I liked it, right up to the end that kind of...ended? IMO, although I can accept the ending, it felt too much like a novella that should be a full book. There is a lot of story left to be told. ( )

Set in an alternate Victorian England, one full of magic and mages, this book examines a woman's relationship with her family. Charlotte Gunn is a talented mage who is hiding from the system that would take her from her family. When her father gets mired in debt and misattributes her talent to her brother, she must help her brother to pass the test the mages put before him. It was an interesting book, but it felt unfinished, with some plotlines left unresolved. Additionally, some of the decisions the characters make seem unreasonable in-story. However, Hopkins was a very interesting character and is the reason that I plan to read the sequel. All in all, it was a fine read to pass the time, but I wouldn't make time for it. ( )

Oh, it's quite all right. ( )

A few years ago I would have been startled to think that there was such a thing as Historical Urban Fantasy, but yeah, it's a thing now.

And now that we've got cotton gins and the Royal Society deeply involved in the magic business, with all sorts of fear and corruption and intrigue, I shouldn't really be surprised. So the question is: is this good?

I think it's quite fun, personally. It's a simple setup and Charlotte is a pretty cool character with a magical secret. And she deeply mistrusts the Society... for good reason, as it turns out. It's a simple story, a comedy of error and circumstance that becomes a cross between a heist and a romance.

Wait... simple?
Well, yeah, it's a short setup for a longer series, obviously. It's gonna require investment. Fortunately, it was fun and I don't have any problems with that. :)

Historical UF is fun!

( )

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Brother's Ruin was a wonderful short book and a great start to the Industrial Magic series, which kept myself asking only one thing: Where/When can I get the next one? and Is it going to be a full length book? (Okay, these are in fact multiple things but certainly show my enthusiasm).

It had everything in it to make it a very nice read for me. Set in a Victorian England with a Royal Society which enlists everyone with magical abilities, I knew from the start I was going to like it. The Gunns have fallen on some hard times, as a good price is paid for a talented mage, their worries seem to be over when their son Ben seems to develop magical abilities. He's eager to try out, but what he doesn't know is that he's not the mage, his sister is, and she's been hiding it for years.

I was surprised at how much story fitted in the limited amount of pages this book has. Still, I would have loved to see it as a full length novel. The scene was set nicely, and you can see Charlotte struggling between the desire to keep herself safe (and her life predictable) and helping her family. I'm extremely looking forward to the next novel. I would certainly recommend it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )