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Prisonworld #1
The Magistrate
THE PRISONWORLD TRILOGY -- VOLUME ONE
Poverty is rife in twenty-fourth century London, England. Crime rates are at an all-time high, and living conditions for many are bleak. Capital punishment and public hangings have been reinstated, and Magistrates, in their new role, are tasked with patrolling the streets to enforce arrest warrants and ‘terminate’ any civilians who attempt to evade justice -- which isn’t always a noble pursuit.
The laws are strict, illiberal, and unsympathetic. If you can’t afford to feed and clothe yourself, you’ll be sent to the workhouse. If you fall behind on your rent, you’ll be sent to debtors’ prison. If you’re gay, you’ll be hanged.
For Carmen Wild, the latter becomes a potentially deadly problem when the discovery of a murdered prostitute brings her back into the life of her first love -- the Madam of an East End cathouse -- and the illicit passions between them are swiftly reignited.
*************************************
The Magistrate is a lesbian romance, set against the backdrop of dystopian, neo-Victorian London.
***Contains graphic & explicit language***
Poverty is rife in twenty-fourth century London, England. Crime rates are at an all-time high, and living conditions for many are bleak. Capital punishment and public hangings have been reinstated, and Magistrates, in their new role, are tasked with patrolling the streets to enforce arrest warrants and ‘terminate’ any civilians who attempt to evade justice -- which isn’t always a noble pursuit.
The laws are strict, illiberal, and unsympathetic. If you can’t afford to feed and clothe yourself, you’ll be sent to the workhouse. If you fall behind on your rent, you’ll be sent to debtors’ prison. If you’re gay, you’ll be hanged.
For Carmen Wild, the latter becomes a potentially deadly problem when the discovery of a murdered prostitute brings her back into the life of her first love -- the Madam of an East End cathouse -- and the illicit passions between them are swiftly reignited.
*************************************
The Magistrate is a lesbian romance, set against the backdrop of dystopian, neo-Victorian London.
***Contains graphic & explicit language***
409 pages, Unknown Binding
First published June 10, 2013
8 people are currently reading
669 people want to read
About the author
Keira Michelle Telford
32 books290 followersKeira Michelle Telford is an award-winning author with a love for the gruesome, the macabre, and the downright filthy. She writes dystopian science fiction, contemporary and historical erotic lesbian romance, and other lesbian fiction, often with a focus on age-gap relationships.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 4, 2022
“The people who told you otherwise, they’re the ones who’re wrong—not you. Do you understand me? You must never be ashamed of who you are, or what you feel.”
“But the penalty …” Carmen barely whispers.
“Worth it.” Lina’s eyes twinkle. “If it means being happy between now and the rope.”
Part V for Vendetta
Part Gattaca
Part Blade Runner
...this was amazing.
When I picked this up it was cold, grey, and dreary outside which perfectly suited the bleak, desolate atmosphere of this book. This is my first fantasy/scifi from Keira Michelle Telford and she continues to impress me with her writing ability. Her world-building was stellar. However, this book will not be for everyone. I recommend it to Keira Michelle Telford fans (with a caveat I'll go into later), but if you're new to this author this may not be the best place to start.
"Then what am I?”
Lina hesitates to answer.
She’s not sure how to answer.
Eventually, “You’re mine.”
“And?”
Lina raises an eyebrow. “And what?” She rests her elbow on the back of the sofa, leaning closer to Carmen. “That’s not enough for you?”
One of my favorite aspects of Keira Michelle Telford's writing is the dialogue between the two love interests, and her ability to craft chemistry that jumps off the pages. She's also willing to go where other authors dare not venture when writing taboo relationships. One reason this book is receiving 4 stars and not 5, is that the age gap had even me feeling uncomfortable at times. The saving grace was the godforsaken, oppressive dystopian setting. Carmen was clearly Lina's light and warmth in an empty, cold world she was living in. With that said, I would have preferred to see more of an evolution in Lina's feelings towards Carmen. Perhaps caring, to slowly recognizing there was more to her connection to Carmen as Carmen grew older. I've read a similar guardian-ward age-gap from Brianna Hale, and this slow change in feelings towards the once-child-now-adult made the age-gap and guardian-ward dynamic more palatable.
