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The Thief on the Winged Horse
The Kendrick family have run their world famous doll-making business for over 200 years. But one night the most valuable doll is stolen. Only someone with knowledge of magic could have taken her...A dazzling mixture of crime, romance, magic and myth from the author of the bestselling The Psychology of Time Travel .The Kendricks have been making world-famous dolls for over 200 years. But their dolls aren't coveted for the craftmanship alone. Each has an emotion laid on it; a magic that can provoke bucolic bliss or consuming paranoia at a single touch.Persephone Kendrick longs to learn her ancestors' craft, but only men may know the secrets of the workshop. So when a handsome stranger arrives claiming doll-making talent and blood ties to the family she sees a chance to grasp all she desires.But then, one night, the firm's most valuable doll is stolen. Only someone with knowledge of magic could have taken her. Only a Kendrick could have committed this crime...'Captivating, inventive and tender' ADELE PARKS'An atmospheric examination of gender inequality' GUARDIAN'A magical tale that blends very human people with a hidden world of enchantment' WOMAN & HOME'An addictive fantasy with a smart feminist twist' iNEWS
400 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2020
61 people are currently reading
2540 people want to read
About the author
Kate Mascarenhas
5 books393 followersKate Mascarenhas is a writer.
Born in 1980, she is of mixed heritage (white Irish father, brown British mother) and has family in Ireland and the Republic of Seychelles.
She studied English at Oxford and Applied Psychology at Derby. Her PhD, in literary studies and psychology, was completed at Worcester.
Since 2017 Kate has been a chartered psychologist. Previously she has been an advertising copywriter, bookbinder, and doll’s house maker. She lives in the English midlands with her partner.
Her new novel, The Psychology of Time Travel, will be published by Head of Zeus in August 2018.
Born in 1980, she is of mixed heritage (white Irish father, brown British mother) and has family in Ireland and the Republic of Seychelles.
She studied English at Oxford and Applied Psychology at Derby. Her PhD, in literary studies and psychology, was completed at Worcester.
Since 2017 Kate has been a chartered psychologist. Previously she has been an advertising copywriter, bookbinder, and doll’s house maker. She lives in the English midlands with her partner.
Her new novel, The Psychology of Time Travel, will be published by Head of Zeus in August 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
November 25, 2020
I really loved Kate Mascarenhas's previous book The Psychology of Time Travel. The way she crafted complex and very distinct characters and narrative was something that I took away as a key part of her writing. As a result I was very excited to read her next offering.
The Kendrick family have been making world-famous dolls since the early 1800s. But their dolls aren't coveted for the craftmanship alone. Each one has a specific emotion laid on it by its creator. A magic that can make you feel bucolic bliss or consuming paranoia at a single touch.
But then, one night, the family's most valuable doll is stolen. Only someone with knowledge of magic could have taken her. Only a Kendrick could have committed this crime...
Much like Mascarenhas's debut, The Thief on the Winged Horse has a strong feminist viewpoint. While the Kendrick business was set up by three sisters, over time it was quickly taken over by male descendants and the women were excluded and demoted to designing the non-magical elements of their products. Only men became Sorcerers.
I found it interesting that most of the purchasers and collectors of the dolls were male. Possibly this was a comment on modern-day masculinity meaning that many men don't allow themselves to feel strong emotions – particularly "feminine" ones – organically.
This is a "whodunnit" story. There is a scene in particular, after the theft of the most prized doll, where the entire community and their guests are held on the eyot – the small river island on which the Kendricks and their descendants have lived for generations – while the police question them, which felt like an homage to Agatha Christie and other classics in the crime and mystery genre.
There are three main POVs within the book – Larkin, the newcomer to the eyot who holds a previously unknown claim of Kendrick heritage; Hedwig, who is daughter of the tavern's landlady and the housekeeper of the head of the business, Conrad; and Persephone, daughter of Briar, Conrad's alcoholic twin brother, who dreams of becoming a sorcerer despite her gender blocking her career path.
Each one of these characters are fully-formed, complex, and distinct. Each is very interesting to read, and their flaws in particular are unwrapped throughout the story, leaving the reader feeling unsure who exactly they are (or are supposed to be) rooting for, especially when conflicts occur between them. Through the different perspectives, the reader tends to learn of things just before the other characters do, leaving plenty of mystery to remain engaged with.
Just as in The Psychology of Time Travel, there is LGBTQ representation in this book. It's not a driving force for the plot, and its mention happens mostly in passing, but it is there and is from key characters. I also personally read at least one of the main characters as neurodivergent, however this isn't explicitly explored within the story.
Immediately within the first chapter, I was drawing comparisons between this book and Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. Despite being set in totally different eras, each book is about a small insular community, set on the River Thames in Oxford. Parallels extend beyond that, to the magical surrealism that exists while otherwise set in the real world, and to narrative devices including the use of a local tavern as a key setting. The books also share a similar feeling of fairytale-like whimsy. I'll say now that I was a big fan of Once Upon A River, and as a result recommend The Thief on the Winged Horse to anyone else who enjoyed it.
My only main critique was that the pacing was a bit off, which was particularly noticeable in one section towards the end of the book where it speeds up so much as to disorientate.
Other than that I really enjoyed this book though, and Kate Mascarenhas has cemented herself on my list of authors whose future work I will actively seek out.
(An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts are my own.)
The Kendrick family have been making world-famous dolls since the early 1800s. But their dolls aren't coveted for the craftmanship alone. Each one has a specific emotion laid on it by its creator. A magic that can make you feel bucolic bliss or consuming paranoia at a single touch.
But then, one night, the family's most valuable doll is stolen. Only someone with knowledge of magic could have taken her. Only a Kendrick could have committed this crime...
Much like Mascarenhas's debut, The Thief on the Winged Horse has a strong feminist viewpoint. While the Kendrick business was set up by three sisters, over time it was quickly taken over by male descendants and the women were excluded and demoted to designing the non-magical elements of their products. Only men became Sorcerers.
I found it interesting that most of the purchasers and collectors of the dolls were male. Possibly this was a comment on modern-day masculinity meaning that many men don't allow themselves to feel strong emotions – particularly "feminine" ones – organically.
This is a "whodunnit" story. There is a scene in particular, after the theft of the most prized doll, where the entire community and their guests are held on the eyot – the small river island on which the Kendricks and their descendants have lived for generations – while the police question them, which felt like an homage to Agatha Christie and other classics in the crime and mystery genre.
There are three main POVs within the book – Larkin, the newcomer to the eyot who holds a previously unknown claim of Kendrick heritage; Hedwig, who is daughter of the tavern's landlady and the housekeeper of the head of the business, Conrad; and Persephone, daughter of Briar, Conrad's alcoholic twin brother, who dreams of becoming a sorcerer despite her gender blocking her career path.
Each one of these characters are fully-formed, complex, and distinct. Each is very interesting to read, and their flaws in particular are unwrapped throughout the story, leaving the reader feeling unsure who exactly they are (or are supposed to be) rooting for, especially when conflicts occur between them. Through the different perspectives, the reader tends to learn of things just before the other characters do, leaving plenty of mystery to remain engaged with.
Just as in The Psychology of Time Travel, there is LGBTQ representation in this book. It's not a driving force for the plot, and its mention happens mostly in passing, but it is there and is from key characters. I also personally read at least one of the main characters as neurodivergent, however this isn't explicitly explored within the story.
Immediately within the first chapter, I was drawing comparisons between this book and Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield. Despite being set in totally different eras, each book is about a small insular community, set on the River Thames in Oxford. Parallels extend beyond that, to the magical surrealism that exists while otherwise set in the real world, and to narrative devices including the use of a local tavern as a key setting. The books also share a similar feeling of fairytale-like whimsy. I'll say now that I was a big fan of Once Upon A River, and as a result recommend The Thief on the Winged Horse to anyone else who enjoyed it.
My only main critique was that the pacing was a bit off, which was particularly noticeable in one section towards the end of the book where it speeds up so much as to disorientate.
Other than that I really enjoyed this book though, and Kate Mascarenhas has cemented herself on my list of authors whose future work I will actively seek out.
(An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts are my own.)
November 17, 2020
The setting for The Thief on the Winged Horse is Paxton's Eyot, a fictional river island in Oxford. Here sits a small, rather insulated community, organised around a remarkable business: Kendricks Workshop, which makes magical dolls. Only descendants of the founders, four sisters, are permitted to work there. The beginning of the story sees the arrival of a stranger, Larkin, who is determined to secure a job at Kendricks.
It's honestly quite difficult to summarise the rest of the story, as it gets rather messy. But I'll try: the plot hinges on the theft of an extremely valuable doll from the home of Conrad Kendrick, the current owner of the workshop. Suspicion falls on Briar, his embittered brother. Briar's daughter Persephone is one of our protagonists, as is Conrad's scheming housekeeper Hedwig. It turns out that, despite the founders of all being women, the modern-day workshop only allows men to use magic, or 'lay enchantments'; Persephone is determined to change this. Hedwig is more interested in making money, by any means. Larkin's motives are obscure, but he develops a sweet relationship with Persephone. On top of all this, some of the eyot's residents still believe in 'fae folk' and blame the theft on the local legend of 'the Thief'.
It's difficult to know exactly what to care about here. It feels as though Mascarenhas wants us to think the idea of women using magic is central to the story. Yet we rarely get a sense of what this means to them. The main female characters are Persephone, whose relationship with Larkin is prioritised within the narrative; Hedwig, who is awful; and Mrs Mayhew (Hedwig's mother), who is also awful – and neither of the latter two are dollmakers, nor do they wish to be. The book never really shows that being allowed to lay enchantments is particularly important to anyone except Persephone, who, it seems clear, has more than enough talent to make it on her own, and would probably be better off away from the cloistered atmosphere of the eyot. Consequently, the ending feels very downbeat and muted.
