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#GasLampFantasy
blurb
DivineDiana
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Starting new audiobook for #booked2023 #gaslampfantasy New genre for me!

56 likes1 stack add
review
Bookzombie
The Brass Queen | Elizabeth Chatsworth
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Pickpick

Character artwork from author‘s website by Brian Kesinger

I thought this steampunk-like adventure with mystery and romance was a lot of fun. The characters have great banter and there is a good amount of cheekiness. There is supposed to be a second book in the future and I would pick it up too. #Booked2023 #GaslampFantasy

review
CBee
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Pickpick

You know when you hear about folks who leave their high stakes jobs and start a bakery, or climb Mount Everest, etc.? That‘s what this is like….. except the main character is an orc, and supporting characters are a succubus, a hob, a rattkin (who bakes!), plus elves, fey, gnomes (oh my 😂). I didn‘t know if I‘d like it - turns out I LOVED IT. #booked2023 #gaslampfantasy

wisherwishinguponastar I have heard such lovely things about this!!!! 13mo
CBee @wisherwishinguponastar it really is a lovely read! Who knew? 😊💚 13mo
Dragon Such a fun read 👍💚🐉 13mo
CBee @Dragon it is!! I loved it!! 13mo
78 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

I see what all the hype is about with Babel, though it‘s definitely not something I‘d have picked up to read if it weren‘t for #ToB2023. I listened to to audiobook which was well done, though longer than I usually like to listen to, at 22 hours. At points I wished it would get on with it already, but it‘s very atmospheric and I was invested throughout. Serious Harry Potter vibes and I‘d even say Secret History too. Also, #bookspin for February.

Cinfhen It was definitely on the longer side but it moved along pretty quickly. Glad you enjoyed it too!! 14mo
squirrelbrain Glad you enjoyed it! I agree - I wouldn‘t have chosen to read it had it not been for ToB but I‘m glad I did. 14mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 14mo
See All 18 Comments
jlhammar Nice review! This one is currently in progress for me. Not something I'd usually be drawn to, but enjoying it so far. I don't think it's going to be a love for me, but based on what I've read so far, probably still a pick. 14mo
kwmg40 I didn't think of Secret History when I'd read this, but now that you mention it, yes, I can see that. Now I want to go reread Secret History! 14mo
DimeryRene I also enjoyed the audio! I really liked how it read the footnotes. 14mo
sarahbarnes I am in the middle of it now and liking it, too! 14mo
Chelsea.Poole @Cinfhen I agree it moved quickly! 14mo
Ruthiella I have heard the author say that The Secret History vibe was intentional. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001hnml 14mo
Chelsea.Poole @squirrelbrain that‘s why I love participating with you all with tob…always books on the list I‘d never read otherwise. 14mo
Chelsea.Poole @jlhammar same for me. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it‘s not love for me either. 14mo
Chelsea.Poole @kwmg40 glad I‘m not alone in secret history vibes! @Ruthiella thanks for the link! 14mo
Chelsea.Poole @sarahbarnes it‘s so long, but kept my attention the whole time. 14mo
Chelsea.Poole @DimeryRene yes! Loved those little footnotes on the audio! 14mo
Megabooks I think this is definitely the surprise hit of this year‘s tob! Great review! 14mo
Readerann I think the first comment I read about this was from someone who gave it a DNF, so I wasn‘t sure about starting it. As with so many others, I was pleasantly surprised! I haven‘t read The Secret History yet, but must move it up the TBR. 14mo
Cinfhen Good use of prompt 🤓 14mo
98 likes3 stack adds18 comments
review
IndoorDame
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Pickpick

I‘m left with mixed feelings. I‘ve tried & failed to read both the print & audio versions before, but the combo worked. All the complaints I usually hear about this are completely true, but they‘re also integral to the tone and atmosphere the author is trying to convey. Anything singular always pleases me, so this is a pick, but I couldn‘t decide if I wanted it to meander along forever or hurry up & get to the point. #Booked2023 #GaslampFantasy

BkClubCare Agreed; I ended up giving it a so-so, but I am very glad that I read it. 14mo
Cinfhen Excellent review 🖤🤍 14mo
Knitmaths This is next on my list to read having had it highly recommended by the husband! 14mo
See All 6 Comments
IndoorDame @Knitmaths I hope you enjoy it! 14mo
Ruthiella I loved this, but agree it is singular. I also read it quite a few years ago when I was better able to luxuriate with just one book at a time. 14mo
IndoorDame @Ruthiella I miss having the focus to read one book at a time 14mo
66 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
julesG
The Shattered City | Lisa Maxwell
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Mehso-so

Esther and Hart need to travel through time yet again to align their allies and hopefully succeed in destroying the Brink.

