Laura Lemay reviewed The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 1) by Philip Pullman (Sally Lockhart (1))
Review of 'The Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 1)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I went completely berserk for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, so I definitely wanted to read the Sally Lockhart books as well. Ruby in the Smoke is the first in the series. It takes place in Victorian London, when Sally is a 16-year-old orphan and in danger.
Pullman is uncommonly good at compelling scene-building. The historical setting feels exceptionally well drawn and realistic, both in the places and the situations. The characters are full, complex and interesting; the heroes are heroic, the villains are scary, and even the most minor characters are rich and interesting.
Plot-wise it is a complex, interesting and surprisingly advanced tale for a YA novel (opium addiction plays a central role). The mystery/thriller pacing is well-done -- it starts with a bang and builds to a tense but satisfying conclusion.
I have one gripe: Sally Lockhart herself, who is described as blonde and pretty, who …
I went completely berserk for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, so I definitely wanted to read the Sally Lockhart books as well. Ruby in the Smoke is the first in the series. It takes place in Victorian London, when Sally is a 16-year-old orphan and in danger.
Pullman is uncommonly good at compelling scene-building. The historical setting feels exceptionally well drawn and realistic, both in the places and the situations. The characters are full, complex and interesting; the heroes are heroic, the villains are scary, and even the most minor characters are rich and interesting.
Plot-wise it is a complex, interesting and surprisingly advanced tale for a YA novel (opium addiction plays a central role). The mystery/thriller pacing is well-done -- it starts with a bang and builds to a tense but satisfying conclusion.
I have one gripe: Sally Lockhart herself, who is described as blonde and pretty, who is smart and brave and kind and can shoot a gun, and whose resourcefulness drives the book. She just feels too perfect and much too modern a character for the setting. I appreciate a strong female character, but it feels uncomfortably forced here, and it is the one wrong note in what is otherwise a very well-written book. (I will note that Pullman makes her a much, much more nuanced character in the later books in the series -- it's just this book that has the fault.)
