melissa Scott's SF.) This was basically a romance novel in a steampunk setting. I thought it had a more than usually fleshed out, plausible setting and complex characterization - but the plot was structured around the romance, which didn't really grab me. I was more interested in the warplings and the tech.
March 3, 2019
The idea was great but poor execution and the ending was totally anticlimactic. I didn’t care because the story was narrated verses inviting me in to be apart of it. The story jumped around more than a bop the weasel game. I would go back and reread and still had no idea how the author got from one place to another. Wish I had passes on it but gave it 2 stars on the plot unfortunately if “if it’s and buts we’re sugar and nuts what a glorious story it would be”
November 13, 2018
Good fantasy steampunk novel with a believable romance that isn't too over the top. I don't even mind that it's written in first person because the narrator is unique, strong, flawed, and likable. Loved it.
July 28, 2024
I was caught off-guard by the plot and how very little... happens. But the vibes are impeccable and it left me wishing the book was three times as long. I particularly enjoyed this after reading a variety of "new adult" over the last few years. I think this could be read in that context and it certainly is head and shoulders over the competition.
December 30, 2020
Did not enjoy. Just not really my kind of book.
December 9, 2013
Since I began my quest looking for Feminist Romance[1], I've had a lot of recommendations fall flat. Most were just the standard "strong heroine" trope of a kick-butt, sassy lady devoid of any supposedly "feminine" emotion like sadness or despair. Some were allegedly feminist in that they bashed men, which is not part of my value set. Some were just terribly written with boring, go-nowhere plots.
But in Ankaret Wells' "Firebrand"[2] - recommended by folks on my Goodreads Feminist Romance group[3] - I finally found what I was looking for: a romantic story that fits my feminist values without being a polemic, and a thoroughly enjoyable adventure with fully-rounded characters I came to genuinely care about.
The story isn't about feminism, and it doesn't need to be. It's about a woman - told in her first-person voice - who has just lost her mother and not long before was widowed, though her husband's death was clearly no loss. Kadia begins the story in the somewhat-stunned position of trying to figure out her place amidst these deaths when, by virtue of her mother's will, she and her new airship become prizes sought by the most powerful men in Wells' extremely well-developed world of an expanding empire versus last-ditch holdout provinces. Through a mixture of self-empowerment and being tossed about by forces outside of her control, Kadia gets caught up in intrigue upon intrigue and, of course, a romance.
The romance element is very nicely done, with enough questions about how things will turn out to keep it interesting. The sex scenes are lovely for someone like me who likes fairly normal heterosexual love scenes without any of the currently trendy faux-BDSM stuff. If you're looking for exotic, non-het, multiple-appliances-involved sex, "Firebrand" isn't for you. It's for the rest of us who are still happy with the main thrust (heh) coming (heh heh) from the love and passion of the characters instead of slapped-on kink for kink's sake.
Kadia as a character has her moments of impressive resolve and strength, but also entirely human moments of despair and longing. She is three-dimensional, her voice differs from other characters in the story, and even when she screws up she's inherently likable to the reader.
The genre is steampunk romance, and this is the first steampunk book I've read since that's usually not my cup of clockwork tea. But this is a solid story independent of its genre. The genre stuff forms the setting, the background, and the stage but is not a dictator over the characters. The people are just that: people, not puppets made to fit genre requirements, and it was very refreshing to read a book where I genuinely cared about what happened to the humans (and not-entirely humans) inside.
"Firebrand" isn't a world-changing, life-altering book. It's exactly what it should be: a great story that doesn't rely on outdated anti-feminist tropes. I loved it and truly hope there'll be a sequel.
[1] http://www.findinggaia.com/blog/2012/...
[2] http://ankaretwells.wordpress.com/fir...
[3] http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
But in Ankaret Wells' "Firebrand"[2] - recommended by folks on my Goodreads Feminist Romance group[3] - I finally found what I was looking for: a romantic story that fits my feminist values without being a polemic, and a thoroughly enjoyable adventure with fully-rounded characters I came to genuinely care about.
