Disenchanted & Co.

I'm on the fence about saying I liked this book. Truly, there were a lot of things I liked. The worldbuilding, the protagonist, the plot...

And then there was the romance.

It's pretty extraordinary for me to a read a book and say, "I wish there hadn't been any sex." I'm usually totally on the side of explicit romance and sexual content, because a lot of times when reviewers criticize the sexual/romantic content of a book, they are actually talking about its (perceived) femininity. And I am not here for that.

But man, did Viehl really mess up with the romance. The first encounter between Kit and Dredmore read more like an assault. Viehl describes him making a "noose" out of Kit's necklace to force a kiss-- which she then gives into with show more absolutely zero reasoning. I love me some romance genre tropes (forced kisses! antiheros redeemed by love!), but there was literally not enough text on the page to make that kiss at all romantic for me, as a reader.

And so I carried a really bitter, confused feeling forward into the book. In a lesser novel, with a dull plot or poorly characterized heroine, I would have tossed the book aside. Sure, Kit's revealed power was a bit obvious, and the whole Anarath.. Amaranth? (wait, isn't that a grain?) whatever thing was out of left field, but the story zipped along and I liked that Kit was self-sufficient and smart ON THE PAGE and IN THE PLOT. Viehl, unlike a lot of paranormal or urban fantasy authors, did not just tell me her heroine was capable and kick-ass, she proved it too.

Well, as long as Kit was not interacting with Dredmore-- when she inexplicably just loved him. With no decent reason for that love because Viehl absolutely failed to capture the rest of the trope! The passionate, unreasonable attraction between characters, or the sense of the deep pain and loneliness for the otherwise horrible antihero, that makes a redemptive love story worth reading. Instead, Dredmore just comes across as an asshole who wants to destroy the thing he supposedly loves most (and I am very consciously using the word "thing" here, because it really does come across on that level).

AND THEN.. [spoiler alert].. the whole relationship gets retconned! A total reset and a blank slate and I just give up. I'm not likely to read any more of this series, and that is a shame. Because not all of it was bad. But I expect a hell of a lot better. show less

Entertaining steampunk romp, with a lady detective who nullifies magic through sheer disbelief -- that's how it starts out, anyhow, before delving into a complex fantasy with magnificent plot twists and turns. Love her strong and stubborn character, not entirely swayed by the romance, and I did not see a bunch of the plot twists coming, although I'm not entirely sure that it's reasonable to write yourself into such a corner that only time travel can get you out. I'll accept that once, but I hope that future installations rely more on the redoubtable main character's quick wits and reflexes. Looking forward to them!

The writing was engaging and I love the idea of the world, but the romance utterly disgusted me (They make Edward and Bella look like a healthy, non-abusive relationship), the main character had a terrible case of "I'm not like other girls", and there was a scene involving brownface that tried to acknowledge how problematic the whole thing was by indicating the aspects of Native dress that she didn't put on out of respect for Native culture, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. The closer we got to the end, the more ridiculous the plot got. Deeply, deeply disappointed because it started out as such fun.

In a steampunk world in which the United States lost the Revolutionary War and people believe in the evil power of magic, Kit stands out.

She is an independent woman, a rarity, who makes her own living. She is more feisty and more spunky than any standard romance heroine, with quick wits, a sharp tongue and a network of friends. She doesn't believe in magic. Kit actually makes her living as an investigator disproving the existence of magic and proving the existence of charlatans and quacks.

But in accepting the case of Lady Diana Walsh, a noblewoman suffering unexplained cruel words carved onto her at night, our intrepid heroine may well have gone too far. Her client's powerful husband is dead-set against the investigation. So is Lucien show more Dredmore, another powerful man who may present a very personal challenge to Kit. Lucien is wicked and urbane, the complete opposite of Kit's childhood pal, Inspector Tommy Doyle. So it's easy to predict who Kit is drawn to, even as she fights him off.

This is the set-up of the full-length novel of Lynn Viehl's story, which sets up the beginning of a gloriously realized steampunk world in which magic and the Industrial Revolution collide in what is now the western United States. Disenchanted & Co. also sets up Kit's own journey from a female adventurer to a deeper, more feeling character with a backstory she is just discovering for herself as the narrative unfolds.

The only problem with the novel is that Viehl apparently wrote herself into a corner with the plot machinations and pulls a twist near the end that didn't have the same swashbuckling, clever tone as the rest of the novel in which Kit is the mistress of her own destiny and rescues herself. Once that point is passed, however, Viehl sets things up for a series that can appeal to steampunk, mystery and romance fans. It's certainly a series that deserves a look at the second novel, The Clockwork Wolf. show less

This tells the story of professional investigator and magical skeptic, Charmien "Kit" Kitteridge in an Alternative Universe version of America, with steam punk elements. Kit is an unbeliever when it comes to magic, though everyone around her seems rather certain that it exists. She takes a case that takes her way over her head, and shakes the very foundations of this disbelief.

What did I think of this book? A charming and enjoyable read, despite intermittent frustration with its heroine, and the fact that I found the universe and its political history & steampunk aspects to be unconvincing.

The charm: Kit's profession as a disenchanter was intriguing, I enjoyed the Victorian elements, and the supporting cast was an eccentric and fun show more lot. Kit had tight friendships such as with the goofy inventor Docket, and the brothel Madam Rina. The romance was steamy, though I disapproved a little at times.

The downside: Kit was stubborn & foolish when it came to magic, and when it came to her romance with deathmage Lucien. She fell too quickly for him, for no apparent reason, when she thought he was a total scroundrel. And some of their romance scenes were a bit questionable morally & rationally speaking. The details of the world were also very unconvincing, perhsod because they weren't explained well enough, and I forgot the names of everything all the time. Some of the steampunk inventions seemed lazy or incredible.

Saving grace: I felt that Kit redeemed herself at the end of the book (really and truly, she sort of gets a do-over of sorts), and so I forgive her completely for her momentary foolishness, and look forward to reading the sequelmat some point. show less

Received this in a book giveaway. Love the steampunk qualities to it. This involves a lady detective of sorts in a North America where the US did not win the war against England. Was 2/3 of the way through the book before I stumbled upon the glossary in the back of the odd slang that they sometimes use. By that point I had already figured out most of the terms as they were used in context.

Plot: It has a lady detective in a Victorian era where England still controls North America. In this steampunk type world both magic and science exist. Kit the heroin of the story is in the business of dismissing so called ghosts and spirits and other things that go bump in the night. She takes on a wealthy client at the beginning of the story who is show more being visited at night by a poltergeist. This sets our story in motion as the rich and famous should not be subjected to things of this sort. Thus begins a wild ride in a Victorian era that never was. Was a very good read although some of the language was hard to get used to at first. Look forward to seeing the other books in the series. show less

Very strong beginning to this series! Like Kit a lot -- she has a lot to learn, but she doesn't whine, gets around a lot, listens, learns. Interesting side characters. Hope she get to learn more about her family and abilities soon.