The simplistic characterisation really wears thin, too. Hedwig, for example, is so one-note she's virtually impossible to like: the fact that she's conniving and manipulative is her defining trait, which wouldn't necessarily be a problem, except that there appears to be literally nothing else to her personality.
There were things I really liked about The Thief on the Winged Horse, and those things kept me reading. Persephone and Larkin's relationship is delightful and authentic and the most emotionally compelling thing in the book. The strangeness of the Kendricks community existing within the modern world worked quite well for me, giving the story a fantastical, fairytale flavour. Overall, though, it's a little unsatisfying, and I didn't have anywhere near as much fun as I did reading the author's debut, The Psychology of Time Travel.
I received an advance review copy of The Thief on the Winged Horse from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Linktree
It's honestly quite difficult to summarise the rest of the story, as it gets rather messy. But I'll try: the plot hinges on the theft of an extremely valuable doll from the home of Conrad Kendrick, the current owner of the workshop. Suspicion falls on Briar, his embittered brother. Briar's daughter Persephone is one of our protagonists, as is Conrad's scheming housekeeper Hedwig. It turns out that, despite the founders of all being women, the modern-day workshop only allows men to use magic, or 'lay enchantments'; Persephone is determined to change this. Hedwig is more interested in making money, by any means. Larkin's motives are obscure, but he develops a sweet relationship with Persephone. On top of all this, some of the eyot's residents still believe in 'fae folk' and blame the theft on the local legend of 'the Thief'.
It's difficult to know exactly what to care about here. It feels as though Mascarenhas wants us to think the idea of women using magic is central to the story. Yet we rarely get a sense of what this means to them. The main female characters are Persephone, whose relationship with Larkin is prioritised within the narrative; Hedwig, who is awful; and Mrs Mayhew (Hedwig's mother), who is also awful – and neither of the latter two are dollmakers, nor do they wish to be. The book never really shows that being allowed to lay enchantments is particularly important to anyone except Persephone, who, it seems clear, has more than enough talent to make it on her own, and would probably be better off away from the cloistered atmosphere of the eyot. Consequently, the ending feels very downbeat and muted.
The simplistic characterisation really wears thin, too. Hedwig, for example, is so one-note she's virtually impossible to like: the fact that she's conniving and manipulative is her defining trait, which wouldn't necessarily be a problem, except that there appears to be literally nothing else to her personality.
There were things I really liked about The Thief on the Winged Horse, and those things kept me reading. Persephone and Larkin's relationship is delightful and authentic and the most emotionally compelling thing in the book. The strangeness of the Kendricks community existing within the modern world worked quite well for me, giving the story a fantastical, fairytale flavour. Overall, though, it's a little unsatisfying, and I didn't have anywhere near as much fun as I did reading the author's debut, The Psychology of Time Travel.
I received an advance review copy of The Thief on the Winged Horse from the publisher through NetGalley.
TinyLetter | Linktree
August 23, 2020
I loved Mascarenhas' book "The Psychology of Time Travel" because she had the knack to create women characters that were complex and intelligent. So I had expectations for this book, big expectations for this book and by and large, they were met in this book. The author is just excellent at creating characters, I felt instantly interested in all of the characters introduced and wanted to keep reading to learn more about them. In this book, there are more male characters and I am pleased to say that especially Larkin and Briar were really fascinating. The secrecy of the eyot and the Kendricks business were intriguing from the first page and it was an absolutely entertaining read throughout, even if the ending fell short for me (too hasty, too rushed) and I have to admit to me there were some gaping plotholes at the end. Still, Mascarenhas has won me over and she has now become an "instant read" author for me.
November 14, 2020
I was promised a winged horse and there was none.
November 17, 2020
Thank you to Head of Zeus for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
Recommends it for: Fans of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, mystery lovers that want a touch of fantasy.
A beautifully written unique book that combines different genres, but does it work...
The family of Kendrick, Jackson, Ramsay and Botham , the original founding sisters that made dolls with magic – magic that can infuse feeling into the dolls so that when you pick it up you might feel a very strong emotion. Persephone longs to break the tradition and become the first female Sorcerer since the founders. A stranger with secrets arrives, claiming to be a long-lost relative with a talent for crafting dolls , both of them use each other to seize the chance to get what they want.
After seeing the cover and synopsis I could not help myself from requesting it, this cover is gorgeous.
The writing is really beautifully done and the novel is interesting enough to continue reading however it really lacks in action and only halfway through does a plot actually start to develop – so it’ really slow. It was also very easy to forget it was set in modern day Oxford , I feel it would have been better with an older era setting.
The pacing and characters were well thought out, I really did want to know more about the magical side of things and I felt that was almost an after-thought, it wasn’t an integral part of the story and I felt it either should not of been included or more should have been explained.
This will appeal to a certain audience that love magical and mysterious elements but maybe less actual fantasy.
Overall it’s part mystery, part reality and a touch of fantasy for those that love a very atmospheric, character driven and yes, it works! This author continues to hold your attention throughout, I really enjoyed this odd book.
Rating: 3.6
The Thief on the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas
Standalone
Publish Date:
Cover Rating: 8/10
Adult – Fantasy – Magic – Mystery – Romance- Magical Realism – Contemporary
Recommends it for: Fans of The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, mystery lovers that want a touch of fantasy.
A beautifully written unique book that combines different genres, but does it work...
The family of Kendrick, Jackson, Ramsay and Botham , the original founding sisters that made dolls with magic – magic that can infuse feeling into the dolls so that when you pick it up you might feel a very strong emotion. Persephone longs to break the tradition and become the first female Sorcerer since the founders. A stranger with secrets arrives, claiming to be a long-lost relative with a talent for crafting dolls , both of them use each other to seize the chance to get what they want.
After seeing the cover and synopsis I could not help myself from requesting it, this cover is gorgeous.
The writing is really beautifully done and the novel is interesting enough to continue reading however it really lacks in action and only halfway through does a plot actually start to develop – so it’ really slow. It was also very easy to forget it was set in modern day Oxford , I feel it would have been better with an older era setting.
The pacing and characters were well thought out, I really did want to know more about the magical side of things and I felt that was almost an after-thought, it wasn’t an integral part of the story and I felt it either should not of been included or more should have been explained.
This will appeal to a certain audience that love magical and mysterious elements but maybe less actual fantasy.
Overall it’s part mystery, part reality and a touch of fantasy for those that love a very atmospheric, character driven and yes, it works! This author continues to hold your attention throughout, I really enjoyed this odd book.
Rating: 3.6
The Thief on the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas
Standalone
Publish Date:
Cover Rating: 8/10
Adult – Fantasy – Magic – Mystery – Romance- Magical Realism – Contemporary
July 18, 2020
Thanks to Better Reading for my proof copy.
An intriguing premise where the modern world collides with a 200 year old tight knit community of sorcerers who create enchanted dolls. The mystery and the detail of the doll making were imaginative but I felt the contemporary setting (in the age of mobile phones and technology) was a bit problematic for the plot. The character of Persephone was well crafted and had depth but Larkin’s character left me unconvinced about his motivation, which was quickly wound up in the final chapters.
Overall an enjoyable read if you don’t question anything too deeply.
An intriguing premise where the modern world collides with a 200 year old tight knit community of sorcerers who create enchanted dolls. The mystery and the detail of the doll making were imaginative but I felt the contemporary setting (in the age of mobile phones and technology) was a bit problematic for the plot. The character of Persephone was well crafted and had depth but Larkin’s character left me unconvinced about his motivation, which was quickly wound up in the final chapters.
Overall an enjoyable read if you don’t question anything too deeply.
November 12, 2020
The Thief on the Winged Horse is a contemporary fantasy novel set in a subtly different world where magic applies only to the emotions engendered by mysterious antique dolls. I had read and adored The Psychology of Time Travel last year, so was happy to receive an ARC of this at the start of the year. Strangely, I then didn’t feel any great rush to read it, partly because my limited interest in fantasy tends more towards time travel and superpowers than magic and monsters, and in part because of the publisher’s request to hold reviews until a week before publication. Once I did finally start it, I found it easy to put aside - even towards the end - and while I don’t regret reading it, at best I can say I liked it for its originality but was disappointed by the plot and characters.
Kendricks’ is a world famous doll-making company based on a small island in a river in Oxford. Originally founded by four sisters two hundred years earlier, who discovered the magic needed to imbue each doll with an emotion transmitted by touch, the business has passed on down the family and only descendants or their spouses may work there and know the secret - and only men are now allowed to become Sorcerors - those who create the valuable antique style dolls. When an attractive stranger arrives claiming to be a long lost relative, and is allowed a position because of his skill but more importantly his gender, frustrated Sorcerer Persephone, whose talents are wasted in the shop, is both jealous of and drawn to him, and sees him as the key to her ambitions, but then the most valuable doll of all goes missing: is the mysterious Thief - family mascot and legend - responsible, or did one of the family betray their own?
Mascarenhas is a talented writer who creates unique worlds - just slightly different to our own - then explores the implications of the fantastical elements on society - especially gender politics.
.“Life experience doesn’t matter,” he said. “You just have to know what the expected tropes and symbols of a story are, and comply with or subvert them.”
In TPOTT the women were in charge, which I enjoyed, whereas here they have allowed the patriarchy to persist because of fear and tradition.
“She had brought with her a Frozen Charlotte, the little bridal doll enchanted with Selflessness. More men would benefit from a Selflessness enchantment, she believed.”
