Chime in Mock Newbery 2026

Dec 16, 2011 Elizabeth K. rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011-new-reads

Hey Beth, remember when we used to describe Lackey Ophelia, and as shorthand, we just said she was "imbued with great drama"? Meaning that kind of painfully overly earnest teen outlook on life that walks the fine line between being hilarious (to others) and mortifying by proxy. This book is imbued with great drama. I think it would appeal to people likewise imbued with great drama. For me, it was alternately hilarious and mortifying.

I liked the setting, I was calling it steam supernatural, a mos Hey Beth, remember when we used to describe Lackey Ophelia, and as shorthand, we just said she was "imbued with great drama"? Meaning that kind of painfully overly earnest teen outlook on life that walks the fine line between being hilarious (to others) and mortifying by proxy. This book is imbued with great drama. I think it would appeal to people likewise imbued with great drama. For me, it was alternately hilarious and mortifying.

I liked the setting, I was calling it steam supernatural, a mostly similar Edwardian-esque era where magic is real. Small English village in the swamps, twin girls, one of whom is "touched" (I believe that's the clinical term) and the other is fearful of being discovered to be witch and thus hanged by the villagers (I'm not sure if they have pitchforks, but they might as well). There is also LOVE, love that is imbued with great drama.

The mortifying parts are cringy indeed. The fixation on the "bad boys" club, the weird overuse of boy-man (or was it man-boy?), the wolfgirl in the third person, the NEVER-ENDING "woe is me" litany of the protagonist. At the same time, there were some gems buried under all the drama, Billingsley can turn a neat phrase when she puts her mind to it, I always appreciate an unexpected plume de ma tante joke, the arsenic addiction was a nice touch, and as vicariously embarrassing as the romantic plot was, it managed to feel satisfying in the key places. The experience of reading this book was like bobbing for apples ... in treacle. You really had to steel your nerve to keep going.

I agree with Wendy's assessment that this is a very predictable plot, in broad strokes at least. I feel like anyone who has ever read a book will see where this is going from the first or second chapter. That said, many of the details that filled in the meat of the story were creative and memorable (also, other details made me roll my eyes back in my head, so there's that).

Grade: I gave it four stars because some parts were good, but believe you me, a lot of aspects merit one star at best.
Recommended: People who like faerie YA in general would probably find a lot to like here, for the rest of us, it's a mining effort (but not without some reward). ...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Rachel Seigel rated it liked it

I read this because it's come so highly recommended. I did ultimately enjoy it, but it isn't one of my "must-read" titles. I found it a bit slow to get started, and while I did eventually get engaged, I just didn't feel like it was a page-turner. The time period is murky, but from references to "Moving Pictures" "Motorcars" and Freud would probably place this at the beginning of the 20th century. (The narrator does indicate that it's the 20th century)

The book is well-written, but lacks characte ...more

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Jun 30, 2014 Ariel rated it really liked it

Shelves: mg, fantasy

Original and remarkable. I tried to read this book at least a year ago and didn't like it. But I kept hearing other people talk about what a good book it was so I decided to give it another try. It's almost humbling to discover what an important role mood plays in whether or not I like certain books. This one has a strong flavor, like Camemberrt and red wine. ...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Sarah Abercrombie rated it really liked it

I couldn't get into the book, which a friend highly recommended. So I listened to the audio, which I highly enjoyed. Briony was not a likable charachter in text, but the reader brought her to life beautifully. Witches, old ones, victorian romance, and psychological thriller. Doesn't get much better than that. ...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Shazzer rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, 2011-ya

Three and a half stars.

I started out not knowing how I really felt about this book. Then I moved into disliking it, finding the style too staccato for my taste. But by the end, I was quite on its side, relishing in the story, if not the language. I had been taken over by Briony as a character, and by Rose, too, who warrants her own book. I rather wondered what the inside of her mind sounded like, in comparison to Briony's. I do confess to being slightly disappointed as a whole, but only because ...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Caroline Rose added it

Haunting, gorgeous, brave, amazing, amazing, amazing.

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Apr 23, 2011 Dana Duffy Backs rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Plot did n't seem to go anywhere for much of the middle of the book, I got bored. ...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Kim rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, historical, teen-ya

This book got rave reviews - but it was not my cup of tea. I think it's because historical fiction and fantasy combined (the same reason I don't like steampunk too) ...more

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May 04, 2011 Kim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, young-adult-fiction, fiction

Beautiful, mesmerizing, eerie... Franny Billingsley has such a gift for the way she puts words together. Truly an art form, and of course, a great story.

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