The story isn't about feminism, and it doesn't need to be. It's about a woman - told in her first-person voice - who has just lost her mother and not long before was widowed, though her husband's death was clearly no loss. Kadia begins the story in the somewhat-stunned position of trying to figure out her place amidst these deaths when, by virtue of her mother's will, she and her new airship become prizes sought by the most powerful men in Wells' extremely well-developed world of an expanding empire versus last-ditch holdout provinces. Through a mixture of self-empowerment and being tossed about by forces outside of her control, Kadia gets caught up in intrigue upon intrigue and, of course, a romance.
The romance element is very nicely done, with enough questions about how things will turn out to keep it interesting. The sex scenes are lovely for someone like me who likes fairly normal heterosexual love scenes without any of the currently trendy faux-BDSM stuff. If you're looking for exotic, non-het, multiple-appliances-involved sex, "Firebrand" isn't for you. It's for the rest of us who are still happy with the main thrust (heh) coming (heh heh) from the love and passion of the characters instead of slapped-on kink for kink's sake.
Kadia as a character has her moments of impressive resolve and strength, but also entirely human moments of despair and longing. She is three-dimensional, her voice differs from other characters in the story, and even when she screws up she's inherently likable to the reader.
The genre is steampunk romance, and this is the first steampunk book I've read since that's usually not my cup of clockwork tea. But this is a solid story independent of its genre. The genre stuff forms the setting, the background, and the stage but is not a dictator over the characters. The people are just that: people, not puppets made to fit genre requirements, and it was very refreshing to read a book where I genuinely cared about what happened to the humans (and not-entirely humans) inside.
"Firebrand" isn't a world-changing, life-altering book. It's exactly what it should be: a great story that doesn't rely on outdated anti-feminist tropes. I loved it and truly hope there'll be a sequel.
[1] http://www.findinggaia.com/blog/2012/...
[2] http://ankaretwells.wordpress.com/fir...
[3] http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
January 1, 2017
Sigh. This book was quite disappointing. It could really have been good, but there was so much WRONG with it.
First of all, it's written in first-person-present tense, which is just... no.
Second, throughout the entire book, the character of Kadia is never really developed. At all. She has the weakest hint of a backstory (something about being married a few times and having horrendous stepdaughters) but no reason whatsoever why 1) the reader should feel invested in her, or 2) WHY the HELL the most powerful people in not just one, but TWO countries should be so captivated with her that they scrabble for her like she's the last scrap of food available at the brink of starvation.
Third, there is the most "insta" of all the insta-loves I've ever read. EVER. Kadia and John (could the author have possibly picked a MORE generic name for the male protagonist?) meet each other under tense circumstances (i.e., Kadia is on the verge of being thrown into a dungeon) and she tells him why she did what she did and within a matter of minutes they're about to bone on the window seat. KEEP IN MIND, however, that John hasn't been with another woman since his dearest wife died like fifteen years prior, and he's breaking that long-ass trend for a woman he's literally JUST met? A woman he met under suspicious circumstances?? AND HE AGREES TO MARRY HER????
No.
From then on there's basically no character development. Everyone basically just stays as they are, and no real love develops between Kadia and John; it's all lust. Which would be fine!! If it were carried out in a satisfactorily titillating way, but the build up consists of basically the cheapest cliche ever: interruptions. On the window seat, in the airship at night, and like the next one or two encounters between K & J end up with them being interrupted by someone else.
By the time they actually got around to fucking I didn't even care anymore, since there was no more-nuanced factor to their interactions.
AND THEN the ending is so cut-and-dry, after all that meandering nonsense. Is the reader really expected to believe that Zashera would give up just like that? REALLY??
And aside from that... to me, the most interesting characters were Zashera and Isabel.
I dunno. It just all felt SUPER manufactured and shallow, and ultimately like a huge waste of time. But despite that, it wasn't AWFUL, which is actually even more offensive to me than if it had been awful, because then I could have declared it a DNF within the first couple of chapters, instead of being stuck reading the whole thing in the hopes that at SOME point it gets better.
Edit to add:
I did appreciate, however, that John wasn't a chest-pounding neanderthal of a male-protag like so often occurs. The author makes it a point to show that John doesn't want to control or own Kadia in any way, which is a nice change.