The two central female characters, Persephone and Hedwig, are both bitter and resentful of their lot, which is understandable but their underhanded scheming makes them difficult to like - they were also so similar that I had to keep checking who was in play. Larkin was interesting but “off” from the start, I felt we missed enough backstory to really understand his motivations, and Conrad and Briar were just awful. I was expecting more of a surprise from the reveal of the mystery, and then felt the ending was a bit rushed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review.
Kendricks’ is a world famous doll-making company based on a small island in a river in Oxford. Originally founded by four sisters two hundred years earlier, who discovered the magic needed to imbue each doll with an emotion transmitted by touch, the business has passed on down the family and only descendants or their spouses may work there and know the secret - and only men are now allowed to become Sorcerors - those who create the valuable antique style dolls. When an attractive stranger arrives claiming to be a long lost relative, and is allowed a position because of his skill but more importantly his gender, frustrated Sorcerer Persephone, whose talents are wasted in the shop, is both jealous of and drawn to him, and sees him as the key to her ambitions, but then the most valuable doll of all goes missing: is the mysterious Thief - family mascot and legend - responsible, or did one of the family betray their own?
Mascarenhas is a talented writer who creates unique worlds - just slightly different to our own - then explores the implications of the fantastical elements on society - especially gender politics.
.“Life experience doesn’t matter,” he said. “You just have to know what the expected tropes and symbols of a story are, and comply with or subvert them.”
In TPOTT the women were in charge, which I enjoyed, whereas here they have allowed the patriarchy to persist because of fear and tradition.
“She had brought with her a Frozen Charlotte, the little bridal doll enchanted with Selflessness. More men would benefit from a Selflessness enchantment, she believed.”
The two central female characters, Persephone and Hedwig, are both bitter and resentful of their lot, which is understandable but their underhanded scheming makes them difficult to like - they were also so similar that I had to keep checking who was in play. Larkin was interesting but “off” from the start, I felt we missed enough backstory to really understand his motivations, and Conrad and Briar were just awful. I was expecting more of a surprise from the reveal of the mystery, and then felt the ending was a bit rushed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review.
June 18, 2021
Exquisitely constructed, full of unexpected, fascinating magical details, and with a faintly Diana Wynne Jone-ish mixture of whimsy and believable dysfunctional family dynamics. The characters are nuanced and *recognisable* (in that satisfying 'Oooh, so-and-so acts just like that!' way) and I very much appreciated the realistic depiction of 'benign' sexism that leads to women being stripped of power and agency while heaped with blame and responsibility, all under a pretence that it's for their own good.
At the novel's close I did feel that *something* was missing but I couldn't say what it was - more confrontations? High drama? The lack may be in me, if so, because confontations and high drama are often the very thing that I critique for being too predictable in books. Anyway, this is a definite recommend, and I will seek out the author's other work, too.
At the novel's close I did feel that *something* was missing but I couldn't say what it was - more confrontations? High drama? The lack may be in me, if so, because confontations and high drama are often the very thing that I critique for being too predictable in books. Anyway, this is a definite recommend, and I will seek out the author's other work, too.
December 25, 2020
EDIT 25/12/2020: Changing this to two stars, as I re-evaluate things at the end of the year.
I believe the publication date for this book has been pushed back (or, at the very least, it is only coming out at the end of October in the UK). Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
This is a really odd magical realist novel. I kept forgetting that it takes place in modern day Oxford - there is something archaic not just about doll making and the strange magic, but also the way these characters behave. Then the narration would mention howa character checks their mobile phone, and I'd get jarred and had to remind myself that it's not really a medieval fantasy.
The world of this exclusive doll making family business was really interesting, how the dolls are magic because they somehow convey one particular feeling to anyone who touches them. The fae lore and stories of the Thief were fascinating.
I also liked Persephone and admired her ambition in breaking with the patriarchal rule of the business, struggling and learning the enchantment of dolls at any price. I also liked Larkin, her love interest, and found it amazing that they are both bisexual (or queer, actually it's never specified). But sadly, the whole thing is just missing something. It was rather anticlimactic, and honestly some things at the end didn't make sense... I really wish it would have ended with a bang, it had great potential.
2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book with more than 20 letters in its title
I believe the publication date for this book has been pushed back (or, at the very least, it is only coming out at the end of October in the UK). Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
This is a really odd magical realist novel. I kept forgetting that it takes place in modern day Oxford - there is something archaic not just about doll making and the strange magic, but also the way these characters behave. Then the narration would mention howa character checks their mobile phone, and I'd get jarred and had to remind myself that it's not really a medieval fantasy.
The world of this exclusive doll making family business was really interesting, how the dolls are magic because they somehow convey one particular feeling to anyone who touches them. The fae lore and stories of the Thief were fascinating.
I also liked Persephone and admired her ambition in breaking with the patriarchal rule of the business, struggling and learning the enchantment of dolls at any price. I also liked Larkin, her love interest, and found it amazing that they are both bisexual (or queer, actually it's never specified). But sadly, the whole thing is just missing something. It was rather anticlimactic, and honestly some things at the end didn't make sense... I really wish it would have ended with a bang, it had great potential.
2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book with more than 20 letters in its title
November 12, 2020
2020 has been a crazy eventful year and reading this book was like a breath of fresh air, it had a real feel good edge to it. Dolls can be creepy 75% of the time but Mascarenhas manages to capture their beauty and hidden magic and weaves a beautiful story that easily pulls in the reader.
I loved the history behind Kendricks, doll makers for over 200 hundred years and a company full of as many secrets as Wonka’s Choccy factory. There are also a very good group of characters here and I was constantly changing my opinion of them again and again. Persephone’s story was particularly good, a real coming of age event whilst fighting for women’s rights at the workshop, I did find myself giving her a little cheer now and then. The plot of the book revolves around a crime, a valuable doll has been stolen and it is very tricky to settle on one thief, I had my theory and was correct but I had no idea how to prove it was them….once all was revealed I was suitably impressed with how it all played out.
This is a book that is so easy to get caught up in, such a fun read, Mascarenhas is such a witty writer that you settle in very quickly and before you know it you’ll have finished the book and be left wanting more. I haven’t read the first book by Mascarenhas but will certainly be adding it to my wishlist.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2020...
I loved the history behind Kendricks, doll makers for over 200 hundred years and a company full of as many secrets as Wonka’s Choccy factory. There are also a very good group of characters here and I was constantly changing my opinion of them again and again. Persephone’s story was particularly good, a real coming of age event whilst fighting for women’s rights at the workshop, I did find myself giving her a little cheer now and then. The plot of the book revolves around a crime, a valuable doll has been stolen and it is very tricky to settle on one thief, I had my theory and was correct but I had no idea how to prove it was them….once all was revealed I was suitably impressed with how it all played out.
This is a book that is so easy to get caught up in, such a fun read, Mascarenhas is such a witty writer that you settle in very quickly and before you know it you’ll have finished the book and be left wanting more. I haven’t read the first book by Mascarenhas but will certainly be adding it to my wishlist.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2020...
August 4, 2020
Release date: 6th August 2020
Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Why do you think the Sorcerers are so secretive? It's because you don't have to be special to do what they do. You just have to have their privilege" - Kate Mascarenhas
The Thief on the Winged Horse was not the book that I thought it was going to be, and maybe that was my fault but when I read the synopsis on NetGalley I was sure this book was going to be a gripping mystery novel set in the heart of England with some magical realism undertones. Unfortunately, what I got a luke-warm family/relationship drama with the magical realism so far under, I needed a shovel.
The problem that I had with this book is that nothing seems to happen in it. It's 400 pages long and yet the whole thing reads like filler. The overarching plot is threadbare at best and completely not there at worst with the three main characters; Persephone, Larkin and Hedwig, all reading the same due to the writing style being so bland and emotionless and while that works for maybe one character having to read three POV's that are all essentially the same becomes tedious. I'm sure there could be something said for the characters being emotionless when the book itself revolves around dolls that grant people the ability to feel any emotion but that feels like a reach.
There is no atmosphere or intrigue in this book, there is only one character that could have done the crime and they did it, no suspense or build-up, no subverting my expectations, honestly the mystery isn't even a b plot with how little it's involved in the book so that begs the question, what the hell is the plot? I still don't know!
I don't know how you can take such an interesting concept as 'carefully crafted dolls that are magical and can evoke emotions in people' and make it so unexciting. I understand the idea of taking something magical and interweaving it with the mundane but it is just too much mundane for my liking. There are so many background characters in this book that I don't care about and that have no effect on the story, so much magical history that isn't explored and the ending is so rushed that I just don't know what the author wanted to achieve with this book and that is such a shame.
Don't get me wrong, there are some things I do like about this book; I did enjoy Persephone as a character, I found the way the magic was cast interesting and the theme of men hoarding information to make it rare and in turn make them more powerful was also well done but in the end, they were all overshadowed by how boring I found the overall plot.
I am finding it so hard to write this review because this book has done so little to warrant any kind of reaction out of me other than 'meh'. There was no substance to this book, there felt like there was no passion and I found it so disheartening because I thought the synopsis was so interesting but unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
"Why do you think the Sorcerers are so secretive? It's because you don't have to be special to do what they do. You just have to have their privilege" - Kate Mascarenhas
The Thief on the Winged Horse was not the book that I thought it was going to be, and maybe that was my fault but when I read the synopsis on NetGalley I was sure this book was going to be a gripping mystery novel set in the heart of England with some magical realism undertones. Unfortunately, what I got a luke-warm family/relationship drama with the magical realism so far under, I needed a shovel.
The problem that I had with this book is that nothing seems to happen in it. It's 400 pages long and yet the whole thing reads like filler. The overarching plot is threadbare at best and completely not there at worst with the three main characters; Persephone, Larkin and Hedwig, all reading the same due to the writing style being so bland and emotionless and while that works for maybe one character having to read three POV's that are all essentially the same becomes tedious. I'm sure there could be something said for the characters being emotionless when the book itself revolves around dolls that grant people the ability to feel any emotion but that feels like a reach.