If you were squicked out by the age-gap and power dynamics in The Housemistress, this will push your limits even farther.
A warning: The book ends on a sad note, the couple does not get their HEA in this installment, but I trust the author intends to provide a HEA when the series is completed.
Beyond that other reviews have left better and more comprehensive warnings, so I encourage anyone interested to check those out. Besides a few pacing issues (a few scenes and lines of dialogue could have been edited out, the story occasionally dragged in certain areas) this was an atmospheric dystopian read.
“Give me something tangible to look forward to. Give me something I can dream about. Something you can dream about. That way, every night between now and when I come home, I can fall asleep knowing that we’re sharing the same fantasy.”
“But the penalty …” Carmen barely whispers.
“Worth it.” Lina’s eyes twinkle. “If it means being happy between now and the rope.”
Part V for Vendetta
Part Gattaca
Part Blade Runner
...this was amazing.
When I picked this up it was cold, grey, and dreary outside which perfectly suited the bleak, desolate atmosphere of this book. This is my first fantasy/scifi from Keira Michelle Telford and she continues to impress me with her writing ability. Her world-building was stellar. However, this book will not be for everyone. I recommend it to Keira Michelle Telford fans (with a caveat I'll go into later), but if you're new to this author this may not be the best place to start.
"Then what am I?”
Lina hesitates to answer.
She’s not sure how to answer.
Eventually, “You’re mine.”
“And?”
Lina raises an eyebrow. “And what?” She rests her elbow on the back of the sofa, leaning closer to Carmen. “That’s not enough for you?”
One of my favorite aspects of Keira Michelle Telford's writing is the dialogue between the two love interests, and her ability to craft chemistry that jumps off the pages. She's also willing to go where other authors dare not venture when writing taboo relationships. One reason this book is receiving 4 stars and not 5, is that the age gap had even me feeling uncomfortable at times. The saving grace was the godforsaken, oppressive dystopian setting. Carmen was clearly Lina's light and warmth in an empty, cold world she was living in. With that said, I would have preferred to see more of an evolution in Lina's feelings towards Carmen. Perhaps caring, to slowly recognizing there was more to her connection to Carmen as Carmen grew older. I've read a similar guardian-ward age-gap from Brianna Hale, and this slow change in feelings towards the once-child-now-adult made the age-gap and guardian-ward dynamic more palatable.
If you were squicked out by the age-gap and power dynamics in The Housemistress, this will push your limits even farther.
A warning: The book ends on a sad note, the couple does not get their HEA in this installment, but I trust the author intends to provide a HEA when the series is completed.
Beyond that other reviews have left better and more comprehensive warnings, so I encourage anyone interested to check those out. Besides a few pacing issues (a few scenes and lines of dialogue could have been edited out, the story occasionally dragged in certain areas) this was an atmospheric dystopian read.
“Give me something tangible to look forward to. Give me something I can dream about. Something you can dream about. That way, every night between now and when I come home, I can fall asleep knowing that we’re sharing the same fantasy.”
March 18, 2018
A well-written tale about a harsh future that forbids love and discourages loyalty
I especially like dystopian books, and this one was phenomenally well-written. It did have some key points in it that didn't really let me connect with the characters, but I could no way say it wasn't a good book. I think people forget that you can read a book you don't necessarily like and still recognize its greatness and give an honest review on that. This book was a long read made longer because of the fact that it stayed with me for a while after I finished reading it.
What I liked: Telford built a dark future world that suffered a major population decrease. A typical trope with the dystopian world is that there is some sort of government crackdown, limiting freedoms and abusing power. And this world is depressive, make no mistake about it. But Telford doesn't just create a world, she creates a nearly-steampunk type throwback where people dress in the old fashioned style. Their speech and slang have a distinctive flavor, depending on which parts of the city they're in. And in this world there are two certain protagonists, Carmen, and Lina. A magistrate charged with upholding the law and killing the lawbreakers, and an older prostitution house owner who specializes in breaking the law. There is a debt between the two, and a love that is forbidden on so many levels. There are a lot of twists and turns in the novel, adventure, mystery, romance, and a few other things thrown in. Key points come to light at the very end that you probably wouldn't have guessed early on. Telford did a great job pulling you along in the story.
