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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Heartless City in Books

Jun 24, 2019

Read my original review: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/book-review-the-heartless-city/

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return of my honest opinion.

The Heartless City is based on the infamous story of Jekyll & Hyde, with a wonderful new plot.

London is infested with Hydes thanks to Dr Henry Jekyll. Jekyll is also responsible for Iris; an American girl with a unique talent.

Buckingham palace is home to the Lord Mayor, as well as his son Cam and the doctor and his own son, Elliott Morrissey. Elliott also has a strange gift, but not one he was born with. After taking a serum intended to remove his empathy, Elliott found that it did quite the opposite. Instead, he became an empath - able to feel the emotions of those around him as if they were his own.

The characters in this old-fashioned story are all very different, including the strong, independent female figure of 15-year-old Philomena Blackwell. She refuses to fit in with the typical norms of her time, which I really liked.

Elliott's new empathy is also used to confront the negative opinions on homosexuality when he feels his friends love for each other and realises that it is no different to the love he himself would feel for a girl. I absolutely loved this little sub-plot.

The book is written to sound like it was written in the 1900s, when it was set. However, I found the story a little slow at times, and then far too fast toward the end. Everything just kind of happened all at once. That being said, the conclusion was very clever and interesting.

It was definitely an interesting read. I tend to just read more modern novels, so this was a refreshing change. But there are definitely a few things that could be changed, so I'm going to give 3.5 stars to The Heartless City.

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ClareR (5620 KP) rated Stepsister in Books

Sep 29, 2020

Stepsister

Jennifer Donnelly | 2019 | Young Adult (YA)

8.0

(6 Ratings)

Book Rating

The story, with a feminist slant, of the ugly sisters that Cinderella left behind.

I do like a good fairytale, and I seem to be enjoying fairytale retellings quite a bit when I come across them. Stepsister is a great example of a retelling - told from the other side.

Isabelle and Tavi are the ugly sisters, left behind with their unhinged mother, after Cinderella has left with her Prince. The ‘ugly’ sisters actions aren’t excused, in fact they are left to live and struggle with the consequences of their actions. Isabelle has a permanent limp where she sliced off her toes in the hope that she would be able to fit in to the glass slipper. All on the instructions of her mother. Isabelle is a strong character who feels hemmed in by her mother and the restrictions that society has thrust upon her. Her worth is dictated by her looks - something which she falls short on, as does her sister. Instead of the soft mannered, beautiful, obedient girls that society wants, the sisters are clever, resourceful and regrettably ugly. Maman tries to marry them off to the Prince in any way that she can - even making them mutilate themselves. When Cinderella leaves to marry her Prince and the locals discover how she was treated, Isabelle, Tavi and Maman are both ostracised and vilified. Isabelle truly regrets the way that she treated Cinderella, but doesn’t know how she can put right what she did. However, both Fate and Chance have now got an influence over her life, a vested interest, and they have opposing opinions on how Isabelle’s life should play out.

I thought this feminist slant on the after-story of Cinderella was really engaging. I loved it, and if I had a daughter I’d be passing it on to her to read next!

Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book.