AFTER WITNESSING A mysterious explosion, three young Londoners—Becky, Jim, and Adelaide—journey to a tiny country high in the mountains...
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Apr 06, 2009
Catherine
rated it: 
Possibly my favourite of all the Sally Lockhart books, which is funny since she personally is barely in this one, lol.
I really loved the whole Razkavia set-up, having most of it through young Becky's eyes, and having Jim play such a huge role in it this time round (I think I missed Jim more than I realised throughout most of Tiger in the Well, heh)
I loved how the plot kept you guessing right until the end. And there was hardly a dull moment. Even the ending didn't just s More...
I really loved the whole Razkavia set-up, having most of it through young Becky's eyes, and having Jim play such a huge role in it this time round (I think I missed Jim more than I realised throughout most of Tiger in the Well, heh)
I loved how the plot kept you guessing right until the end. And there was hardly a dull moment. Even the ending didn't just s More...
Oct 12, 2011
Barb
rated it: 
I thoroughly enjoyed the other three books in this series and I highly recommend them. Unfortunately this was not of the same quality as the others. Pullman doesn't develop the characters nearly enough in this installment (with the exception of Jim Taylor who we know and love from the previous novels).
The story line and plot twists were too farfetched for my tastes and there were so many setting changes that it was often difficult for me to follow along and know where we were. T More...
The story line and plot twists were too farfetched for my tastes and there were so many setting changes that it was often difficult for me to follow along and know where we were. T More...
Mar 16, 2011
clinestar
rated it: 
Considering that this book has emblazoned across its cover 'A Sally Lockhart Mystery', anyone expecting a plot with Sally as a core character, as in the previous novels of the quartet is doomed to disappointment. That is not to say that the book itself is disappointing. Far from it. It is a fast paced adventure with good lead characters, which moves from the apparent tranquility of Victorian London to the rather more turbulent Razkavia.
If you have never heard of Razkavia it is hardly More...
If you have never heard of Razkavia it is hardly More...
Jan 04, 2011
Jan
rated it: 
Rebecca Winter did not know that she was going to witness her first bomb when she goes to teach the future Queen of Raskavia, a cockney Londoner, how to speak German. On the way, the sixteen-year-old, meets the now twenty-year-old Jim Taylor who like usual is investigating. But when the bomb goes off, its obvious someone is trying to kill the Crown Prince of Raskavia. Jim is engaged as "body-guard" to the future Queen (Adelaide) and Becky as her tutor. The three Londoners embark on the
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Apr 29, 2009
Jules
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Aug 29, 2011
Heather
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Nov 01, 2009
Grace
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This is almost a standalone in the Lockheart series -- it's certainly the one that's easiest to pick up and reread quickly, and that's because it doesn't really dive into Sally Lockheart's life. This one's all about Jim Taylor.
I love Jim unabashedly. He's cheeky and clever and quick, with a strong sense of right and wrong. It's great to see him in the centre of his own story, as I always wanted more of him in Sally's books. Now that he's grown up a bit and is finally the ringlead More...
I love Jim unabashedly. He's cheeky and clever and quick, with a strong sense of right and wrong. It's great to see him in the centre of his own story, as I always wanted more of him in Sally's books. Now that he's grown up a bit and is finally the ringlead More...
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Sep 25, 2011
Megan
rated it:
Despite how quickly I devoured the three first Sally Lockhart books, I took my time getting around the the fourth because, well, it's not about Sally. She only appears in the book very briefly. I shouldn't have waited so long.
The Tin Princess is a fast-paced, engrossing Victorian pulp, told with the keen eye for imperial politics and business that Pullman has brought to all the books in this series. Although I didn't remember Adelaide very well from the first time I met her, I quickly More...
The Tin Princess is a fast-paced, engrossing Victorian pulp, told with the keen eye for imperial politics and business that Pullman has brought to all the books in this series. Although I didn't remember Adelaide very well from the first time I met her, I quickly More...
Jul 15, 2011
Knitme23
rated it:
I don't like Pullman's Golden Compass series: Ann gave us the first one at the same time she gave us this first book no one had heard of, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Pullman was too dark for us/Lyle at that time, and of course HP won the day! Tin Princess is just what it says on the cover, "a swashbuckling Victorian thriller". Must've been fun to write, and it's like reading a penny dreadful or a comic book--every chapter is a cliffhanger, and it seems, judging b
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Mar 09, 2011
sabisteb
rated it:
Streng genommen eigentlich kein vierter Band der Sally Lockart Reihe, da die Hauptperson die kleine Adelaide aus Band 1 und Jim Taylor sind. Sally kommt nur am Rande vor. Dennoch ist es schon spannend zu erfahen, was Adelaide widerfahren ist, die in Band 1 einfach spurlos verschwand, so dass Jim soch schwor, sie eines Tages wiederzufinden.
