Book Review - Gilded

Gilded
The St. Croix Chronicles #2
Karina Cooper

Published: January 2013

AVON, mass market pbk, 372p.
ISBN: 978-0-06-212766-2

In the gleaming heights of Victorian London, a world of deceptin awaits an uncovnentional Society lady whose taste for adventure makes her a most formidable adversary...

Though Society demands that I make a good marriage, I, Cherry St. Croix, have neither the time nor the interest.  Iam on the trail of a murder with no victim, a mystery with no motive, and the key to an alchemical formula that could be my family's legacy.

Yet the world is not so kind as to let me pursue simple murder and uncomplicated bounties.  Above the foggy drift, an earl insists on my attention, while my friends watch my increasingly desperate attempts to remain my own woman.  From the silken demands of the Midnight Menagerie - to whose dangerously seductive ringmaster I owe a debt - to the rigorous pressures of the peerage, all are conspiring to place before me a choice that will forever change my life.

I just don't think I can convey to you just how much I detested, disliked and or how much this book disappointed me.  So for that reason, be warned that there are no warm and fuzzy feelings in the below review ;-D

I picked this copy of Gilded up at a local booksale {see here} and I'm so grateful that I didn't pay more than $1 for this absolutely depressing book.  While the cover art depicts a suitably Victorian/paranormal - edging towards a slight Steampunk vibe - it does little to make up for this story.  Which was surprising given the suitably dark and mysterious atmosphere that the author was able to convey.   {note, that was my only positive point about Gilded!}

The characters were tolerable at best, and our main protagonist, Lady Cherry St. Croix, was nothing more than an adventure seeking drug addict who had a penchant for opium and laundenum to escape her worries.  Now I haven't read book one - and I have absolutely no desire to - but I think her drug use stems from something that occured during that book.  Nethertheless, I really dislike reading about characters who rely on drugs to get through their days.  Also, as an heiress, she is supposed to be at least competent in society, but I found her floundering in social situations to be just stupid.  She would have been brought up to cope with any verbal riposte.

Other characters that we are introduced to did nothing for me, and I couldn't feel any emotional connection, and therefore didn't give a sh*t about any of them.

The ending was just plain crappy.  After investing in the book, a reader likes to get an emotional payoff rather than the character falling totally from grace and doing a complete 180° in social standing and fortune (from what happens).  Why couldn't it have ended on a high note with the wedding, and have the sh*t hit the fan at the beginning of the next book?

WILL NOT BE READING ANY MORE OF THIS SERIES!

 

 

 (for cover art, and Victorian setting alone)

Until next time,

 

Top 5 Wednesday - Couples

Sorry that I'm a little late this week.  For some reason I chose to start reorganising my bookshelf yesterday.  So my bookshelves are still a wreak, I've got books piled up on random pieces of furniture and I won't be able to get things sorted out properly until I get a new big bookshelf.  I know.  Why did I do that? 

Now that that mini-rant is out of my system, it's on to this weeks Top 5.  This week I chose books from adult series.  So if you're after any YA recommendations - sorry!

 

 

 

 Meg Corbyn {aka cs759} & Simon Wolfguard

This is my favourite not-a-couple-at-the-moment couple.  Meg is different ... special.  Her blood a portal into the future, where a single cut on her skin can go for thousands of dollars.  After escaping the facility where her kind are held, she finds herself at a Courtyard.  Home of the Others.  A race of shapeshifting natives who control the land - and it's resources.  There she meets Simon, leader of the Courtyard, and a wolf-shifter. . .  and that's all I'm telling you about this amazing series ;-D

Their budding romance is definitely forbidden, but they are so good together, very sweet and almost innocent (on Meg's side), that watching them fall in love is a joy.

If you want to follow Meg and Simon's adventures, start with Written in Red by Anne Bishop.

 

 Stephanie Plum & Joe Morelli

I procrastinated over adding Steph & Morelli to the list, but this is one of my go-to series to read when I just want a fun bit of escapism so in the end I just had to include this on-again-off-again couple.  Stephanie is a bumbling bounty hunter who has a thing for Morelli, a Trenton cop.  They love, laugh, fight, break-up, lie for each other (and to each other), and are just a fun couple to read.

If you would like to catch up with Stephanie & Morelli (and Ranger) then start at the beginning with One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

. . . and don't watch the movie first!

 

 Elena Devereaux & Raphael

Of all my top 5 couples, this is one of the most 'out there'.  A mortal who falls in love with one of the most powerful beings on Earth - an Archangel.  Amazingly, he returns her feelings.  These two are now learning how to live, and love, in a world where Archangel's are the apex predator.

First book in the Guild Hunter series is Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh.

 

 Diana Bishop & Matthew Clairmont

I really have come to love Diana and Matthew.  They are all about the forbidden love, and breaking the rules to be with the one you love.  Funny, and heartbreaking at times, their story is amazing.

If you want to read Diana and Matthew's story, start with A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

 

Lt. Eve Dallas & Roarke

I think Eve and Roarke are my favourite couple because they are just amazing characters.  They both share shitty childhood's, and had built themselves a better life - until their worlds collided when Eve was investigating a homicide, and Roarke was her suspect.  Fierce loyalty, compassion, love, and a myriad of other qualities are words I would use to sum up this couple ;-D

If you want to start reading this massive series read: Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

So once again my lovelies, that's it for yet another week.  Hope you enjoyed my favourite book couples list.  I'd love to hear what you think of them.

 

And if you want to find out more about this series, it was created by the lovely Lainey at GINGERREADSLAINEY and I'll include a link to the Goodreads group {here} if you would also like to participate.

I will try to start uploading videos at some point in the future.  Ever time I've tried in the last few weeks, something had happened.  This week it's roadworks on my street!

Until next time,