There is no atmosphere or intrigue in this book, there is only one character that could have done the crime and they did it, no suspense or build-up, no subverting my expectations, honestly the mystery isn't even a b plot with how little it's involved in the book so that begs the question, what the hell is the plot? I still don't know!
I don't know how you can take such an interesting concept as 'carefully crafted dolls that are magical and can evoke emotions in people' and make it so unexciting. I understand the idea of taking something magical and interweaving it with the mundane but it is just too much mundane for my liking. There are so many background characters in this book that I don't care about and that have no effect on the story, so much magical history that isn't explored and the ending is so rushed that I just don't know what the author wanted to achieve with this book and that is such a shame.
Don't get me wrong, there are some things I do like about this book; I did enjoy Persephone as a character, I found the way the magic was cast interesting and the theme of men hoarding information to make it rare and in turn make them more powerful was also well done but in the end, they were all overshadowed by how boring I found the overall plot.
I am finding it so hard to write this review because this book has done so little to warrant any kind of reaction out of me other than 'meh'. There was no substance to this book, there felt like there was no passion and I found it so disheartening because I thought the synopsis was so interesting but unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.
November 26, 2020
Synopsis: The Kendrick family has been in the trade of fabricating dolls for the last two centuries in a town near Oxford. As a family secret, they are the only ones who are able to cast a magic spell on the dolls, enabling them to emit one emotion. Whoever touches them feels that emotion.
The sorcerers are men from the family only, and Persephone seeks to break this tradition and get employed as a sorcerer.
Along comes young Larkin, claiming to be a descendant of the family and wanting to get employed. He‘s trained as an artist, and knows to craft dolls. The head of the family is reluctant but gives him a chance.
After a garden party, a famous doll worth millions of pounds is stolen. The search for the thief begins.
Review: The novel is set in our time, but I had to constantly be reminded of this, because the society and trade felt so antiquated. The patriarchal family ruling out females from higher positions (though they were founded by four sisters), the trade of doll fabrication and the overall atmosphere - without references to cell phones or barbies here and there, the story could have happened a hundred years ago. The novel‘s strength lies in the complicated relationships between Persephone and her father. The author tried to add a romance between Larkin and Persephone, but it was utterly unbelievable despite of explicit descriptions of their sexual intercourses. As a romantasy, this novel failed spectacularly. The magic system with the hexed dolls was funny but didn’t lead too far; I can’t believe that everyone stayed knit-tight in the family business and nobody tried to break out for several generations: Once a sorcerer knows the hexes, they could just leave and easily start their own shop. Overall the mystery was conclusive, I didn’t guess the thief, and was satisfied with the resolution. I just didn’t understand several motives, and the relations were jumpy at times. The story felt like touching too many different topics and couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a family drama, a romance, a magical realism, or a mystery. While a novel could certainly combine all of those, this novel stayed too much on the surface to be successful in any of the subgenres.
Review: The novel is set in our time, but I had to constantly be reminded of this, because the society and trade felt so antiquated. The patriarchal family ruling out females from higher positions (though they were founded by four sisters), the trade of doll fabrication and the overall atmosphere - without references to cell phones or barbies here and there, the story could have happened a hundred years ago. The novel‘s strength lies in the complicated relationships between Persephone and her father. The author tried to add a romance between Larkin and Persephone, but it was utterly unbelievable despite of explicit descriptions of their sexual intercourses. As a romantasy, this novel failed spectacularly. The magic system with the hexed dolls was funny but didn’t lead too far; I can’t believe that everyone stayed knit-tight in the family business and nobody tried to break out for several generations: Once a sorcerer knows the hexes, they could just leave and easily start their own shop. Overall the mystery was conclusive, I didn’t guess the thief, and was satisfied with the resolution. I just didn’t understand several motives, and the relations were jumpy at times. The story felt like touching too many different topics and couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a family drama, a romance, a magical realism, or a mystery. While a novel could certainly combine all of those, this novel stayed too much on the surface to be successful in any of the subgenres.
November 9, 2020
A family doll-making business with enchanted dolls that make you feel specific emotions at a touch. A workshop where women in the family aren't allowed to be Sorcerers. A mysterious stranger claiming to be the descendant of a dead woman. And the mystery that ensues when the most prized doll goes missing....
I enjoyed this book IMMENSELY!
rtc
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UPDATE: i freakin' just got approved for this.......WHAT? HOW? WHOMST?????
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THE AUTHOR OF ONE OF MY FAVE BOOKS OF ALL-TIME IS COMING OUT WITH A NEW SCI-FI THRILLER??? I AM DECEASEDDDDDDD
AUGUST PLEASE COME QUICK :0
I enjoyed this book IMMENSELY!
rtc
-----
UPDATE: i freakin' just got approved for this.......WHAT? HOW? WHOMST?????
-----
THE AUTHOR OF ONE OF MY FAVE BOOKS OF ALL-TIME IS COMING OUT WITH A NEW SCI-FI THRILLER??? I AM DECEASEDDDDDDD
AUGUST PLEASE COME QUICK :0
April 7, 2020
I couldn't guess the thief! And I thought myself clever! But there is some unanswered questions that left me with a little bit disappointment and the story could have been folded more neatly. Anyway, I would recommend this book , it has a perfect balance of mystery , reality and fantasy.
*I received an e-ARC from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
*I received an e-ARC from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review
January 12, 2022
As much as I adored Mascarenhas's previous book, The Psychology of Time Travel, I tried to go into this with tempered expectations. Realizing how difficult it would be to compose a story that was up to the challenge of her debut novel, I let this remain on my unread shelf for over a year. All-in-all, this rounded out and finished up being a pretty standard magical realism book.
The story itself is about the descendants of three of the four families who founded a doll-making shop near Oxford, on a small, fictional island named, Paxton's Eyot. The dolls are carefully constructed and topped with magical enhancements that evoke a particular feeling. The ability to apply these enhancements is a strongly held secret and only particular male descendants of the original four are permitted to become doll makers and learn the magic skill. Despite the fact that all four original makers were female, the following generations all decide that the magic is too much for the women — who just aren't capable enough.
A stranger walks onto the island one day, disrupting everything by claiming to be a descendant of the one original doll maker who died with no children. Larkin claims his right to learn magic doll making because his antecedent had actually absconded to France with the baby everyone had thought died. Meanwhile, Persephone, another descendant from another founder, has gotten it into her head that she wants to be a doll maker despite her gender. Larkin and Persephone make up the bulk of the main storyline and, regardless of the point of view shifting to a few others, really pull along the story on their own.
The feminist angle is a bit too on the nose for the reader — and thus really obviously for the upcoming plot — and yet the women on the island never seem to be at odds with their set circumstances. Other than Persephone, who is never that passionate about it and instead is just takes her desired future as 'one day' inevitable, none of the other women — daughters, wives, and mothers — ever seem that interested in learning the enchantments that set them so far apart from other doll makers in the world.
The characters are pretty well developed, but the story suffers by way of the friction created in the setting and style. Set in present day, the magical fairytale style in which Mascarnenhas has written continually butted heads with the random and spontaneous belches of modern speech — especially anything that might be considered profane. While I liked the majority of the story, the closer I got to the ending, the less focused it became. In fact, the ending was so lackluster, I wasn't even sure it made sense with the characters, particularly the women of the eyot. An admirable sophomore novel, but one that didn't quite bring on the wonder and complexity I remembered from her first novel.
The story itself is about the descendants of three of the four families who founded a doll-making shop near Oxford, on a small, fictional island named, Paxton's Eyot. The dolls are carefully constructed and topped with magical enhancements that evoke a particular feeling. The ability to apply these enhancements is a strongly held secret and only particular male descendants of the original four are permitted to become doll makers and learn the magic skill. Despite the fact that all four original makers were female, the following generations all decide that the magic is too much for the women — who just aren't capable enough.
A stranger walks onto the island one day, disrupting everything by claiming to be a descendant of the one original doll maker who died with no children. Larkin claims his right to learn magic doll making because his antecedent had actually absconded to France with the baby everyone had thought died. Meanwhile, Persephone, another descendant from another founder, has gotten it into her head that she wants to be a doll maker despite her gender. Larkin and Persephone make up the bulk of the main storyline and, regardless of the point of view shifting to a few others, really pull along the story on their own.
The feminist angle is a bit too on the nose for the reader — and thus really obviously for the upcoming plot — and yet the women on the island never seem to be at odds with their set circumstances. Other than Persephone, who is never that passionate about it and instead is just takes her desired future as 'one day' inevitable, none of the other women — daughters, wives, and mothers — ever seem that interested in learning the enchantments that set them so far apart from other doll makers in the world.
The characters are pretty well developed, but the story suffers by way of the friction created in the setting and style. Set in present day, the magical fairytale style in which Mascarnenhas has written continually butted heads with the random and spontaneous belches of modern speech — especially anything that might be considered profane. While I liked the majority of the story, the closer I got to the ending, the less focused it became. In fact, the ending was so lackluster, I wasn't even sure it made sense with the characters, particularly the women of the eyot. An admirable sophomore novel, but one that didn't quite bring on the wonder and complexity I remembered from her first novel.
November 30, 2020
'A dazzling mixture of crime, romance, magic and myth.'
Okay! So do I get the one and only niggle out of the way first, or do I slip it in unnoticed amongst all the many genuinely good aspects of this storyline and writing? No, I need to say it out loud and then move on and not revisit it! You therefore need to read my review in its entirety to ascertain my true feelings about the book.