Die Geschichte spielt im fictiven Raskawien, was nach dem Realitätsbezug der 3 Vorgängerbände einen schlechten Nachgeschmack hinterlässt. Spannend wie die More...
Die Geschichte spielt im fictiven Raskawien, was nach dem Realitätsbezug der 3 Vorgängerbände einen schlechten Nachgeschmack hinterlässt. Spannend wie die More...
Dec 09, 2010
Simon
rated it:
Probably the second-best of the four Sally Lockhart Adventures (i.e. not as good as The Tiger In The Well, but better than the first two), although I was slightly disappointed to find that Sally herself is hardly in it at all. She pops up at the start and basically says "I'm off on holiday - see you in the epilogue!", so technically it's a Jim Taylor Adventure. Still, it's another ripping yarn, beautifully written and tightly plotted, but full of evocative description and touching char
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Dec 01, 2011
Margie
rated it:
Not at all up to the REAL Sally Lockhart series. This one takes some of the characters from the previous Sally Lockhart books (conveniently, Sally is traveling abroad) and puts them in a made up country. Half of what I enjoyed about Pullman's previous books is the historical picture of England in the early 1800s. Though placed in a life-like place between Germany and Austria, the plot involves the politics of this independent kingdom and has really no appeal. The characters I'm not totally s
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Jan 11, 2012
Kell
rated it:
This is the last book in the Sally Lockhart series, although it features Miss Lockhart (now Mrs Goldberg) very little. This is actually a good thing as Sally has always been a slightly unlikable character. Instead, this story focuses on Jim and another character we met way back in the beginning of the series (I won’t give it away). Throw in political unrest in a small European country and you have a very dangerous situation! It’s been a consistently good series, but I felt the end of this final
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Aug 31, 2009
Ellen
rated it:
This is a sort-of sequel to The Ruby in the Smoke et al., and okay, it's kind of a cheesy sequel. But oh, the characters! Seeing Jim and Adelaide all grown up, and Sally as a matron, is fun without being corny; and Becky and the new minor characters are wonderful enough that you can mostly ignore the rags-to-riches-to-royalty story the book is ostensibly about.
I think of it as really extremely good self-fanfiction. If you enjoyed the three books in the series proper, and can keep that More...
I think of it as really extremely good self-fanfiction. If you enjoyed the three books in the series proper, and can keep that More...
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Oct 30, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Fantastic storytelling, highly recommended. This novel is ostensibly a spin-off of the Sally Lockhart trilogy, although it draws little from that series beyond the general atmosphere and a few characters – notably Jim Taylor (now a private detective) and Adelaide (a maid turned Princess turned Queen of Razkavia – a tiny central European kingdom). Sally, now Lockhart Goldberg, also makes brief but important appearances at the beginning and end. But really it should be thought of as a standalone n
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Jul 08, 2011
Erin
rated it:
Philip Pullman's style is interesting to me, because even though it's dry, matter-of-fact and dense, I still like it. One problem, though, is that it's hard for me to be emotionally connected to the story/characters. This held true for The Tin Princess , but I enjoyed it none the less.
It opens with a brand-new character, Becky. She's smart, humble, quietly brave, and that's about it. She never really came alive to me, but I liked that she was different than Pullman's other heroines More...
It opens with a brand-new character, Becky. She's smart, humble, quietly brave, and that's about it. She never really came alive to me, but I liked that she was different than Pullman's other heroines More...
Sep 08, 2010
Maninee
rated it:
when i read this book i cried, no, not because it was sad, but because it was terrible!
i am a devoted fan of pullman and i was SHOCKED by this book. it was terrible. but maybe that's because i'm a bit more than biased towards sally. let me tell you why i didn't like this book:
first of all, the main character adelaide was way too weak. for the first time ever, pullman just said tht a female character was strond and expected us to take it for granted, i mean, how could she transform fr More...
i am a devoted fan of pullman and i was SHOCKED by this book. it was terrible. but maybe that's because i'm a bit more than biased towards sally. let me tell you why i didn't like this book:
first of all, the main character adelaide was way too weak. for the first time ever, pullman just said tht a female character was strond and expected us to take it for granted, i mean, how could she transform fr More...
Jun 15, 2010
Katie
rated it:
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Feb 06, 2010
Violet
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Jan 04, 2009
Debbie
rated it:
Further adventures of several characters from the Sally Lockhart series.