I won't go into detail about what I didn't like because it's mostly my personal preference. But I will say there is violence against women, evidence of torture and a bit of gruesomeness thrown in. And I didn't get my happy ending. It was on the way there but the book ended before it arrived. However, I see there is a second book out in the series so I can only hope I see more good things for Carmen and Lina in the future.
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
I especially like dystopian books, and this one was phenomenally well-written. It did have some key points in it that didn't really let me connect with the characters, but I could no way say it wasn't a good book. I think people forget that you can read a book you don't necessarily like and still recognize its greatness and give an honest review on that. This book was a long read made longer because of the fact that it stayed with me for a while after I finished reading it.
What I liked: Telford built a dark future world that suffered a major population decrease. A typical trope with the dystopian world is that there is some sort of government crackdown, limiting freedoms and abusing power. And this world is depressive, make no mistake about it. But Telford doesn't just create a world, she creates a nearly-steampunk type throwback where people dress in the old fashioned style. Their speech and slang have a distinctive flavor, depending on which parts of the city they're in. And in this world there are two certain protagonists, Carmen, and Lina. A magistrate charged with upholding the law and killing the lawbreakers, and an older prostitution house owner who specializes in breaking the law. There is a debt between the two, and a love that is forbidden on so many levels. There are a lot of twists and turns in the novel, adventure, mystery, romance, and a few other things thrown in. Key points come to light at the very end that you probably wouldn't have guessed early on. Telford did a great job pulling you along in the story.
I won't go into detail about what I didn't like because it's mostly my personal preference. But I will say there is violence against women, evidence of torture and a bit of gruesomeness thrown in. And I didn't get my happy ending. It was on the way there but the book ended before it arrived. However, I see there is a second book out in the series so I can only hope I see more good things for Carmen and Lina in the future.
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2017
Set in a futuristic neo-Victorian London, The Magistrate is a dark, gritty sci-fi novel. It gives off a V for Vendetta vibe and had me captured from the first page. Carmen, a young magistrate with a rough past, is our main protagonist. Magistrates are a government-funded agency that enforces warrants, often eliminating the targets. Carmen is good at her job and feels obligated to the person who recruited her until a body is discovered that leads her back to her first love.
The world building is excellent and I found myself easily immersed into the setting. This is a dark, gritty, often times depressing setting that won't be for everyone- there is violence, rape, graphic M/F content, characters aren't always likable. The romance starts out a bit creepily but gets better later on and is pretty steamy, yet sweet. Both Carmen and Lina are intriguing and complex characters. The plot is also cleverly written with enough action, mystery, and romance to hold my interest throughout.
The world building is excellent and I found myself easily immersed into the setting. This is a dark, gritty, often times depressing setting that won't be for everyone- there is violence, rape, graphic M/F content, characters aren't always likable. The romance starts out a bit creepily but gets better later on and is pretty steamy, yet sweet. Both Carmen and Lina are intriguing and complex characters. The plot is also cleverly written with enough action, mystery, and romance to hold my interest throughout.
March 13, 2016
The Magistrate by Keira Michelle Telford is a lesbian romance novel wrapped in a sci-fi crime thriller. The novel is set in a brutal futuristic, though steampunk-ish, dystopian London where mother passes to child nanotechnology that can monitor all aspects of one’s life and the rules of society are particularly draconian. Carmen Wild is a 20yo Magistrate, the slice of society that metes out “justice” upon criminals as prescribed by the daily docket passed down from the powers that be: workhouse, incarceration, termination. Carmen is one of the best at her job. She also carries many secrets - her impoverished upbringing and the fact that she is a lesbian - a crime punishable by public hanging. The discovery of an abused young girl, a pawn of the powerful due to her immunity to the nanotechnology, sets off a series of events that leads Carmen back to the home and heart of the brothel Madam who saved her from the streets, Lina.
