P.N. Elrod
Hardcover | Pages: 336 pages Rating: 3.81 | 1636 Users | 325 Reviews
Describe Books As The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1)
| Original Title: | The Hanged Man |
| ISBN: | 0765329719 (ISBN13: 9780765329714) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1 |
| Setting: | London, England,1879(United Kingdom) |
Commentary To Books The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1)
The Hanged Man is the first book all-new Gaslamp Fantasy series by P. N. Elrod.On a freezing Christmas Eve in 1879, a forensic psychic reader is summoned from her Baker Street lodgings to the scene of a questionable death. Alexandrina Victoria Pendlebury (named after her godmother, the current Queen of England) is adamant that the death in question is a magically compromised murder and not a suicide, as the police had assumed, after the shocking revelation contained by the body in question, Alex must put her personal loss aside to uncover the deeper issues at stake, before more bodies turn up.
Turning to some choice allies—the handsome, prescient Lieutenant Brooks, the brilliant, enigmatic Lord Desmond, and her rapscallion cousin James—Alex will have to marshal all of her magical and mental acumen to save Queen and Country from a shadowy threat. Our singular heroine is caught up in this rousing gaslamp adventure of cloaked assassins, meddlesome family, and dark magic.
"Murder, mayhem and tea—a well-bred Victorian urban fantasy thriller. Prepare, o reader, to be enthralled."—Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times Best Selling Author of the Mercy Thompson series on P.N. Elrod's The Hanged Man
Details Appertaining To Books The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1)
| Title | : | The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1) |
| Author | : | P.N. Elrod |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 336 pages |
| Published | : | May 19th 2015 by Tor Books |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Science Fiction. Steampunk. Mystery. Historical. Historical Fiction. Paranormal. Urban Fantasy |
Rating Appertaining To Books The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1)
Ratings: 3.81 From 1636 Users | 325 ReviewsWeigh Up Appertaining To Books The Hanged Man (Her Majesty's Psychic Service #1)
4.5I got a tantalizing preview from Netgalley... but I don't feel I can publish a review for an excerpt. What I read is well worth the 4.5 stars though! Can't wait for the complete book. (Tor, please don't make me wait till May!)Updated after I read the complete book: it did not disappoint. This book has a unique, engaging protagonist for a murder mystery set in the Victorian era - but with a twist: Victoria didn't marry Albert, and has set up her own Psychic Service for those special3.5 stars, rounded down because the entire book happens in one day, which would not normally be a problem except that this book was 336 pages of just adventure and nothing else. It would have been better had the author given the characters (and by extension the readers) some time to breathe and reflect. Instead, it was chapter after chapter of adventure, and there was too much 'showing' and not enough 'telling' in my opinion. I know a lot of readers often complain that authors 'tell' too much,
My emotions: Chapter 4: Oh whoa! Cool introduction. This is going along well! Chapter 6ish: huh this is slowing down a bit. What are we doing again? Who is this person?Chapter 8ish: okay this used to be interesting. I'm going to press on. I'm sure it'll pick up. Chapter 11: I'm bored and I really can't go on. Should I quit? Should I finish? *leaves to sleep and comes back a day later* Well, I could just skip to the final chapter (15) and just see how it goes.Chapter 15 skips: Huh. Well, I guess
What caught my eye was the title since it indicates a Tarot card. Nothing to do with that. Nevertheless, this steampunk novel with romantic elements is great. It's got a very strongly built reworking of Victorian England. The young queen defies convention and marries a peer of the realm and lives happily married with four children. A strong believer in the rights of women and men, she works to grant the vote to everyone in the realm. The England under this Queen flourishes around the world, as
Imagine Sherlock Holmes but now he's a girl who carries a gun, lives in Baker Street, has the ability to read people's emotions, helps the police with cases and lives in a semi feminist Victorian London. And she is twenty five years old, mature, independent and clever.ISN'T SHE BLOODY MARVELOUS?I also adored the writing, it's really atmospheric, specially in the 'quiet' moments of the story. The mystery aspect didn't fully convinced me but I would totally read more from this world.
Enjoyable read. It features Alex, a physic (a little like being an empath), and various other entrants into the occult. I would call it more gaslight fantasy, as opposed to steampunk, in the vein of The Native Star by M. K. Hobson. I found the plot enjoyable to follow, the side characters very intriguing, and the love interest (or is it interests) appealing. For me, I would prefer a little more nookie and a little less gore, but that's know how I roll.
This book is....a lot of things.My favorite thing? Alex. She's intelligent, knows how to fight, has a hunger to travel the world and explore, is strong-willed and a little bit petty. Any heroine with a sharp tongue and a pistol is going to be a favorite of mine. TBH, all these characters are pretty great. They're well rounded, most of them. Brook feels a little generic, but everyone else has a decent level of depth.The plot kept moving along pretty quickly, with enough plot twists and dramatic
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.