The Thief On The Winged Horse, it transpires after my reading just a few pages, is a contemporary fantasy story. However, as I first began reading, the style of dialogue and narrative, and the initial perception I formed of the characters, would have quite firmly placed it as a work of historical fantasy fiction. Based on the early background story building and description of the physical eyot itself, together with the introduction of the families who lived there, I have to be totally honest and say that is also where I still think the book firmly belongs and where the slightly gothic undertones it engenders, would have made more impact from my perspective, as I found it quite difficult to assimilate those early beliefs with the modern day actualities as they were introduced into the narrative.
All that said, I enjoyed author's fluid style of writing, rich in detail, with some beautifully descriptive narrative and dialogue, which really drew me into the story and engaged me with the individual characters, combined with a slow building plot which had more twists and turns than enough. Kate has created a book which has some good structure to it, with meaningful opening and closing pages and a multi-layered, engaging and interesting, although slightly disconcertingly quirky storyline, which quite honestly freaked me out on a couple of occasions, but that is because of my own personal phobia about certain kinds of dolls!
First, that slightly scary, original and intriguing storyline, which features hexed dolls, made in a variety of materials, each having individually installed 'enchantments' that can engender unique and often troubling feelings in their owner. Definitely made for an adult market, which it even more eerily transpired, was predominantly male. Made even more disconcerting when I discovered that the craftsmanship which went into creating the individual dolls and the secret of laying on the hex, was also a male led domain. However the company itself had an all female history, as it had originated as the brainchild of the four Kendrick sisters. Somewhere along the way, their male heirs had purloined and dominated the rights to become the 'sorcerer's' of the business, leaving their womenfolk to create and furnish the doll's houses and serve in the shop. The scene setting throughout the book is really well described, making it a very visual and immersive journey, which is multi-layered and complex.
It would also seem that the entire population of the eyot were descendants of the original Kendrick sisters, with new blood being introduced on a regular (but not too regular!) basis, through marriage. I can recall no mention to speak of about any children and if there were, they were definitely of the 'seen and not heard' variety. It is unclear just how the shift in the balance of power from a female dominated business, to that of almost total male superiority came about, with the business for the purposes of the story, being currently administered, but not actively worked in, by Conrad, who inherited the entire estate at the expense of his twin brother, Briar. Therefore, there is no love lost between the siblings, although both are carefully and subliminally manipulated by the respective females in their lives, Conrad's companion, Hedwig and Briar's daughter, Persephone, who are also not natural allies, but have a common goal and destination to aim for, with a combined strength and determination to get what they want.
In this slightly uncomfortable environment, which I found disturbingly intrusive and stifling, even in my third party reading, business secrets are jealously guarded against outsiders and a strong belief prevails about 'the thief on the winged horse', who regularly steals things and demands payment and gifts in exchange for their return! Kate masterfully crafts and creates a great sense of atmosphere about the entire island, which would make you frightened to step out of line and dreading the consequences if you were caught. There is no lightness or joviality to life on the eyot, where suspicion is an almost default 'enchantment' amongst this strange extended family concern, who avidly guard their way of life.
They do say however, that 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' and this is also very much a story of revenge, retribution and the power taken by two of the female family members to fight back against the male domination, against all the odds; taking back piece by piece, some levelling out, if not control, of the Kendrick empire, by whatever means and feminine wiles necessary. Risking everything, Hedwig and Persephone somehow manage to rally some of the other women to stand up to their menfolk, be counted and have their voices heard, thus redressing the balance and hoping to drag the name of Kendrick into the 21st Century.
Whilst all of the main protagonists are very powerfully drawn and developed, with a genuine depth of character; none of them are really quite what they seem, all being most dislikeable and disagreeable, with their thinly veiled hidden agendas and motives, which are very cleverly woven into the plot, one on top of the other, so that I was never exactly sure who was fooling who, and which one of the suspects was in cahoots with the other at any given point in time. Such was the nature of their various and nefarious crimes, including industrial espionage, blackmail and theft and those just for starters and the tip of the iceberg, they were switching allegiances and plotting one against the other, almost constantly, making none of them easy to connect or empathise with, although the instant interactions between them were very compelling and addictive. Long held secrets bubble to the surface, which affect the characters of Hedwig and Persephone the most, revealing their vulnerabilities, and their individual desperate searches for a sense of place and belonging, whilst at the same time bringing their individual strengths to the fore, with a uniquely feminine recognition and intuition, that they needed to collaborate together to achieve their common objectives.
This powerful, mature and masterfully written story, certainly took me on a journey well outside of my usual comfort zone, although with its dark undertones, male dominated and toxic relationships, I'm not sure whether I was in a happy place or not. A very unusual, almost magical and immersive storyline, but the thought of all those spooky dolls out there, makes me think that I will never quite look at Oxford in the same way again!
Okay! So do I get the one and only niggle out of the way first, or do I slip it in unnoticed amongst all the many genuinely good aspects of this storyline and writing? No, I need to say it out loud and then move on and not revisit it! You therefore need to read my review in its entirety to ascertain my true feelings about the book.
The Thief On The Winged Horse, it transpires after my reading just a few pages, is a contemporary fantasy story. However, as I first began reading, the style of dialogue and narrative, and the initial perception I formed of the characters, would have quite firmly placed it as a work of historical fantasy fiction. Based on the early background story building and description of the physical eyot itself, together with the introduction of the families who lived there, I have to be totally honest and say that is also where I still think the book firmly belongs and where the slightly gothic undertones it engenders, would have made more impact from my perspective, as I found it quite difficult to assimilate those early beliefs with the modern day actualities as they were introduced into the narrative.
All that said, I enjoyed author's fluid style of writing, rich in detail, with some beautifully descriptive narrative and dialogue, which really drew me into the story and engaged me with the individual characters, combined with a slow building plot which had more twists and turns than enough. Kate has created a book which has some good structure to it, with meaningful opening and closing pages and a multi-layered, engaging and interesting, although slightly disconcertingly quirky storyline, which quite honestly freaked me out on a couple of occasions, but that is because of my own personal phobia about certain kinds of dolls!
First, that slightly scary, original and intriguing storyline, which features hexed dolls, made in a variety of materials, each having individually installed 'enchantments' that can engender unique and often troubling feelings in their owner. Definitely made for an adult market, which it even more eerily transpired, was predominantly male. Made even more disconcerting when I discovered that the craftsmanship which went into creating the individual dolls and the secret of laying on the hex, was also a male led domain. However the company itself had an all female history, as it had originated as the brainchild of the four Kendrick sisters. Somewhere along the way, their male heirs had purloined and dominated the rights to become the 'sorcerer's' of the business, leaving their womenfolk to create and furnish the doll's houses and serve in the shop. The scene setting throughout the book is really well described, making it a very visual and immersive journey, which is multi-layered and complex.
It would also seem that the entire population of the eyot were descendants of the original Kendrick sisters, with new blood being introduced on a regular (but not too regular!) basis, through marriage. I can recall no mention to speak of about any children and if there were, they were definitely of the 'seen and not heard' variety. It is unclear just how the shift in the balance of power from a female dominated business, to that of almost total male superiority came about, with the business for the purposes of the story, being currently administered, but not actively worked in, by Conrad, who inherited the entire estate at the expense of his twin brother, Briar. Therefore, there is no love lost between the siblings, although both are carefully and subliminally manipulated by the respective females in their lives, Conrad's companion, Hedwig and Briar's daughter, Persephone, who are also not natural allies, but have a common goal and destination to aim for, with a combined strength and determination to get what they want.
In this slightly uncomfortable environment, which I found disturbingly intrusive and stifling, even in my third party reading, business secrets are jealously guarded against outsiders and a strong belief prevails about 'the thief on the winged horse', who regularly steals things and demands payment and gifts in exchange for their return! Kate masterfully crafts and creates a great sense of atmosphere about the entire island, which would make you frightened to step out of line and dreading the consequences if you were caught. There is no lightness or joviality to life on the eyot, where suspicion is an almost default 'enchantment' amongst this strange extended family concern, who avidly guard their way of life.
They do say however, that 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' and this is also very much a story of revenge, retribution and the power taken by two of the female family members to fight back against the male domination, against all the odds; taking back piece by piece, some levelling out, if not control, of the Kendrick empire, by whatever means and feminine wiles necessary. Risking everything, Hedwig and Persephone somehow manage to rally some of the other women to stand up to their menfolk, be counted and have their voices heard, thus redressing the balance and hoping to drag the name of Kendrick into the 21st Century.
Whilst all of the main protagonists are very powerfully drawn and developed, with a genuine depth of character; none of them are really quite what they seem, all being most dislikeable and disagreeable, with their thinly veiled hidden agendas and motives, which are very cleverly woven into the plot, one on top of the other, so that I was never exactly sure who was fooling who, and which one of the suspects was in cahoots with the other at any given point in time. Such was the nature of their various and nefarious crimes, including industrial espionage, blackmail and theft and those just for starters and the tip of the iceberg, they were switching allegiances and plotting one against the other, almost constantly, making none of them easy to connect or empathise with, although the instant interactions between them were very compelling and addictive. Long held secrets bubble to the surface, which affect the characters of Hedwig and Persephone the most, revealing their vulnerabilities, and their individual desperate searches for a sense of place and belonging, whilst at the same time bringing their individual strengths to the fore, with a uniquely feminine recognition and intuition, that they needed to collaborate together to achieve their common objectives.
This powerful, mature and masterfully written story, certainly took me on a journey well outside of my usual comfort zone, although with its dark undertones, male dominated and toxic relationships, I'm not sure whether I was in a happy place or not. A very unusual, almost magical and immersive storyline, but the thought of all those spooky dolls out there, makes me think that I will never quite look at Oxford in the same way again!