OK. This book rocks! I loved it from start to finish. This is precisely the type of book that I have been wanting to read. That said, the author presents some challenges to making it through the text. First, one must come to terms with the relationship between Lina and Carmen, the origins of which are told through flashback. Lina saves 14yo Carmen just as she is about to have her tongue excised and, for each, woman and girl, love arrives at first sight. As a reader, I was very uncomfortable with the relationship which was masterfully handled by the author with a degree of eroticism. The author however never crosses the line (though she definitely stepped to the very edge and scraped at it with a pointed nail). In retrospect, I find it strange that I read a story about a girl who has been abandoned, enslaved to build WMD, locked in solitary for weeks, starved, and sold to a slaver with amorous intentions, but it is the reading of the mutual physical attraction evokes alarm bells in my head. Perhaps, that is the author’s point. Regardless, the relationship rings true for this story. (And, once again, the line does not get crossed - phew!)
Another thing… Even though the people in the story were so heavily monitored they were not reticent to do things they knew could easily be detected and set them swinging from the end of a rope. At first that was a little troubling, like the author had set up such strict rules for her own convenience. But then I think I began to understand her point. Everybody in this world is guilty of some rules (even babies with improper genetic traits). It is impossible to live without breaking the rules. Everybody’s life turns on the whim of those in power. So, this is a story about outsmarting the powers that be in order to live as loud as possible.
The writing was awesome - flowed well. I felt that the story did not really hit a major climax at the end. It feels more like the pilot episode of a serial where a rich array of heroines and heroes and villainesses and villains are introduced. I hope that it is… I’ve already bought book two! And I will be reading more from this author in the future!
OK. This book rocks! I loved it from start to finish. This is precisely the type of book that I have been wanting to read. That said, the author presents some challenges to making it through the text. First, one must come to terms with the relationship between Lina and Carmen, the origins of which are told through flashback. Lina saves 14yo Carmen just as she is about to have her tongue excised and, for each, woman and girl, love arrives at first sight. As a reader, I was very uncomfortable with the relationship which was masterfully handled by the author with a degree of eroticism. The author however never crosses the line (though she definitely stepped to the very edge and scraped at it with a pointed nail). In retrospect, I find it strange that I read a story about a girl who has been abandoned, enslaved to build WMD, locked in solitary for weeks, starved, and sold to a slaver with amorous intentions, but it is the reading of the mutual physical attraction evokes alarm bells in my head. Perhaps, that is the author’s point. Regardless, the relationship rings true for this story. (And, once again, the line does not get crossed - phew!)
Another thing… Even though the people in the story were so heavily monitored they were not reticent to do things they knew could easily be detected and set them swinging from the end of a rope. At first that was a little troubling, like the author had set up such strict rules for her own convenience. But then I think I began to understand her point. Everybody in this world is guilty of some rules (even babies with improper genetic traits). It is impossible to live without breaking the rules. Everybody’s life turns on the whim of those in power. So, this is a story about outsmarting the powers that be in order to live as loud as possible.
The writing was awesome - flowed well. I felt that the story did not really hit a major climax at the end. It feels more like the pilot episode of a serial where a rich array of heroines and heroes and villainesses and villains are introduced. I hope that it is… I’ve already bought book two! And I will be reading more from this author in the future!
June 8, 2015
While I have nothing but praise and admiration for the world building and gritty realism of this novel, the whole relationship between the two main characters caused me a number of issues.
Not sure if I am going to be hurrying to buy the next book in the series.
Read for the dystopian world creation and try and skirt over the dubious nature of the central relationship.
Not sure if I am going to be hurrying to buy the next book in the series.
Read for the dystopian world creation and try and skirt over the dubious nature of the central relationship.
March 2, 2016
Well written and quite unique from the typical f/f stories. However, it is little dark and no happy reading at all. It is a combination of 1984, Brave new world, and Sherlock Homes with a hint of unnecessary cruelty! Although I'm not smitten by the storyline can't deny the author's smartness, hence, 4/5.
July 8, 2024
4 stars. A very good and intense first book. I’m so sad that this trilogy is not completed and it’s likely it never will be but I will for sure pick up book two soon. I will say that this one took a bit for me to get into it because I found the world building to be a lot in the beginning and it was a lot of info dumping. Once the plot got started though I was into it. Carmen is a bad ass character and I loved her romance with Lina. The second half of this book gets really dark and heavy but Telford always handles gritty things well but it still had me shook. I liked the ending and am excited to continue on.
November 2, 2022
very few authors…
Can write a love story amidst such a crazy ultra-right governmental era. I should not have loved this love story as much as I did. I just couldn’t help myself. I guess when it comes to true love; I’m open to it in all its flavors. And I fell in love with these two MC. I’m his story took some twists and turns. I laughed and I cried.
I was hurt when such horrible bad luck befell Carmen all while trying to do the right thing. I’m so lucky things didn’t get as worse as it could have. Perhaps it was the upbringing of all the characters involved that kept them from being such wilting flowers and maintain a semblance of themselves and what is most important.
My heart still hurts none-the-less at the end of the book. I’m afraid to know what’s going to happen because this author knows how to bring out every single human emotion through her characters, her giving them voice and her amazing writing. I will read ANYTHING she writes.
Can write a love story amidst such a crazy ultra-right governmental era. I should not have loved this love story as much as I did. I just couldn’t help myself. I guess when it comes to true love; I’m open to it in all its flavors. And I fell in love with these two MC. I’m his story took some twists and turns. I laughed and I cried.
I was hurt when such horrible bad luck befell Carmen all while trying to do the right thing. I’m so lucky things didn’t get as worse as it could have. Perhaps it was the upbringing of all the characters involved that kept them from being such wilting flowers and maintain a semblance of themselves and what is most important.
My heart still hurts none-the-less at the end of the book. I’m afraid to know what’s going to happen because this author knows how to bring out every single human emotion through her characters, her giving them voice and her amazing writing. I will read ANYTHING she writes.
July 7, 2017
This book has it’s ups and downs. The setting in neo-victorian London with all-seeing government seems interesting, but tries to cramp too many things together. You have the oppressive government, homosexuality being illegal, you have tough magistrates (kind of like rangers), you have a wannabe detective story, you have LGBT characters, including protagonist, you have those pseudo-noble brothels run by a madame who deeply cares for her girls. But it doesn't work. It’s too much of everything to make something.
There’s a lot of nausea inducing scenes and some of them seems like they’re just for a shock value.
The highlight are rape scenes, which are written very realistically. They’re short, raw and ugly, just like in the real life. They also don’t seem gratuitous, the story builds up to them, and they serve a purpose as they give the protagonist another dimension (mostly, they highlight her enormous survival instinct). It made me hate the perp fiercely and I almost could feel protagonist’s humiliation. I’ve seen a lot of rapes written just because, so those in this book really stand out for me. The aftermath was also some good writing… until the author decided it’s enough and dropped all the consequences and complications at once. Which is… not how rape works. You can’t cure the trauma by sweet love-making with someone you love and I’m getting tired of reading it over and over again.
Speaking of, the whole romance plot is kinda sorta creepy and squicky. Thirty something falling for a fourteen year old girl after rescuing her from being sexually exploited - that I can somehow get over. But when the same person takes care of said girl in a very mother-like manner, it starts giving very Lolita-esque vibes. For the record, I do not consider Lolita a love story (because it fricking isn’t a love story). I get what the author was aiming for, but I can imagine quite a few different ways to get there without it being so coercive. Also, there’s a lot of unwanted touching in private parts and as much as it makes sense in the context of the story, it shouldn’t be treated like an okay thing to do.
For a totalitarian state with elaborate spying system, Carmen has almost no problem doing whatever illegal thing she wants. Also, she's supposed to be one of the best Magistrates, but apart from the beginning, we don't see her doing anything related to her job. And she just have too many allies and too little opponents.
As for the plot, it doesn’t really make sense, it’s self-serving and it’s there just to get the characters where the author wants them, which is not enough. The language is flat (quite possibly intentionally, I get it can work for someone. Not for me, though) and the protagonist makes connections between various points of the story that aren't explained to reader properly, a lot goes totally unexplained, and plot points are being abandoned left, right and centre. Towards the end, things started to move faster and the whole thing became more interesting, but to get there, you have to go through many slow pages.
