bland characters

A real disappointment. Admittedly, I might not have found Torn so thoroughly exasperating if I hadn’t read it while living through the first half of 2020. Rowenna Miller’s prose is competent, if never thrilling, and the core idea—a young dressmaker with magical abilities living in a city that bears a passing resemblance to late 18th-century Paris, trying to make a living despite her immigrant background and growing civic unrest—has lots of potential. That concept (plus the admittedly eye-catching cover design) was more than enough to make me pick up the book.

But if you’re going to write a fantasy novel that tries to tackle what it means to live within a system of inherited power, actually write that book. Don’t write a book whose thin veneer of progressivism hides an apparent sympathy for monarchism and a distaste for any attempt at revolutionary change.

True, Torn is set in a fictional world. There’s nothing to say that the class system there would work in the same way that it did in 18th century Europe. Miller establishes that the predominant religion bears no resemblance to Christianity, so there’s no reason that sexual mores should have to operate in the same way as Ancien Reegime France. But there’s nothing in what Miller writes that shows that she actually understands class, or poverty, or hunger, or oppression, or the intersections of gender with all of those things, then or now. Her aristocratic characters are all presented to us as interesting, caring, talented individuals who perhaps party a little too much—but can you blame them when running a large estate is such a stressful business! Meanwhile all the leaders of the pro-democracy movement are villains and/or idiots of the cardboard-cutout, moustache-twirling variety.

It’s 2020. Black and brown people are dying. The world’s burning. The rich are getting richer. Forgive me if right now I have little patience for a book whose message boils down to “Working-class revolt is very messy, isn’t it? Why not wait for the enlightened aristocrats to decide on some reform to introduce from above without surrendering any actual authority?” Ugh. ( )

Pros: complex protagonist, slow moving romance, political commentary

Cons:

Sophie Balstrade’s unique skill of sewing charms into garments has given her shop steady business, but she’s hoping to catch the eye of noble ladies. She’s overjoyed to receive a commission from Viola Snowmont as well as an invitation to the lady’s salon, both of which propel her into a higher class of clientele and a potential love affair. But her brother’s a leader in the Laborer’s League, and as tensions build among the disaffected lower classes, she finds herself torn between his goals and her own. When he disappears, she’s blackmailed into helping the League by doing something against her moral code - sew a cursed object.

I really enjoyed this book. While I wouldn’t say it’s cribbed from the French Revolution, the salons, the court fashions, the presence of guns and the social tensions did remind me of that period of history.

I loved Sophie, especially the fact that she actually works at her shop and when she takes time off she either has to make up the work later or rearrange the schedule so everything is done on time. I appreciated that she had goals and that she’d considered the consequences of marriage (her husband and his family would gain control of her shop) and decided it wasn’t for her.

The romance thread was slow paced, which I appreciated. The couple actually talked about the realities of their situation and acknowledged that due to their stations things could only go so far.

The magic - attaching charms via thread into garments - was very original. Sophie has to learn how to do curses and there's a physical cost to her for doing them.

There was just enough of the politics to keep things interesting without slowing the pacing. Through Sophie we see that the nobility have duties to perform and that their lives aren’t all given to leisure, while the workers have legitimate grievances.

This is a fun read and I’m looking forward to the sequel. ( )

I'm at a solid 3.5 stars on this one. There were many things I loved and some I didn't.

I loved the magic! The main character is a seamstress who can sew magical charms into the clothing she sews. To me this was a really original concept and the descriptions of it were enchanting. The author depicted them beautifully and I could picture each seam being sewn and the glowing, ethereal quality of the threads. I wanted more! What I didn't love was the political intrigue and uprising. But that's just me. It's not my bag and was really prevalent in the story. Another thing I loved - I was a bit wary this was a YA novel and it didn't come across that way at all.

Did I mention I won this book in a sweepstakes? And that it came with beautiful fabrics picked out by the author? And it also came with an equally beautiful cross stitch that one I day I will actually complete? Well it's all true! Really. How lucky am I?

And can we just linger on that cover for a minute? It was love at first sight for me. Those needles struck a cord with me immediately. And the ribbon threaded through - gorgeous! How about that dripping blood. Not too much to be gory, but enough to know there will most likely be violence. What about the shape the needles make? The symmetrical pattern looks like a crown or a castle doesn't it? The first second I saw it, it took my breathe away for a moment. It's more beautiful in person. The cover is very matte, but in the right light those needles look slightly metallic.

A huge thanks go out to Orbit books and the author for providing me with a free copy of this book (and a bunch of amazing goodies) in exchange for an honest review. ( )

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

I'm not really sure where to begin with this book. Overall, it was really good. The ideas and the history put into the story were extremely good. It started off a bit slow, so I wasn't sure if I'd actually get through it, but I stuck with it and made it to the end.
The main character was very strong-minded, which created a really strong female lead for this story. The little bit of magic and the romance on the side wrapped together nicely.
The problem I ran into a lot was the constant and repeated political debates, if you will, that constantly occurred throughout the book. I always felt that the characters were constantly repeating themselves, which got a little boring at times.
I'm not hugely disappointed with the book. It was very good, could do a little work on the repetition for sure. I can't wait to see how the series continues! ( )