Review: Brilliantly Written But Confusing
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 24, 2013
The wordsmithing is incredible, and for me, at least, madness and amnesia (the two seem one in this case) are always a draw. I also enjoy reading stories set in the Victorian era. However, Mary's inner processing is inconsistent; the first time it became uneducated and ungrammatical it jerked me out of my reader's dream. Fortunately the writing, the drama, and Mary's madness grabbed me so effectively that I gobbled the rest of the story in great gulps. In fact I read so fast I couldn't follow the plot and had to read it again. But now I still have questions.Spoiler Alert(1) Why does Matthew Magnusson want Colin to kill Alex? (2) Alex was Mary's guardian, which implies both money and upper class. How would a wealthy girl from the upper class get to know -- much less fall in love with - this thug from the criminal class? (3) Why would Colin risk using Mary as a distraction? So savvy a thug must have known his former victim was the Superintendent and had at least a 50/50 chance of being there. (4) Alex was Mary's "favorite cousin;" was that a euphemism for fiancé? Were Alex and Colin rivals for Mary's affections? And (5) while the ending seemed almost pregnant with emotion, what, after all, did it add? The story of how Mary lost her mind had already been revealed.End Spoiler AlertPerhaps my confusion is simply my confusion, and all the questions I ask are perfectly well explained. The late great Marion Zimmer Bradley said the point of any story is a satisfying reading experience. By that standard this story should get 5 stars -- mostly. The ending let me down. For that reason I give it 4 stars.I received this book for free in exchange for an unbiased review.If Ms. Weiland wishes to write another story in this setting, or if she expands this into a full blown novel, I will definitely pay to read it.