What I like is the fact that people still have Prides, even though being gay is punishable by death, and how the protagonist feels about the whole thing, that is very realistic. Also, the evolution of Vyxyn and Lina’s relationship was somewhat heartwarming.
The biggest problem for me is, that i’ve never connected with the protagonist. I didn’t care about her, I didn’t care for her motivations or acts, I didn’t feel like I can understand her, but it didn’t bother me. She just never meant anything to me. Hell, I’d connected better with Bella Swan.
Not sure about giving the sequel a chance.
There’s a lot of nausea inducing scenes and some of them seems like they’re just for a shock value.
The highlight are rape scenes, which are written very realistically. They’re short, raw and ugly, just like in the real life. They also don’t seem gratuitous, the story builds up to them, and they serve a purpose as they give the protagonist another dimension (mostly, they highlight her enormous survival instinct). It made me hate the perp fiercely and I almost could feel protagonist’s humiliation. I’ve seen a lot of rapes written just because, so those in this book really stand out for me. The aftermath was also some good writing… until the author decided it’s enough and dropped all the consequences and complications at once. Which is… not how rape works. You can’t cure the trauma by sweet love-making with someone you love and I’m getting tired of reading it over and over again.
Speaking of, the whole romance plot is kinda sorta creepy and squicky. Thirty something falling for a fourteen year old girl after rescuing her from being sexually exploited - that I can somehow get over. But when the same person takes care of said girl in a very mother-like manner, it starts giving very Lolita-esque vibes. For the record, I do not consider Lolita a love story (because it fricking isn’t a love story). I get what the author was aiming for, but I can imagine quite a few different ways to get there without it being so coercive. Also, there’s a lot of unwanted touching in private parts and as much as it makes sense in the context of the story, it shouldn’t be treated like an okay thing to do.
For a totalitarian state with elaborate spying system, Carmen has almost no problem doing whatever illegal thing she wants. Also, she's supposed to be one of the best Magistrates, but apart from the beginning, we don't see her doing anything related to her job. And she just have too many allies and too little opponents.
As for the plot, it doesn’t really make sense, it’s self-serving and it’s there just to get the characters where the author wants them, which is not enough. The language is flat (quite possibly intentionally, I get it can work for someone. Not for me, though) and the protagonist makes connections between various points of the story that aren't explained to reader properly, a lot goes totally unexplained, and plot points are being abandoned left, right and centre. Towards the end, things started to move faster and the whole thing became more interesting, but to get there, you have to go through many slow pages.
What I like is the fact that people still have Prides, even though being gay is punishable by death, and how the protagonist feels about the whole thing, that is very realistic. Also, the evolution of Vyxyn and Lina’s relationship was somewhat heartwarming.
The biggest problem for me is, that i’ve never connected with the protagonist. I didn’t care about her, I didn’t care for her motivations or acts, I didn’t feel like I can understand her, but it didn’t bother me. She just never meant anything to me. Hell, I’d connected better with Bella Swan.
Not sure about giving the sequel a chance.
April 6, 2023
*Trigger Warning* There were some scenes involving sexual violence and rape of our talented, yet incredibly flawed, main character. Something that makes it immediately a 3 star for me.
I don't do the whole victim blaming, so I don't blame the MC's blackmail and predicament, but I did find the aftermath of that scene to be particularly disturbing.
Especially the ending between them. It was just a weird reaction for Telford to give her, and I mean bad weird, because she should've been much more angry than she was after. She was disgusted, as anyone would be, but Like Lina, when she found out, she should've wanted to rip his head off clean with a katana. However, she was calm, TOO calm. That could just be me, a guy's, perspective on that.
On the other hand the CONSENTUAL sexual stuff was well written, I have to say that I thought the leadup to the ending was a bit underwhelming for sure. The ending wasn't bad, and I will go straight into the next one with somewhat hesitance. The SV just completely threw me off. I wasn't expecting it, but I knew it might happen at some point, and I knew he was scum who should've been dealt with, but he wasn't of course.
Not bad, but not her best work. Lets see where the next one takes us.
I don't do the whole victim blaming, so I don't blame the MC's blackmail and predicament, but I did find the aftermath of that scene to be particularly disturbing.