Had to remind myself several times that it's a YA/NA #GasLampFantasy where wasting time waffling about is just as normal as ignoring the usual time travel rules.

#Booked2023 @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen
#20in4 #readathon @Andrew65
#SeriesLove2023 @TheSpineView

TheSpineView Seems that YA is a hit or miss with me. Sounds like this was a miss. Well done for sticking it out. 14mo
Andrew65 Well done on finishing this 👏👏👏 (edited) 14mo
Cinfhen Hahaha 🤣 I love your reviews!!! 14mo
53 likes3 comments
review
squirrelbrain
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Pickpick

I think I share the same views as many Littens on this book from the #tob shortlist. I loved the language / linguistics elements (how clever to be able to dream up such a storyline?!) but found the colonialism debate rather heavy-handed.

It did feel a bit YA in places to me, despite all of the deaths, so I‘m not sure it deserves to be on the shortlist. I did thoroughly enjoy it though, which I didn‘t expect to do!

squirrelbrain #pop23 #abooktokrecommendation - I did a search in case this was on #booktok as I don‘t have a clue about such things and yay - it is! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/08/babel-the-booktok-sensation-that-m... (edited) 14mo
See All 19 Comments
BarbaraBB I‘m using it for Booktok as well. Great review. I agree about the YA. It reads abut like Harry Potter with a lot more violence and deaths 14mo
Ruthiella I‘m almost finished with it and my assessment mirrors yours: clever but heavy handed. 👍 14mo
Megabooks I can see what you‘re saying about YA, but I do think it deserves to be on the shortlist. I certainly enjoyed it more than a lot of the others! 14mo
Amiable Well done! 👍🏼👍🏼 14mo
TrishB I‘m glad you enjoyed it though, always a plus! 14mo
Cortg Great review! I have the audio on hold. I keep pausing the hold though, so hopefully the stars will aline and I'll be able to get to this one sooner than later :) 14mo
julesG Good to see you enjoyed it. 14mo
kwmg40 Nice review. I agree that it feels a bit YA in places. 14mo
Hooked_on_books That‘s great that you enjoyed it! Honestly, with the beating message about violence in the last bit, I almost panned it. That turned my stomach so much. 14mo
squirrelbrain Yes! @BarbaraBB - that‘s the perfect description! 14mo
squirrelbrain The end felt rather jarring @Hooked_on_books - and rather a personality change for Robin too; it didn‘t quite fit. 14mo
Suet624 Glad you enjoyed it. I have this stacked but I just haven't been inspired to find it yet 14mo
Cinfhen I just got caught up in the power of words and their meanings, which I thought was both clever and fascinating. Many of the other books from the list are either trying to be different or are so ordinary- I feel like this one is amongst the better contenders🤷🏼‍♀️ 14mo
quietlycuriouskate I've got 🐿️SquirrelMail🐿️! Thank you, Helen ❤️ 14mo
squirrelbrain You‘re welcome Kate! I forgot to put the card in the parcel 🤦‍♀️ so you should have a card from me too…! @kathedron 14mo
92 likes19 comments
blurb
julesG
The Shattered City | Lisa Maxwell
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Stumbled across this. I remember it was supposed to be a duology and now we have book FOUR!?

Might be able to use this for #GasLampFantasy or #SetInTwoOrMoreTimePeriods of the #Booked2023 challenge.

@alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen

Also, #SeriesLove2023 and definitely #20in4 #readathon this weekend.