Mystery, political intrigue, and even a dash of romance. Adelaide, the little girl who disappeared near the end of the first book in the Sally Lockhart trilogy, is now all grown up and secretly married to the shy prince of Razkavia. When his brother, first in line to inherit the throne, is assassinated, Prince Rudolph must return to Razkavia--bringing his new wife. Jim Taylor and a new character, Becky, come a More...
Mystery, political intrigue, and even a dash of romance. Adelaide, the little girl who disappeared near the end of the first book in the Sally Lockhart trilogy, is now all grown up and secretly married to the shy prince of Razkavia. When his brother, first in line to inherit the throne, is assassinated, Prince Rudolph must return to Razkavia--bringing his new wife. Jim Taylor and a new character, Becky, come a More...
Oct 06, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
I was worried when I understood Sally did not play a big role in this book that I would not enjoy it as much. However, I was just as pulled in by the characters. Another page turner. One of the things that makes these books great is how insightful the author is into each of his characters. He knows where they came from, and where they are going and how they are going to get there. He has fully developed their personalities. It is enjoyable reading.
Jun 20, 2009
Bethany
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. I would have given it 5 stars but it is not a favourite of mine- but just a good boook which I would re-read as it is well written and developed. I am a bit stingy with 5 stars too. I liked Adelaide a lot and I'm glad that Pullman ut Sally out of the limelight for a while so to speak and let other characters develop. Jim, again proves he is my favourite character in this series with his humour and roguish habits ha ha.
Jan 13, 2012
Lydia
rated it:
In this novel, Pullman uses his one of his characters from The Ruby of the Smoke trilogy as a protagonist. Jim, an admired person in the trilogy, comes face-to-face with the girl-now-a-woman he loved in the trilogy. Somehow, she has left the streets and married a prince. The historical background of this novel involves concepts of royalty, patriotism, again feminism, military strategy (beautifully interwoven onto the various plots and sub-plots), and romance.
This also illustrates what More...
This also illustrates what More...
Apr 02, 2011
Lulu
rated it:
The Tin Princess was a terribly brilliant read for the first half of the story. I think the reason for this was the considerate and kind Becky was assumed to be the main character. She lead the story as a queen might and I was quite sure this would be the kind of book that would still be beating in my heart for days.
However at the end I was left feeling distraught and anxious with the thought that the whiney princess of Raskavia Adelaide was taking char More...
However at the end I was left feeling distraught and anxious with the thought that the whiney princess of Raskavia Adelaide was taking char More...
Mar 17, 2011
Brett
rated it:
Fantastic historical adventure fiction. A Cockney English girl with a past that doesn't bear looking at becomes the Queen of a small, fictional Germanic country threatened with envelopment on either side by Bismarck's Prussia or the Austro-Hungarian empire. Can she defend her new home from the plots within plots directed at it, & manage to avoid the numerous assassination attempts being made on her? Brings to mind the "penny dreadful" fiction of the day; rousing, with good characters.
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Jun 25, 2010
Jen
rated it:
This book was pretty good. I loved that Jim was a main part of this book, because he was definitely one of my favorite characters from the Sally Lockhart series. It was fun to read this book and see the characters from those books. But it was a little hard for me to keep some of the new characters straight in this book, and it was also hard at times to understand what happened in the story. But it was a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone who has read the other Sally Lockhart books
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Jul 20, 2009
Ellen
rated it:
I had hoped that this would be as good as the other Sally Lockhart books but I was really disappointed with it. Not enough Sally and some how the whole plot reminded me too much of the Wizard of Oz books and not enough of something original. The comparison to some of the lesser-known Oz books still left The Tin Princess coming off the worse.
Jan 03, 2011
Started this over the weekend. I think it's something I will like, but this just isn't the right time for me to read it. Besides, I'm getting a box of books together to donate to North Charleston High School and this might be a good one for that box. Another time, Becky, Adelaide and Jim (and Sally, too, I suppose.)
Dec 22, 2010
Kelli
rated it:
I love Philip Pullman's suspenseful writing. Which is probably why I had a really hard time reading this book. I skimmed a lot and got bored many times with it. I didn't understand the connection the princess and Jim were supposedly to have. I felt sorry for Becky a lot of the time, just for having to be around them.
Jul 19, 2009
Lindsay
rated it:
After reading the Sally Lockhart trilogy, my expectations for The Tin Princess were pretty low. But, I actually liked this novel (featuring some characters from Sally Lockhart) a lot more. Compared to the trilogy, the plot was more plausibly implausible, and I found the change of setting and adjusted character line-up refreshing. A great read overall, though the last chapter was a bit disappointing. I won't say more than that.