Especially the ending between them. It was just a weird reaction for Telford to give her, and I mean bad weird, because she should've been much more angry than she was after. She was disgusted, as anyone would be, but Like Lina, when she found out, she should've wanted to rip his head off clean with a katana. However, she was calm, TOO calm. That could just be me, a guy's, perspective on that.
On the other hand the CONSENTUAL sexual stuff was well written, I have to say that I thought the leadup to the ending was a bit underwhelming for sure. The ending wasn't bad, and I will go straight into the next one with somewhat hesitance. The SV just completely threw me off. I wasn't expecting it, but I knew it might happen at some point, and I knew he was scum who should've been dealt with, but he wasn't of course.
Not bad, but not her best work. Lets see where the next one takes us.
June 8, 2024
A fan of dystopian novels, I am glad I came across a lesbian dystopian.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the novel, adventure, mystery, romance, and a few other things thrown in.
The attraction and the love between the 2 main characters was extremely well written and after the last paragraph, I could not wait to read the 2nd part of the Trilogy.
There are a lot of twists and turns in the novel, adventure, mystery, romance, and a few other things thrown in.
The attraction and the love between the 2 main characters was extremely well written and after the last paragraph, I could not wait to read the 2nd part of the Trilogy.
February 11, 2022
Imaginative, but a little slower paced than her usual offerings. Erotic and passionate moments as promised. A good read.
August 31, 2013
Book review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
Carmen is a Magistrate in the dystopian sociedty of London in the future. With elements of the Victorian era sipping through, this dystopian world is one of the most amazing settings I’ve had the pleasure to read about. It’s like steampunk, sort of, except dystopian, and set in the future. So it’s not entirely steampunk, and I’m glad it isn’t – the book is far more original and intriguing this way. Magistrates uphold the law whenever technology fails to do so. They track down criminals and serve justice. Everyone detests Magistrates for upholding such a strict law, and sometimes even Carmen detests herself and what she has to do. When she grew up, she was as far away from being a Magistrate as humanly possible. She lived on the streets, was sold to a workhouse, and then ended up in the clutches of the most vile and cruel man in London. She narrowly escaped thanks to the Madam of a whorehouse, Lina, stepping in. Ever since, Carmen has owed Lina her life, but so much more.
Carmen has long lost touch with her rescuer, but when the corpse of a prostitute sends her to the whorehouse she grew up in, Carmen reconciles with Lina, and they both figure out the years haven’t changed all that much in regards to their feelings for each other. However, in this dystopian society having a gay relationship is strictly forbidden, and warning voices go out to Carmen to stay as far away from Lina as humanly possible. The problem is Carmen doesn’t know if that’s what she wants to do…And then, when another figure of her past resurfaces, and Lina ends up in the middle of all that, she doesn’t know if she can leave her anymore.
I loved the setting. The society Keira Michelle Telford creates in The Magistrate is rich in detail. It’s a layered society with rules hidden behind rules. Instead of an info dump, we only get the information slowly, until our views on the society are fully shaped at the end. Carmen is a complex, but enjoyable characters. She’s stuck playing a role she never signed up for, having to focus on being the person she never wanted to be, while hiding her sexual preferences for everyone around her.
To add a murder mystery to a world and story already so complex, is more than a little impressive. Carmen had me interested in her story, sure, but the murder mystery was what pulled me in completely. It’s not clear at first who is behind it, or what exactly is going on, and as the plot thickens, the suspense only continues to grow.
My only issue with this book, is its portrayal of male characters. It’s like every single man who appears in this book has to be an asshole or an idiot. While there’s a fair share of those out there, I doubt all men are like that, and the book gives a rather one-sided view on the male population. But like I said, that’s my only issue with the book.
The Magistrate is a well-written, detailed, complex story about a woman trying to figure out who she is in a society that tells her she can’t be the one person she wants to be.