December 12, 2020
Review originally posted on The Bibliophile Chronicles.
The Thief on the Winged Horse is the beautifully told story of the Kendrick Family and their infamous doll shop. The dolls are magic, evoking a feeling or emotion with a single touch. Though the craft was founded by sisters, the secrets of the magic are now known only to the men of the family. Persephone Kendrick is desperate to be a sorcerer, but her family refuses to allow her to learn the craft. When a stranger arrives at the shop claiming to be a long lost relative, Persephone knows this could be her chance to get what she’s always wanted. When one of the most famous Kendrick dolls is stolen, the family are pushed to the limit as they attempt to discover who could have stolen such a precious item.
This is my first time reading a book from Kate Mascarenhas and I completely fell in love. This is such a gorgeous story, full to the brim with lyrical writing and a gripping plot. I absolutely adore magical realism stories but this has got to be one of my favourites. I thought the concept was fascinating and I ended up reading this one almost in one sitting I just didn’t want it to end. I almost wish there was another book because I would love to know more about the Kendrick family and their incredible dolls.
The plot was well executed and it was quite a quick paced story. I was really intrigued by the mystery of the missing doll and attempting to discover who had taken it. I did guess quite early on but that absolutely didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. It was a brilliant story and it was so interesting watching the family dynamics change as the story progressed and Persephone learned the skills she’s always wanted to learn.
While this is my first Kate Mascarenhas book it definitely will not be the last. Her characters were superb and I loved how complex and fascinating they are. Persephone in particular was my favourite. She’s stubborn and determined to learn the skills for crafting the enchantments, even if that means having to stay with her drunken father. Larkin was also a really interesting character and I was constantly questioning his motivations and how truthful he was really being. I similarly really liked Hedwig, who on the surface seems so sweet but had so much more going on. The characters were probably my favourite part about this book, they were vividly described and so gripping to read about.
The Thief on the Winged Horse is one of those books you find yourself thinking about long after you’ve finished read. A beautiful and compelling tale and one fantasy fans will absolutely adore.
The Thief on the Winged Horse is the beautifully told story of the Kendrick Family and their infamous doll shop. The dolls are magic, evoking a feeling or emotion with a single touch. Though the craft was founded by sisters, the secrets of the magic are now known only to the men of the family. Persephone Kendrick is desperate to be a sorcerer, but her family refuses to allow her to learn the craft. When a stranger arrives at the shop claiming to be a long lost relative, Persephone knows this could be her chance to get what she’s always wanted. When one of the most famous Kendrick dolls is stolen, the family are pushed to the limit as they attempt to discover who could have stolen such a precious item.
This is my first time reading a book from Kate Mascarenhas and I completely fell in love. This is such a gorgeous story, full to the brim with lyrical writing and a gripping plot. I absolutely adore magical realism stories but this has got to be one of my favourites. I thought the concept was fascinating and I ended up reading this one almost in one sitting I just didn’t want it to end. I almost wish there was another book because I would love to know more about the Kendrick family and their incredible dolls.
The plot was well executed and it was quite a quick paced story. I was really intrigued by the mystery of the missing doll and attempting to discover who had taken it. I did guess quite early on but that absolutely didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. It was a brilliant story and it was so interesting watching the family dynamics change as the story progressed and Persephone learned the skills she’s always wanted to learn.
While this is my first Kate Mascarenhas book it definitely will not be the last. Her characters were superb and I loved how complex and fascinating they are. Persephone in particular was my favourite. She’s stubborn and determined to learn the skills for crafting the enchantments, even if that means having to stay with her drunken father. Larkin was also a really interesting character and I was constantly questioning his motivations and how truthful he was really being. I similarly really liked Hedwig, who on the surface seems so sweet but had so much more going on. The characters were probably my favourite part about this book, they were vividly described and so gripping to read about.
The Thief on the Winged Horse is one of those books you find yourself thinking about long after you’ve finished read. A beautiful and compelling tale and one fantasy fans will absolutely adore.
November 12, 2020
A very impressive piece of contemporary fantasy that explores sexism, family rivalries and hidden secrets and trying to stay true to your own ambitions
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
November 29, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC file in exchange for an honest review.
This is not the book I expected to read. That is not always a bad thing. In this case, it is.
The Thief on the Winged Horse (you had me at the title alone) had "potential" written all over it. The story is about a family of dollmakers, renowned for the enchantments they place on their dolls. It literally made my eyes pop when I read the premise on NetGalley. I knew I had to read it and I was so happy when I was approved. Unfortunatelly, this amazing idea is left completely unexplored. Not much information is given about how it started, where it came from or the effects it has on people's lives. I kept waiting and waiting for the magic to begin, but it never did.
OK. Not Fantasy.
When the Paid Mourner, the most famous enchanted doll, gets stolen, I thought it would take a "Dan Brown" spin and I would be up for a treasure hunt, with clue after clue, leading to her. Nope. No one seems to actually look for the doll. Their most famous and priced doll! Another opportunity missed to spark some interest in the story.
Fantasy
Mystery
So, maybe a love story? A handsome and mysterious stranger arriving at a small town is almost always a certainty for romance. Persephony and Larkin's romance though, felt completely flat. There was no spark between them, no passion, not even enough wrong reasons for them to be together.
Fantasy
Mystery
Romance
Larkin in particular was a very confusing character for me. I am sure Mascarenhas intended to make him a mysterious character, but mysterious and confusing are two very different things. The work done on the rest of the characters' building was equally poor. There was close to no backstory for all of them. Only some flashbacks on Persephony's past and few for the rest of the characters, that made it hard for me to connect with any of them.
Finishing the book, I have the feeling that the real reason Mascarenhas wrote it, the story she actually wanted to tell, was a feminist one, about everything that is wrong and unfair in the way society dictates to women their place, silences their voice and belittles their talents.
Ultimately, I think there were too many elements involved, each pulling the story to a different direction, none being strong enough to take over. There were many things left unexplored or underdeveloped (like the Thief of the title or Briar's affair), giving me the feeling of a movie based on a book. There were gaps. I needed them filled.
Not a book I would recommend.
This is not the book I expected to read. That is not always a bad thing. In this case, it is.
The Thief on the Winged Horse (you had me at the title alone) had "potential" written all over it. The story is about a family of dollmakers, renowned for the enchantments they place on their dolls. It literally made my eyes pop when I read the premise on NetGalley. I knew I had to read it and I was so happy when I was approved. Unfortunatelly, this amazing idea is left completely unexplored. Not much information is given about how it started, where it came from or the effects it has on people's lives. I kept waiting and waiting for the magic to begin, but it never did.
OK. Not Fantasy.
When the Paid Mourner, the most famous enchanted doll, gets stolen, I thought it would take a "Dan Brown" spin and I would be up for a treasure hunt, with clue after clue, leading to her. Nope. No one seems to actually look for the doll. Their most famous and priced doll! Another opportunity missed to spark some interest in the story.
So, maybe a love story? A handsome and mysterious stranger arriving at a small town is almost always a certainty for romance. Persephony and Larkin's romance though, felt completely flat. There was no spark between them, no passion, not even enough wrong reasons for them to be together.
Larkin in particular was a very confusing character for me. I am sure Mascarenhas intended to make him a mysterious character, but mysterious and confusing are two very different things. The work done on the rest of the characters' building was equally poor. There was close to no backstory for all of them. Only some flashbacks on Persephony's past and few for the rest of the characters, that made it hard for me to connect with any of them.
Finishing the book, I have the feeling that the real reason Mascarenhas wrote it, the story she actually wanted to tell, was a feminist one, about everything that is wrong and unfair in the way society dictates to women their place, silences their voice and belittles their talents.
Ultimately, I think there were too many elements involved, each pulling the story to a different direction, none being strong enough to take over. There were many things left unexplored or underdeveloped (like the Thief of the title or Briar's affair), giving me the feeling of a movie based on a book. There were gaps. I needed them filled.
Not a book I would recommend.
November 12, 2020
This book may be fantasy, rather than science fiction, but there were a couple of aspects of the writing that I recognised in common with The Psychology of Time Travel. The main protagonists were women and they weren’t innately likeable. However, that didn’t stop me bonding with both Hazel and, in particular, Persephone. Mostly because she has had a very raw deal.
Ironically, although the founders of the Kendricks famous doll-making business were all women, these days it is the men who get to be Sorcerers and take the key roles for themselves. Persephone is convinced that she is destined to become a doll-maker – including adding the vital magical ingredient that is denied all the women now working within the business, no matter how talented they are. However, she is only permitted to work in the shop and when she isn’t, it is taken for granted by the rest of the Family that she will, somehow, keep her embittered and drunken father, Briar, in check. The gamechanger is the sudden appearance of a handsome stranger, who claims to be the long-lost descendant of the sister who was thought to have died in childbirth.
Larkin is taken on, though treated with great suspicion by the current CEO of Kendricks, and is expected to work on more mundane tasks while he proves his worth. I love the accumulation of incidents and details – until a certain event crashes across this small, close-knit community with the force of a grenade. I was thoroughly caught up by the fallout and stayed up far too late to discover what happened next – and no… Whatever else this book is, it isn’t remotely predictable.