@TheSpineView @Andrew65

TheSpineView Excellent!🤩🤍📖📘📚📚📚 1y
Andrew65 Amazing how some series expand, like the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy in five parts 😂 1y
Cinfhen Thanks for the prompt ideas!!! 1y
60 likes3 comments
review
julesG
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Pickpick

#Booked2023 #NewIn2023

This has fairy folk, but no real monster. Also not #GasLampFantasy, because it's set in 1919. @Cinfhen

The book reminded me of 'A Natural History of Dragons' and 'A Curious Beginning'. Emily Wilde is on a research trip to the Arctic regions of Norway. She's trying to find out about the endemic fairy folk. When her colleague shows up, girls go missing, and a changeling terrorises his 'parents' research has to come second.

julesG Ran out of characters. Sorry. @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage 1y
julesG @Cinfhen 😂😂 1y
65 likes2 stack adds3 comments
review
Cinfhen
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Pickpick

I went into this book with low expectations and MAJOR trepidation but….I was instantly pulled into this #GaslampFantasy and I never lost interest. Narration was outstanding and really helped to keep me engaged. A story about the power of words, language, heritage, obligations, greed, corruption and institutions. I know, sounds dull but SO captivating. Might be my front runner in the #ToB23 shortlist 🥰

Cuilin I have this on hold from my library. Looking forward to it. 1y
TrishB Well that told me 😁 so glad you enjoyed it though. It was in my top 22 last year. 1y
See All 25 Comments
BarbaraBB You read it fast! Glad it‘s such a winner for you! I am enjoying it too but so far it isn‘t my front runner. However I love those surprises in the #ToB23! 1y
Cinfhen I SURPRISED myself @TrishB @julesG so never say never!! 1y
Cinfhen Can‘t wait to hear your thoughts @BarbaraBB @Cuilin 1y
Hooked_on_books Wow, that‘s great! It‘s so nice to have that experience for a book you “have” to read. 1y
squirrelbrain I‘m looking forward to this now, when I wasn‘t previously. I *may* start it tomorrow but it depends how the traffic is on my commute, as I still have an hour or so to go on 2am In Little America. 1y
Megabooks So glad you enjoyed it so much!! It was a pleasant surprise for me too! 1y
Cinfhen I don‘t want to overhype this book @squirrelbrain and plenty of our wonderful friends didn‘t care for this book 😉 not naming names @Hooked_on_books BUT it surprised me in the best way possible🤷🏼‍♀️I think for someone like me who hardly reads fantasy, I was able to become fully immersed without being overwhelmed by the fantasy elements 1y
Cinfhen @Megabooks I remember being surprised that you enjoyed Babel, but now I see why. It‘s more historical fiction than fantasy I think (edited) 1y
Chelsea.Poole 1. This gives me so much hope! I‘m not fantasy reader either so glad to hear it‘s a pick for you! 2. Lovely flowers 🌸 1y
Hooked_on_books Ha! You named names! 🫣😂 1y
KarenUK It was our runner up for Book of the Year at work…. I‘m looking forward to it even more after your review! 💕 1y
BkClubCare @Cinfhen - thanks for the tag 😉 1y
BkClubCare The audio is well done. But I think it too long. I will finish - I am up to 1.8x speed 1y
Librarybelle Interesting - it‘s not my typical genre, but something to think about for the prompt! 1y
batsy I've been looking forward to read it especially after my sister recommended it. I'm glad to hear that you liked it, as well! 1y
Cinfhen It‘s definitely on the longer side @BkClubCare and like most longer books, I always think a little editing would go far but this one didn‘t bother me as much. I enjoyed the story even though the author‘s intent was a bit heavy handed. I can‘t wait to hear what ya‘ll will make of it @Chelsea.Poole @batsy @KarenUK 1y
Cinfhen There are probably “easier” books out there for this prompt @Librarybelle and I really picked it up only because of Tournament of Books, but I ended up really liking it. LMK if you give it a go. 1y
Bluebird I started this yesterday and am loving it. I got to ‘jump the line‘ on my library hold and have this for 6 more days. Hopefully I can finish it so I don‘t have to wait several weeks to get it again. 🤞 1y
Cinfhen It‘s VERY DENSE @Bluebird but it‘s so engaging!!! Hopefully you can find time over the weekend 🙏🏼 1y
93 likes1 stack add25 comments