![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Sparrow Falling by Gaie Sebold
Sep. 23rd, 2016 12:20 amThe Blurb On The Back:
Back to school.
Eveline Sparrow hopes to put her past experiences as a thief and con-artist to more legitimate use; which is why some of the girls at her Sparrow School receive private lessons in burglary, fakery, and other such underhand practices.
But it’s hard to get honest work when few businesses will employ young ladies in the security professions. The duns are at the doorstep, her friend Liu the half-fox-spirit is in some sort of trouble, and the rivalries of the Folk are in danger of overspilling into the mundane world, forcing the Empire into a bloody, horrifying war.
Can Eveline pull things out of the mire this time, or will the Sparrow’s wings be clipped once and for all?
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Gaie Sebold’s steampunk sequel to SHANGHAI SPARROW achieves the rare feat of being better than its predecessor. The relationship between the characters really works well in this book – the tension between Ma Pether and Madelaine over how Evie should behave feels true and shows the contradictions within Evie’s own character. Also good is the slow burning romance between Evie and Liu that’s equal parts bickering, affection and secrets with each truly trying to protect the other and yet not quite able to comprehend their respective worlds. Liu’s foray back to the world of the Folk to try and save his father expands the fairy world and develops Liu’s character (his scenes with his father are particularly good) while also tying back into the main plot line. Stug is a complicated character – evil but not entirely unsympathetic – and he is an interesting foe for Evie given his own cunning and cruelty. Sebold’s use of Victorian slang lends the book an authentic field, as does her skilful way of recreating the grim reality of poverty and what it drove people to. The book ends with a cliff hanger that really makes me want to get my hands on the next book.
Eveline Sparrow hopes to put her past experiences as a thief and con-artist to more legitimate use; which is why some of the girls at her Sparrow School receive private lessons in burglary, fakery, and other such underhand practices.
But it’s hard to get honest work when few businesses will employ young ladies in the security professions. The duns are at the doorstep, her friend Liu the half-fox-spirit is in some sort of trouble, and the rivalries of the Folk are in danger of overspilling into the mundane world, forcing the Empire into a bloody, horrifying war.
Can Eveline pull things out of the mire this time, or will the Sparrow’s wings be clipped once and for all?
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Gaie Sebold’s steampunk sequel to SHANGHAI SPARROW achieves the rare feat of being better than its predecessor. The relationship between the characters really works well in this book – the tension between Ma Pether and Madelaine over how Evie should behave feels true and shows the contradictions within Evie’s own character. Also good is the slow burning romance between Evie and Liu that’s equal parts bickering, affection and secrets with each truly trying to protect the other and yet not quite able to comprehend their respective worlds. Liu’s foray back to the world of the Folk to try and save his father expands the fairy world and develops Liu’s character (his scenes with his father are particularly good) while also tying back into the main plot line. Stug is a complicated character – evil but not entirely unsympathetic – and he is an interesting foe for Evie given his own cunning and cruelty. Sebold’s use of Victorian slang lends the book an authentic field, as does her skilful way of recreating the grim reality of poverty and what it drove people to. The book ends with a cliff hanger that really makes me want to get my hands on the next book.