Carmen is a Magistrate in the dystopian sociedty of London in the future. With elements of the Victorian era sipping through, this dystopian world is one of the most amazing settings I’ve had the pleasure to read about. It’s like steampunk, sort of, except dystopian, and set in the future. So it’s not entirely steampunk, and I’m glad it isn’t – the book is far more original and intriguing this way. Magistrates uphold the law whenever technology fails to do so. They track down criminals and serve justice. Everyone detests Magistrates for upholding such a strict law, and sometimes even Carmen detests herself and what she has to do. When she grew up, she was as far away from being a Magistrate as humanly possible. She lived on the streets, was sold to a workhouse, and then ended up in the clutches of the most vile and cruel man in London. She narrowly escaped thanks to the Madam of a whorehouse, Lina, stepping in. Ever since, Carmen has owed Lina her life, but so much more.
Carmen has long lost touch with her rescuer, but when the corpse of a prostitute sends her to the whorehouse she grew up in, Carmen reconciles with Lina, and they both figure out the years haven’t changed all that much in regards to their feelings for each other. However, in this dystopian society having a gay relationship is strictly forbidden, and warning voices go out to Carmen to stay as far away from Lina as humanly possible. The problem is Carmen doesn’t know if that’s what she wants to do…And then, when another figure of her past resurfaces, and Lina ends up in the middle of all that, she doesn’t know if she can leave her anymore.
I loved the setting. The society Keira Michelle Telford creates in The Magistrate is rich in detail. It’s a layered society with rules hidden behind rules. Instead of an info dump, we only get the information slowly, until our views on the society are fully shaped at the end. Carmen is a complex, but enjoyable characters. She’s stuck playing a role she never signed up for, having to focus on being the person she never wanted to be, while hiding her sexual preferences for everyone around her.
To add a murder mystery to a world and story already so complex, is more than a little impressive. Carmen had me interested in her story, sure, but the murder mystery was what pulled me in completely. It’s not clear at first who is behind it, or what exactly is going on, and as the plot thickens, the suspense only continues to grow.
My only issue with this book, is its portrayal of male characters. It’s like every single man who appears in this book has to be an asshole or an idiot. While there’s a fair share of those out there, I doubt all men are like that, and the book gives a rather one-sided view on the male population. But like I said, that’s my only issue with the book.
The Magistrate is a well-written, detailed, complex story about a woman trying to figure out who she is in a society that tells her she can’t be the one person she wants to be.
May 27, 2016
The premises for this book is quite interesting. Telford managed to build an extremely repressed neo-victorian world with dashes of medieval brutality of Inquisition levels.
The romance is just... uh... weird and sort of predatory. A 30-something years old wanting to be with a 14 years-old? Could have been done so much better. I could somewhat see a very young teenager having a crush on a beautiful 30 years old that saved her life and was kind to her and then that could bloom into a relationship later on. But when a 30 years old is interested in a young teenager that just makes it very hard for me to root for them. Predatory love like that is only interesting if I am watching it on Animal Planet.
Still, I was quite interested in premise of the book and the development of the characters until this happened:
It's a pity, really. The story did have quite a bit of potential. And since it's a trilogy maybe it somehow gets better in the next books? But frankly after 400 pages if you haven't managed to make your main character remotely interesting I give up. Life is too short and I have way too many books to read still.
The romance is just... uh... weird and sort of predatory. A 30-something years old wanting to be with a 14 years-old? Could have been done so much better. I could somewhat see a very young teenager having a crush on a beautiful 30 years old that saved her life and was kind to her and then that could bloom into a relationship later on. But when a 30 years old is interested in a young teenager that just makes it very hard for me to root for them. Predatory love like that is only interesting if I am watching it on Animal Planet.
Still, I was quite interested in premise of the book and the development of the characters until this happened:
It's a pity, really. The story did have quite a bit of potential. And since it's a trilogy maybe it somehow gets better in the next books? But frankly after 400 pages if you haven't managed to make your main character remotely interesting I give up. Life is too short and I have way too many books to read still.
August 4, 2013
Wonderful dystopian novel. The main character is the same I would write and I felt connected to her and it made the relationships in the book that much more enjoyable.
There was plenty of action and romance to keep me going through the entire book as I finished it in 2 long sittings.
Looking forward to the other books in the series.
There was plenty of action and romance to keep me going through the entire book as I finished it in 2 long sittings.
Looking forward to the other books in the series.
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March 28, 2016DID NOT FINISH
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