I loved the passion and ambition exhibited by the two main female protagonists. Persephone is socially awkward – the last person you’d want to be the face of Kendricks – but she is tenacious, clever and doggedly persistent. All the characters in this intriguing, different story ping off the page with their almost Dickensian vividness. I’m going to remember this one for a very long time – an accomplished story which went in an unexpected direction and took me to a surprising ending, that nonetheless was very satisfying. Highly recommended for fans of unusual fantasy tales in a contemporary setting. While I obtained an arc of The Thief on the Winged Horse from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
Ironically, although the founders of the Kendricks famous doll-making business were all women, these days it is the men who get to be Sorcerers and take the key roles for themselves. Persephone is convinced that she is destined to become a doll-maker – including adding the vital magical ingredient that is denied all the women now working within the business, no matter how talented they are. However, she is only permitted to work in the shop and when she isn’t, it is taken for granted by the rest of the Family that she will, somehow, keep her embittered and drunken father, Briar, in check. The gamechanger is the sudden appearance of a handsome stranger, who claims to be the long-lost descendant of the sister who was thought to have died in childbirth.
Larkin is taken on, though treated with great suspicion by the current CEO of Kendricks, and is expected to work on more mundane tasks while he proves his worth. I love the accumulation of incidents and details – until a certain event crashes across this small, close-knit community with the force of a grenade. I was thoroughly caught up by the fallout and stayed up far too late to discover what happened next – and no… Whatever else this book is, it isn’t remotely predictable.
I loved the passion and ambition exhibited by the two main female protagonists. Persephone is socially awkward – the last person you’d want to be the face of Kendricks – but she is tenacious, clever and doggedly persistent. All the characters in this intriguing, different story ping off the page with their almost Dickensian vividness. I’m going to remember this one for a very long time – an accomplished story which went in an unexpected direction and took me to a surprising ending, that nonetheless was very satisfying. Highly recommended for fans of unusual fantasy tales in a contemporary setting. While I obtained an arc of The Thief on the Winged Horse from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
December 6, 2021
Did I really find another favorite this far into the year? Yes I did. The thief on the winged horse was a really quick, enjoyable and intriguing read for me. The pace is amazing - I don’t think I’ve read such an evenpaced book this year-, and there’s ALOT. I feel like there are some things I’d love to get to know more off, like the thief on the winged horse, but I’m also sattisfied as is. This story is a beautiful mix between storyline and character development and I actually feel sad leaving these characters behind. I truly feel like I’ve lived with their feelings and them for the last 3 days and was very invested.
The bookchapters switch between the view of Sephy - or Persephone-, Hedwig and Larkin. Persephone is a strong female lead who knows darn tootin what she wants, whereas Hedwig is quiet but set to please and still get her way. Larkin is a whole other story, and the way they each intertwine with eachother is so enjoyable. Every character is deeply developed with backstory and characteristics.
The story takes place in a modern setting while still emphasizing the old ways on the eyot. Alot of the time I actually forgot it was set in today’s time but I found that quite enjoyable.
This is a ‘full’ book with alot of content and worldbuilding and I feel fully sattisfied with everything wich is such a fun feeling. Deff up high with my ‘the starless sea’ love. Wow.
The bookchapters switch between the view of Sephy - or Persephone-, Hedwig and Larkin. Persephone is a strong female lead who knows darn tootin what she wants, whereas Hedwig is quiet but set to please and still get her way. Larkin is a whole other story, and the way they each intertwine with eachother is so enjoyable. Every character is deeply developed with backstory and characteristics.
The story takes place in a modern setting while still emphasizing the old ways on the eyot. Alot of the time I actually forgot it was set in today’s time but I found that quite enjoyable.
This is a ‘full’ book with alot of content and worldbuilding and I feel fully sattisfied with everything wich is such a fun feeling. Deff up high with my ‘the starless sea’ love. Wow.
November 19, 2023
Unfortunately this fell short for me. It took a good few chapters for the book to find it's footing and by then end of it I felt just a tad disappointed.
Author did a great job with coming up with the premise of a doll making family who held the ability to enchant said dolls. However, the execution left me feeling like there was a whole lot missing.
Personally, there was a huge disconnect with the setting, for me. The characters all spoke as if they were from 100 years earlier rather than modern day Oxford residents.
The magical elements & history of the 4 sisters had so much potential to make for a vivid, rich story! But, I thought the author did not incorporate them as much as she could have. The plot could have just been a lot more exciting.
In my opinion, the character arcs seemed unsatisfying, excluding Persephone. The main one being Larkin. He played such a pivotal role and then one minute we were being told he was something else completely with motivations that felt rather tenuous, and he was gone...it just seemed like a rather hasty exit for a character who'd just been revealed to be quite the opposite of what he was made out to be. And even with his shaky childhood, it just wasn't convincing enough.
It's not a difficult read but left me wanting more.
Author did a great job with coming up with the premise of a doll making family who held the ability to enchant said dolls. However, the execution left me feeling like there was a whole lot missing.
Personally, there was a huge disconnect with the setting, for me. The characters all spoke as if they were from 100 years earlier rather than modern day Oxford residents.
The magical elements & history of the 4 sisters had so much potential to make for a vivid, rich story! But, I thought the author did not incorporate them as much as she could have. The plot could have just been a lot more exciting.
In my opinion, the character arcs seemed unsatisfying, excluding Persephone. The main one being Larkin. He played such a pivotal role and then one minute we were being told he was something else completely with motivations that felt rather tenuous, and he was gone...it just seemed like a rather hasty exit for a character who'd just been revealed to be quite the opposite of what he was made out to be. And even with his shaky childhood, it just wasn't convincing enough.
It's not a difficult read but left me wanting more.
January 25, 2022
After reading Mascarenhas' The Psychology of Time Travel last year I was excited to read The Thief on the Winged Horse. In both books, she explores what the world would become if one detail was changed. In this book, she explores a world where four sisters created magic dolls on an eyot in Oxford. What starts as a tale of family relations develops into a who's done it and concludes as a feminist tale. All the characters are developed and the relationships between them are clear and believable. Mascarenhas provides enough suspense to keep you reading and reveals small clues throughout to slowly reveal more of the mysteries in her world. I would definitely read this book again to pick up on the clues I missed and I would recommend all her novels past and future to any reader.
September 17, 2020
Kate Mascarenhas, author of her popular debut novel “The Psychology of Time Travel” has written another original and creative story “The Thief on the Winged Horse” featuring a mixture of fantasy, romance, crime, magic sorcerers and a two hundred year old myth.
“The Kendrick family have been making world-famous dolls for over 200 years. But their dolls aren't coveted for the craftsmanship alone. Each one has a specific emotion laid on it by its creator. A magic that can make you feel bucolic bliss or consuming paranoia at a single touch. Though founded by sisters, now only men may know the secrets of the workshop.
Persephone Kendrick longs to break tradition and learn the family craft, and when a handsome stranger arrives claiming doll-making talent and a blood tie to the Kendricks, she sees a chance to grasp all she desires.
But then, one night, the family's most valuable doll is stolen. Only someone with knowledge of magic could have taken her. Only a Kendrick could have committed this crime…”
The author has an incredible imagination and has an excellent talent in creating diverse and unusual characters in both name and personality.
I’ve never owned or played with a doll’s house as a child but have always found them fascinating and fabulous works of art. The idea of incorporating dolls that have emotions lain upon them when made, is exceedingly creepy and this created a slight eeriness to the play of the story.
There is a lot of thought provoking issues covered, including domestic abuse, alcoholism, sexuality and feminism. The only thing that didn’t really work for me was the time setting. Set in modern day with mobile phones and the London Underground etc, I just felt this didn’t fit with the overall feel of the story - gothic, magical realism, the unusualness of the doll trade and miniaturists with its quirks and all, it just felt like it should have been set a lot longer ago for me. But that is just how I read it to feel.
A little slow in development but it does have atmosphere, Kate has written a very inventive story, using her own experiences as a doll house maker to ensure the authenticity of the production of the miniatures. Not a story that will stay with me but certainly a worth while read and I wish the author every success with this her second novel.
3 stars
“The Kendrick family have been making world-famous dolls for over 200 years. But their dolls aren't coveted for the craftsmanship alone. Each one has a specific emotion laid on it by its creator. A magic that can make you feel bucolic bliss or consuming paranoia at a single touch. Though founded by sisters, now only men may know the secrets of the workshop.
Persephone Kendrick longs to break tradition and learn the family craft, and when a handsome stranger arrives claiming doll-making talent and a blood tie to the Kendricks, she sees a chance to grasp all she desires.
But then, one night, the family's most valuable doll is stolen. Only someone with knowledge of magic could have taken her. Only a Kendrick could have committed this crime…”
The author has an incredible imagination and has an excellent talent in creating diverse and unusual characters in both name and personality.
I’ve never owned or played with a doll’s house as a child but have always found them fascinating and fabulous works of art. The idea of incorporating dolls that have emotions lain upon them when made, is exceedingly creepy and this created a slight eeriness to the play of the story.
There is a lot of thought provoking issues covered, including domestic abuse, alcoholism, sexuality and feminism. The only thing that didn’t really work for me was the time setting. Set in modern day with mobile phones and the London Underground etc, I just felt this didn’t fit with the overall feel of the story - gothic, magical realism, the unusualness of the doll trade and miniaturists with its quirks and all, it just felt like it should have been set a lot longer ago for me. But that is just how I read it to feel.
A little slow in development but it does have atmosphere, Kate has written a very inventive story, using her own experiences as a doll house maker to ensure the authenticity of the production of the miniatures. Not a story that will stay with me but certainly a worth while read and I wish the author every success with this her second novel.
3 stars
Want to read
May 20, 2020THIS IS COMING OUT IN AUGUST AND NOBODY WAS GOING TO TELL ME???
y'all are fired. FIRED.
But also, Netgalley hook me up please I beg of you
(I'm so happy about this, I'm shaking. Highly recommend their debut, The Psychology of Time Travel)
y'all are fired. FIRED.
