Stars: 2.5 out of 5
I was attracted to to this book because of the gorgeous cover and a description that promised a fun heist where a group of underdogs went against a tyranical government. What I really got was… not exactly that at all. Partly, this was my fault, because when I bought this book, I didn’t realize that it was young adult. Me and YA books rarely speak the same language, probably because I’m several decades past that particular stage of my life.
Still, I can enjoy some modern YA books, and I’ve read a couple series that I absolutely loved this year (Like the City Between Series), so my failure to mesh with this book is not just because it was YA, but because of the things the author decided to put their emphasis on instead of what I expected them to concentrate on.
I was coming for an action-filled heist capper with engaging characters and high stakes, where I could root for the good guys and rage against the villains that oppress them. And definitely cheer when they finally managed to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat and save their home and their livelihoods. Overtrowning the current government was optional but would be a cherry on top.
What I got instead was chapters and chapters of characters catching feelings for each other, and being to naive/immature/emotionally repressed/stupid (circle the word that applies) to acknowledge those feelings. Seriously, nobody in this crew is mature enough to face what they are feeling and talk about it like normal adults. Be it Arthie and Laith, or Jin and Flick, they keep putting their heads in the sand and singing “La, la, la, can’t hear you!” every time. Yes, you are attracted to each other, get over it and move on with the darn heist! Flick was especially getting on my nerves with her unwillingness to face the facts about her adoptive mother. I mean, she is so naive, I can’t believe she managed to survive on the street long enough to have a forger business.
My other problem is that the worldbuilding is lackluster at best. The author throws in some description of the world, but they are vague and don’t paint a full picture. We have a masked King that is elected by a council, but exactly how does that work? Also, is this supposed to be steampunk, gaslight mystery or what? Is this world magical, or industrial or a mixture of both? How did the vampires come about? What is their standing in the society? At the beginning of the book the author says that they are treated like parriahs, yet there is an exclusive club for vampires that seems to hold sway over the highest reaches of the government. Everything is vague and half-baked, and honestly, I started loosing interest when I realized that it won’t be explained better.
Also, I never could connect with any of the characters. Jin was okay, apart from becoming a bumbling fool every time he was with Flick, but I couldn’t stand Arthie. For someone who was supposed to be one of the good guys, she is an extremely unpleasant person. Also, I still don’t quite understand her motivation and her backstory, and I couldn’t care less.
In summary, this is a giant miss for me. I finished the book, but I was tempted to quit around 60% in, and only the fact that I was stuck in a place with no internet and this was the only book actually downloaded to the Kindle on my phone made me keep reading.