I really just want to get to the amazon summary so I can tell you it's kind of wrong.
An amazon summary, "Jane Austen meets X-Men in this thrilling Victorian adventure full of magic and mysticism, perfect for anyone who loves a confident, rebellious heroine, snappy dialogue, and a hint of romance.
England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they're not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true―and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared.
Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, These Vicious Masks is an action-packed, genre-bending novel by debut authors Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
Jane Austen meets X-men? Really? I can see Jane Austen if you're going for the Victorian era, and I can see if you're going with X-men if you mean people with powers... but Jane Austen themes are wildly different from These Vicious Masks and X-men has a lot more going on in the sense of mutants not being able to blend in with the general populace. None of the characters in this series have any issues in blending in.
....so anyways.....
Evelyn and Rose attend a ball, where they converse with the dashing Mr. Kent. They are called away to see a patient (both sisters are healers; well Rose is, Evelyn just kind of helps out). They see the patient and bump into Sebastian Braddock who is seeking their help. He believes they have healing powers. The sisters laugh him off, but there's also a strange man at the ball, kind of creeping about. The next morning, Rose is gone with a note about running away left in her stead. Evelyn knows it's rubbish, but her parents are not having anything to do with finding Rose for they'll be ruined if it gets out. So Evelyn sets off to find Rose and seeks the help of Mr. Kent. Sebastian is still seeking the healing powers of the sisters, and joins the quest to find Rose after Evelyn sees one patient for him.
And that's enough summary.
So what's brilliant about this book is Evelyn is not immediately swept into the dazzle of maybe powers DO exist, and falling in love with the nearest attractive gentlemen; she wants to find her sister. She's convinced Rose was kidnapped and she will stop at nothing to rescue her. Evelyn's kind of a badass in her own right. She will not give up, despite many, many setbacks she faces.
The plot and pacing unfolded very well, so there wasn't a moment I was impatiently waiting for the next thing to happen. The book is also filled with a great cast of characters that deliver on plenty of snark, banter, throwing the societal normal out the window (a particularly unapologetic Mr. Kent and brothels), and well, powers.
It's not X-men or Jane Austen, but it's still pretty great.
Happy reading!
....so anyways.....
Evelyn and Rose attend a ball, where they converse with the dashing Mr. Kent. They are called away to see a patient (both sisters are healers; well Rose is, Evelyn just kind of helps out). They see the patient and bump into Sebastian Braddock who is seeking their help. He believes they have healing powers. The sisters laugh him off, but there's also a strange man at the ball, kind of creeping about. The next morning, Rose is gone with a note about running away left in her stead. Evelyn knows it's rubbish, but her parents are not having anything to do with finding Rose for they'll be ruined if it gets out. So Evelyn sets off to find Rose and seeks the help of Mr. Kent. Sebastian is still seeking the healing powers of the sisters, and joins the quest to find Rose after Evelyn sees one patient for him.
And that's enough summary.
So what's brilliant about this book is Evelyn is not immediately swept into the dazzle of maybe powers DO exist, and falling in love with the nearest attractive gentlemen; she wants to find her sister. She's convinced Rose was kidnapped and she will stop at nothing to rescue her. Evelyn's kind of a badass in her own right. She will not give up, despite many, many setbacks she faces.
The plot and pacing unfolded very well, so there wasn't a moment I was impatiently waiting for the next thing to happen. The book is also filled with a great cast of characters that deliver on plenty of snark, banter, throwing the societal normal out the window (a particularly unapologetic Mr. Kent and brothels), and well, powers.
It's not X-men or Jane Austen, but it's still pretty great.
Happy reading!