First of all, it's written in first-person-present tense, which is just... no.
Second, throughout the entire book, the character of Kadia is never really developed. At all. She has the weakest hint of a backstory (something about being married a few times and having horrendous stepdaughters) but no reason whatsoever why 1) the reader should feel invested in her, or 2) WHY the HELL the most powerful people in not just one, but TWO countries should be so captivated with her that they scrabble for her like she's the last scrap of food available at the brink of starvation.
Third, there is the most "insta" of all the insta-loves I've ever read. EVER. Kadia and John (could the author have possibly picked a MORE generic name for the male protagonist?) meet each other under tense circumstances (i.e., Kadia is on the verge of being thrown into a dungeon) and she tells him why she did what she did and within a matter of minutes they're about to bone on the window seat. KEEP IN MIND, however, that John hasn't been with another woman since his dearest wife died like fifteen years prior, and he's breaking that long-ass trend for a woman he's literally JUST met? A woman he met under suspicious circumstances?? AND HE AGREES TO MARRY HER????
No.
From then on there's basically no character development. Everyone basically just stays as they are, and no real love develops between Kadia and John; it's all lust. Which would be fine!! If it were carried out in a satisfactorily titillating way, but the build up consists of basically the cheapest cliche ever: interruptions. On the window seat, in the airship at night, and like the next one or two encounters between K & J end up with them being interrupted by someone else.
By the time they actually got around to fucking I didn't even care anymore, since there was no more-nuanced factor to their interactions.
AND THEN the ending is so cut-and-dry, after all that meandering nonsense. Is the reader really expected to believe that Zashera would give up just like that? REALLY??
And aside from that... to me, the most interesting characters were Zashera and Isabel.
I dunno. It just all felt SUPER manufactured and shallow, and ultimately like a huge waste of time. But despite that, it wasn't AWFUL, which is actually even more offensive to me than if it had been awful, because then I could have declared it a DNF within the first couple of chapters, instead of being stuck reading the whole thing in the hopes that at SOME point it gets better.
Edit to add:
I did appreciate, however, that John wasn't a chest-pounding neanderthal of a male-protag like so often occurs. The author makes it a point to show that John doesn't want to control or own Kadia in any way, which is a nice change.
March 10, 2015
This was the most delightful airplane book ever. I have read one other book by Ankaret Wells, and I thought I might be getting generational palace intrigue, but no, this was a well-defined and traditional-appearing romance, frothy as the skirts of its heroine.
There is a heroine, not just a romantic lead. After two unfortunate marriages, she is the very definition of a merry widow, but that doesn't mean that she is at all an easy woman. She flees into the night rather than submit her personhood to yet another exchange of sex and status. On the way she delays a war, makes allies of enemies, and wears some truly fantastic-sounding clothes.
I love that Wells is paying some really loving tribute to the trappings of a romance novel -- the clothes, the waltzing, the thrills, the chills, the maid with her own agenda and the terrible female relatives. There are all the traditional ingredients, but now with airships, demi-magic, and a really fascinating discussion of how an otherwise good man can misjudge how dangerous his male friend is to women. Like, I wanted to just howl when someone explained that sure, his friend was kind of a terrible rapist, but he'd been SUCH A GOOD FRIEND TO HIM. Yeah. Kadia wasn't impressed, either.
There were some really sticky bits of the story, they keep occurring to me as unanswered questions. I like a world that is not entirely tidy at the edges of the novel. What happens to the respectable relation? What does the wedding dress look like? Is there a war? There were also some nice bits about the black drop, as linked to magic. And I had never thought about the homophone involved in "engineer" and "genii".
Read if: You need 5 hours of delightful escapism, swashbuckling, and feisty equal-power romance.
Skip if: You're going to nitpick the semi-victoriana, you don't like giggling on planes, you dislike romantic heroes who screw up.
Also read: The Countess Conspiracy, by Courtney Milan.