But also, Netgalley hook me up please I beg of you
(I'm so happy about this, I'm shaking. Highly recommend their debut, The Psychology of Time Travel)
November 1, 2022
This was a strange book, a fantasy where dolls have hexes, and people are wary of the fae folk. I started reading it and felt that it was so far away from my usual choices I couldn’t remember what had made me pick it up. It is beautifully written and soon the mystery of the paid mourner started to unravel and a new person joining the eyot, and his relationship with the residents all became entwined. Before I knew it I was hooked on the magical story. There is several intriguing mysteries, romance, magic and a touch of defiance for good luck. I will definitely be looking for the author’s other books.
December 23, 2020
I very much wanted to give this book a higher rating and whilst I enjoyed the story so very much, I couldn’t quite transport myself into the world of Sephy and Larkin and the incredible world of magical dolls. Mainly this was due to the mix of “things” that just didn’t seem to fit into the world which had been created.
The tone of the book, the characters, the way it has been written lends itself to an early 20th century piece of work and the writing remained there, wow what a wonderful book :) but the insertion of phones and GCSE’s and the other very present events confused the genre of the book for me and I couldn’t quite make it all fit in my mind.
This story is a gift and I hope everybody enjoys reading it :)
The tone of the book, the characters, the way it has been written lends itself to an early 20th century piece of work and the writing remained there, wow what a wonderful book :) but the insertion of phones and GCSE’s and the other very present events confused the genre of the book for me and I couldn’t quite make it all fit in my mind.
This story is a gift and I hope everybody enjoys reading it :)
November 26, 2022
The Thief on the Winged is an interesting book with some solid characters and a good premise. The setting is well-described and the concept of a business selling enchanted dolls is unusual but handled well.
The main characters have (generally) clear motivations and the dialogue is mostly good - though there is sometimes a little too much info-dump - and their relationships are believable. There is a major incident in the plot and this works well giving some focus and tension. However, the resolution of this becomes bogged down in various sub-plots and one of the character's back stories and it leads to a rather disappointing conclusion.
The minor characters seem to be the weakest aspects of this book and some of them weigh down the narrative in places. The women in the story are on the whole stronger than the males but even some of these feel a little too stereotypical.
Despite these flaws, The Thief on the Winged Horse was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone after an unusual contemporary novel.
The main characters have (generally) clear motivations and the dialogue is mostly good - though there is sometimes a little too much info-dump - and their relationships are believable. There is a major incident in the plot and this works well giving some focus and tension. However, the resolution of this becomes bogged down in various sub-plots and one of the character's back stories and it leads to a rather disappointing conclusion.
The minor characters seem to be the weakest aspects of this book and some of them weigh down the narrative in places. The women in the story are on the whole stronger than the males but even some of these feel a little too stereotypical.
Despite these flaws, The Thief on the Winged Horse was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone after an unusual contemporary novel.
December 27, 2020
The Thief on the Winged Horse was to be my OMG book of 2020. I was hesitant about it without cause or reason and I put off reading it. I thought it was going to be a heavy read and I was wrong.
The people of Paxton’s Eyot are a wee bitty different. Their whole community revolves around the production and sale of magic dolls. The workshop and store were founded in 1820 by four sisters. Fast forward to present day and we are seeing the lives of the descendants of the sisters. But wait, why are only the men allowed to apply magic to the dolls and not the women.
This wee town isn’t just magical it is oozing history and secrets. Also, who is this new fella that has arrived on the scene...
“Larkin had come to the eyot in search of two things. The first was Magic. The second was a job.” That was the sentence that caught me and drew me into the book. I wanted to know everything about Larkin.
Ms Mascarenhas has a real gift for creating these incredible characters. They are all so very different and each one matters to the story. For the story to work, you need to have a good imagination and just go with the plot. Believing in magic is key.
I loved it and I have definitely been left with a need for more. I am eager to know if it will be a series of books. The potential is definitely there with a variety of characters and threads of plot that I would love to know more. Even a prequel would be wonderful, to meet the sister and go on the journey with them as it all starts. The possibilities are endless.
This book would be suitable for fans of books with a magical element and also for those that love books set amongst a community.
All and all the book is a buffet of scrumptious writing for the soul.
November 19, 2020
More reviews up on my blog Inside My Library Mind
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
absolutely loved the premise
There is something so unique about Mascarenhas’ stories and this was true for The Thief on the Winged Horse. I find the concept of a family that makes and sells magic dolls so cool. There is an air of whimsy that underlines this story and I quite enjoyed the way magic was interwoven into the narrative. There is a underling fae myth of The Thief on the Winged Horse in here, and I love how the myth sustains the family business, but also how the magic of the dolls feels more tangible and real, while the Thief feels more mythical and undefined. I felt like this allowed the existence of folklore within a world where magic is possible and I quite enjoyed that. I also quite enjoyed the way Masceranhas depicted the workshop and its hierarchy.
exploration of themes of privilege, power and family
The themes explored in this novel were really well done, and in a clever way. I really loved how the magic was depicted in this novel, because it was a metaphor for privilege. The magic of the dolls is limited to the Sorcerers, who are the only people who know how to lay an enchantment on them. And despite the fact that the business was founded by four women, sorcery had become a man’s privilege through time. However, Mascarenhas cleverly depicts how the magic in here is not about ability or any special skill even – it’s purely about privilege and knowledge. She uses sorcery to discuss how people in power hold knowledge hostage and refuse to share it with anyone, and then subsequently talk about skill and talent as if it’s the reason they have power. I really enjoyed that. Moreover, this novel explores themes of family and duty and belonging, and I quite enjoyed the way they were handled.
the characters were really interesting
The characters were quite interesting in here as well. Especially Larkin. I enjoyed both Persephone and Hedwig and I quite like how different they were but how they were both trying to establish there place in this family’s narrative and to gain respect, but in very different ways. Hedwig is really interesting because she is a morally grey character, who looks after herself first and I really like that. I especially enjoyed Larkin because he is awful, he’s one of those characters I dislike but appreciate their characterization, and I quite enjoyed reading about him. Overall, I found all of the characters to be interesting to read about. Plus, as with Mascarenhas’ first book, there’s a lot of queer rep in here!
some minor issues
The pacing did not quite work at all times. I did not mind it, but I do think that the book could have been shorter and still had the same impact and told the same story in a more concise way. I also felt like this book had all of these really great elements that were brilliant on there own, but they did not fully come together in a satisfying way at all times. One minor thing as well is that I did not fully get a sense of time with this book. It felt very Victorian at times, but then the mention of a phone would completely throw me off.
Nonetheless, I still very much enjoyed this story, and found it to be utterly charming and unique, despite these minor issues I had with it.
To Sum Up
Like I said, I found the premise and the themes explored in here really well done, and I had a lot of fun with this novel. It was charming, with a sense of whimsy and it was a really enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend. If you are someone who likes contemporary with a magical twist, and quiet stories that explore larger themes of family and life, I think this book would be perfect for you!
*Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for including me in their blog tour and for the free review copy!
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Actual rating: 3.5 stars
“Since 1820, Kendricks Workshop has made and sold magic dolls.”
absolutely loved the premise
There is something so unique about Mascarenhas’ stories and this was true for The Thief on the Winged Horse. I find the concept of a family that makes and sells magic dolls so cool. There is an air of whimsy that underlines this story and I quite enjoyed the way magic was interwoven into the narrative. There is a underling fae myth of The Thief on the Winged Horse in here, and I love how the myth sustains the family business, but also how the magic of the dolls feels more tangible and real, while the Thief feels more mythical and undefined. I felt like this allowed the existence of folklore within a world where magic is possible and I quite enjoyed that. I also quite enjoyed the way Masceranhas depicted the workshop and its hierarchy.
exploration of themes of privilege, power and family
The themes explored in this novel were really well done, and in a clever way. I really loved how the magic was depicted in this novel, because it was a metaphor for privilege. The magic of the dolls is limited to the Sorcerers, who are the only people who know how to lay an enchantment on them. And despite the fact that the business was founded by four women, sorcery had become a man’s privilege through time. However, Mascarenhas cleverly depicts how the magic in here is not about ability or any special skill even – it’s purely about privilege and knowledge. She uses sorcery to discuss how people in power hold knowledge hostage and refuse to share it with anyone, and then subsequently talk about skill and talent as if it’s the reason they have power. I really enjoyed that. Moreover, this novel explores themes of family and duty and belonging, and I quite enjoyed the way they were handled.
the characters were really interesting
The characters were quite interesting in here as well. Especially Larkin. I enjoyed both Persephone and Hedwig and I quite like how different they were but how they were both trying to establish there place in this family’s narrative and to gain respect, but in very different ways. Hedwig is really interesting because she is a morally grey character, who looks after herself first and I really like that. I especially enjoyed Larkin because he is awful, he’s one of those characters I dislike but appreciate their characterization, and I quite enjoyed reading about him. Overall, I found all of the characters to be interesting to read about. Plus, as with Mascarenhas’ first book, there’s a lot of queer rep in here!
some minor issues
The pacing did not quite work at all times. I did not mind it, but I do think that the book could have been shorter and still had the same impact and told the same story in a more concise way. I also felt like this book had all of these really great elements that were brilliant on there own, but they did not fully come together in a satisfying way at all times. One minor thing as well is that I did not fully get a sense of time with this book. It felt very Victorian at times, but then the mention of a phone would completely throw me off.
Nonetheless, I still very much enjoyed this story, and found it to be utterly charming and unique, despite these minor issues I had with it.
To Sum Up
Like I said, I found the premise and the themes explored in here really well done, and I had a lot of fun with this novel. It was charming, with a sense of whimsy and it was a really enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend. If you are someone who likes contemporary with a magical twist, and quiet stories that explore larger themes of family and life, I think this book would be perfect for you!
*Thank you so much to Head of Zeus for including me in their blog tour and for the free review copy!
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