Janette loves science and is desperate to learn but she must keep her passion secret from her strict father who considers it a socially dangerous and unrespectable pastime for his daughter. When she becomes linked to the illuminists, a secretive society who value learning, equality and freedom, everything her father despises, he takes drastic action and she is forced to seek sanctuary within the illuminists order.
Janette is a likeable feisty heroine who takes no nonsense and will not be intimidated even when she is well out of her depth.
I had several problems with this book.
Firstly, the heroine loves science, the illuminist order is all about science. She reads scientific publications and studies hard. But, there is very little science, science fiction or science fantasy in this book, what there is you could write on the back of a postage stamp. Janette studies hard, we are lead to believe that the bulk of her course is science but, all we hear about is Asian Fighting techniques. I fear that the author does not like science very much, either that or she thinks her readers won't like it.
Also, I don't really get the romance aspect of the book, Darius is handsome, so we are told often, but, for the first 60% of the book, he is not particularly nice to the heroine or supportive of her, he pretty grumpy and annoyed with her, for no reason other than she exists and he finds her 'mesmerising' . Why she sticks with him I do not know. I guess she just feels it in her 'passage'.
There is a lot of the 'hero just can't control himself in the presence of a woman he fancies' stuff going on, one of my least favourite romantic fiction clichés. A normal man might turn a bit red, sign deeply or give a lingering look, Darius pushes her up against the wall and kisses her passionately, despite the fact that he really really does not want to do this, and it makes him very grumpy again...
The pacing of the book seemed a bit off to me. Especially in the early chapters, it rushes at the hurdles. Someone has a challenge to overcome...next paragraph....everyone is congratulation them for overcoming said challenge etc, It happens quite a bit. I didn't feel that the story flowed, there was not build up of tension or intrigue. The writing in the more 'passionate' parts of the story seemed clunky, with many oft-repeated phrases and frequent references to the heroine’s 'passage' which made me unsure of whether to cringe or laugh.
I could go on but I think I have said enough. this book really dragged for me.
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giki
a great feisty heroine but I never really got into the story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 November 2016Verified Purchase
George Phillips
An extraordinary experience!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 June 2016Verified Purchase
Giddyup
Good read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 April 2014Verified Purchase
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Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2014Verified Purchase
Nicole Laverdure
Fascinating!
Reviewed in Canada on 23 November 2012Verified Purchase