There is a heroine, not just a romantic lead. After two unfortunate marriages, she is the very definition of a merry widow, but that doesn't mean that she is at all an easy woman. She flees into the night rather than submit her personhood to yet another exchange of sex and status. On the way she delays a war, makes allies of enemies, and wears some truly fantastic-sounding clothes.
I love that Wells is paying some really loving tribute to the trappings of a romance novel -- the clothes, the waltzing, the thrills, the chills, the maid with her own agenda and the terrible female relatives. There are all the traditional ingredients, but now with airships, demi-magic, and a really fascinating discussion of how an otherwise good man can misjudge how dangerous his male friend is to women. Like, I wanted to just howl when someone explained that sure, his friend was kind of a terrible rapist, but he'd been SUCH A GOOD FRIEND TO HIM. Yeah. Kadia wasn't impressed, either.
There were some really sticky bits of the story, they keep occurring to me as unanswered questions. I like a world that is not entirely tidy at the edges of the novel. What happens to the respectable relation? What does the wedding dress look like? Is there a war? There were also some nice bits about the black drop, as linked to magic. And I had never thought about the homophone involved in "engineer" and "genii".
Read if: You need 5 hours of delightful escapism, swashbuckling, and feisty equal-power romance.
Skip if: You're going to nitpick the semi-victoriana, you don't like giggling on planes, you dislike romantic heroes who screw up.
Also read: The Countess Conspiracy, by Courtney Milan.
August 3, 2016
Oh my goodness! This is how you do romantic fantasy.
Despite some initial misgivings about the central premise , I was quickly won over. The writing is simply gorgeous--our heroine, Kadia, somehow manages to be stirringly poetic and mordantly funny at the same time. (In one memorable instance, she compares the severe-looking cap atop another lady's fussy hairdo to "a graveyard flanked by toyshops".) Kadia reminds me more than a little of Deanna Raybourn's delightful heroine, Lady Julia Grey (albeit with an even sharper wit than Julia's.) But her Bronte heritage is also easy to discern.
If our villain is mustache-twirlingly flamboyant, and our hero all but freshly chiseled from a block of marble, I'm going to put that down to the Brontes too. Fortunately for us, though, Wells is quite free of any of their maidenly reticence; there are a handful of love scenes hot enough to blister paint.
Despite some initial misgivings about the central premise , I was quickly won over. The writing is simply gorgeous--our heroine, Kadia, somehow manages to be stirringly poetic and mordantly funny at the same time. (In one memorable instance, she compares the severe-looking cap atop another lady's fussy hairdo to "a graveyard flanked by toyshops".) Kadia reminds me more than a little of Deanna Raybourn's delightful heroine, Lady Julia Grey (albeit with an even sharper wit than Julia's.) But her Bronte heritage is also easy to discern.
If our villain is mustache-twirlingly flamboyant, and our hero all but freshly chiseled from a block of marble, I'm going to put that down to the Brontes too. Fortunately for us, though, Wells is quite free of any of their maidenly reticence; there are a handful of love scenes hot enough to blister paint.
Read
August 9, 2020It's difficult for me to rate and review Firebrand. The opening lines and inciting incident grabbed my attention and I found the world and the intrigue to be very interesting. There were also times when the suspense was well done, and I did read the whole book in one day. However there were so many moments when the protagonist (who did have good moments) drove me nuts with her choices and, for lack of a better word, foolishness. She was set up as someone who was trying to take control of her life and who had learned from having very bad experiences with those in power. I can understand characters making bad choices (especially when none of the choices are good), but in a work of fiction they need to be well set up as not to seem random or for the sake of the plot. Especially when the story is written in first person and we have access to the narrator's thoughts on everything. Case in point: why did Kadia ever marry the Bishop? With so much about her past revealed, this would a been a good thing to clarify. The resolution was also very unsatisfactory; don't
April 18, 2013
I read this because it was on the Tiptree Award Honors List.
This steampunk novel has a very unusual heroine. She is expert at nothing. She isn't a pilot, a genius, an engineer, an inventor, or in possession of any supernatural powers. What she is... is very, very determined. The world-building is stolen, apparently, from Bronte, but it's extremely good. The book is whimsical, though not so funny as Gail Carriger's works, and has several quite erotic sections. I do appreciate a protagonist who keeps her sense of humor during a passionate love scene.
I was glued to the book mainly because I could not see how Kadia Warner would get herself out of her predicament. All the other good things about the book -- the ingenii, the airships, the history of the world -- were frustratingly lightly touched on. I could easily read whole books about any of these. Very curious to see what else the author comes up with.
This steampunk novel has a very unusual heroine. She is expert at nothing. She isn't a pilot, a genius, an engineer, an inventor, or in possession of any supernatural powers. What she is... is very, very determined. The world-building is stolen, apparently, from Bronte, but it's extremely good. The book is whimsical, though not so funny as Gail Carriger's works, and has several quite erotic sections. I do appreciate a protagonist who keeps her sense of humor during a passionate love scene.
I was glued to the book mainly because I could not see how Kadia Warner would get herself out of her predicament. All the other good things about the book -- the ingenii, the airships, the history of the world -- were frustratingly lightly touched on. I could easily read whole books about any of these. Very curious to see what else the author comes up with.
January 12, 2016
It's so refreshing to read a romance novel where the romance is actually built upon mutual respect and trust, and I don't mistakenly think someone has literally exploded during a sex scene. I practically swooned when Kadia was wonderful and hilarious and I want to be her best friend. The ending was disappointing but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment and I'm definitely going to read everything else Ankaret Wells has written as quickly as possible.
September 2, 2014
Excellent book. I was not enthusiastic at the beginning but I was caught into the story from the very first pages. It's like a Regency romance but with more machines and less etiquette. The female lead is a strong woman who has been married twice but hasn't found a lot of happiness. She met a Duke, also a strong and honorable character and they fall quickly in love. The writing is full of humorous remarks and I liked Kadia's bravery and resilience.
April 6, 2016
I really loved this - I'm so glad that Just Anne Now recommended it.
Here and there there were odd bits that didn't quite make sense but I have a feeling that they may have been from the original Charlotte Bronte world building, and they certainly didn't detract from a rollicking good story.
I find myself wanting to know more about the world and the characters; a sure sign of a good read.
Here and there there were odd bits that didn't quite make sense but I have a feeling that they may have been from the original Charlotte Bronte world building, and they certainly didn't detract from a rollicking good story.
I find myself wanting to know more about the world and the characters; a sure sign of a good read.
August 19, 2014
I made it to chapter 4 before admitting this book was so not for me. no judgement on the book or its author, but I kinda felt this would have been better in a series, rather than a stand-alone novel, as there is a story in the backdrop that is s unclear, we are unsure of too much and we don't understand the issues, worries and such.
September 5, 2013
The main character was meant to be intelligent, headstrong and sassy. Instead she came off as unable to tell how to avoid danger (even when the same type of danger threatens multiple times), and unnecessarily rude. The motives of the characters in the end scene were also unclear.
May 12, 2014
This seems like the hilarious love child of Georgette Heyer and Steam Punk. The minor characters were sketched in lightly but frequently stole entire scenes. i hope this was half as much fun to write as it was to read so that she will write more in this universe...
July 17, 2014
Steampunk on another world. Wells is still imaginative, but this tale of a feisty widow making her own way among unwanted suitors, political intrigue, magical creatures, and a duke left me uninterested.
December 15, 2014
4.5 on my romance scale
3.4 on my fantasy scale
There is something about this writer that I like, but I can't put my finger on what. Even when there is parts of the story I don't like, the overall experience is usually pretty good.
3.4 on my fantasy scale
There is something about this writer that I like, but I can't put my finger on what. Even when there is parts of the story I don't like, the overall experience is usually pretty good.
Currently reading
July 3, 2016===
Started 6/13/16, and it was very clear I'd read at least some of this before (hence the read-sample tag). Got to ~6% (which I think I'd gotten further than the first time around), and then got distracted by another book. Will likely get back to this in the next month or so.
Started 6/13/16, and it was very clear I'd read at least some of this before (hence the read-sample tag). Got to ~6% (which I think I'd gotten further than the first time around), and then got distracted by another book. Will likely get back to this in the next month or so.
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