Creatures of Will and Temper

audio cd, 1 pages

Published Jan. 15, 2018 by Recorded Books, Inc. and Blackstone Publishing.

ISBN:: 978-1-6644-6172-7

(2 reviews)

"A Victorian urban fantasy featuring duelists, demons, and the dark arts, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray. Victorian London is a place of fluid social roles, vibrant arts culture, fin-de-siecle wonders. and dangerous underground diabolic cults. Fencer Evadne Gray cares for none of the former and knows nothing of the latter when she's sent to London to chaperone her younger sister, aspiring art critic Dorina. Unfortunately for Evadne, she soon learns too much about all of it when Dorina meets their uncle's friend, Lady Henrietta "Henry" Wotton. A semi-respectable aristocrat in public, in private she is secretly in the thrall of a demon obsessed with beauty and pleasure.When Lady Henry and Dorina immediately hit it off, Evadne abandons her chaperone duties and enrolls in a fencing school. There, she meets the fencing master she's always dreamed of. But soon, George reveals he is more than just a teacher. He …

"A Victorian urban fantasy featuring duelists, demons, and the dark arts, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray. Victorian London is a place of fluid social roles, vibrant arts culture, fin-de-siecle wonders. and dangerous underground diabolic cults. Fencer Evadne Gray cares for none of the former and knows nothing of the latter when she's sent to London to chaperone her younger sister, aspiring art critic Dorina. Unfortunately for Evadne, she soon learns too much about all of it when Dorina meets their uncle's friend, Lady Henrietta "Henry" Wotton. A semi-respectable aristocrat in public, in private she is secretly in the thrall of a demon obsessed with beauty and pleasure.When Lady Henry and Dorina immediately hit it off, Evadne abandons her chaperone duties and enrolls in a fencing school. There, she meets the fencing master she's always dreamed of. But soon, George reveals he is more than just a teacher. He has dedicated himself to eradicating demons and their servants, and he needs Evadne's help. As Evadne gets pulled further into this hidden world, she begins to suspect that Lady Henry might actually be a diabolist. Even worse, she believes Dorina may have joined her. Combining swordplay, demons, and high society, Creatures of Will and Temper shows a timeless world and adventure readers won't soon forget"--

3 editions

the_lirazel reviewed Creatures of will and temper by Molly Tanzer

Review of 'Creatures of will and temper' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

2.5 stars?

I'm really unsure of how many stars to give this book. It should be a no-brainer for me to love it: late-Victorian setting, a naturalistic approach to fantasy, sisters, art, fencing. It's well-written and the author has a gift for characters. Evadne and Dorina are two sisters who are opposites in most ways, and their interactions prove it. They constantly clash and misunderstand each others' intentions--but then they'll have a moment of true connection, only to lose it again. This relationship was well drawn: readers could understand both sisters' perspectives and I, at least, had sympathy for both of them, even when they were wrong (which was often--they could be very frustrating people, but in a realistic way). The fantasy elements were unique and contained some nice twists. And the cover is lovely.

And yet...I didn't really like it? And I can't put my finger on why. I …

2.5 stars?

I'm really unsure of how many stars to give this book. It should be a no-brainer for me to love it: late-Victorian setting, a naturalistic approach to fantasy, sisters, art, fencing. It's well-written and the author has a gift for characters. Evadne and Dorina are two sisters who are opposites in most ways, and their interactions prove it. They constantly clash and misunderstand each others' intentions--but then they'll have a moment of true connection, only to lose it again. This relationship was well drawn: readers could understand both sisters' perspectives and I, at least, had sympathy for both of them, even when they were wrong (which was often--they could be very frustrating people, but in a realistic way). The fantasy elements were unique and contained some nice twists. And the cover is lovely.

And yet...I didn't really like it? And I can't put my finger on why. I keep going back to it in my mind, trying to figure out why it didn't work for me, but I come up empty handed. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from reading it--I'm sure many people will love it and it's a quick read. I'm just frustrated that I can't figure out why I didn't love it!

alien_sunset

rated it

Jan. 27, 2018