Review: The Mysterious Madam Morpho
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 4, 2012
I was happy that I had the chance to visit Sangland again. The uniqueness of this series is an enormous draw for me. It is not every day that you get to read about bludbunnies, blubmen, pinky's, and the magic that is Criminy Stain's Clockwork Carnival. I was even more pleased by the fact that this little novella takes places entirely within the caravan. The members of Criminy's caravan are such an interesting lot.Criminy's carnival is growing again, this time with a mysterious lady who has a trunk full of performing butterflies. Imogen Morpho also has a past full of secrets that she is running from. She believes that the traveling carnival will not only make a perfect hiding place, but with it leaving soon she will escape her would be captors even quicker.I think Murdoch was as big of a mystery as Imogen. He has been tasked with building the set for Madam Morpho's performing butterflies. This will require him to do something he has never done before, work with someone. Murdoch is the caravan recluse. He is such a recluse that no one even knows what he looks like. The other members of the caravan know his handwriting by the motes he gives them regarding their clockworks.Imogen and Murdoch have some bluntly dry banter that keeps a smile on the readers face. Imogen sees the world as a specimen to be observed. Her scholarly mind allows her to ignore the often stiff propriety ways from the London in which she was raised. Murdoch looks at the world in the same manner that she does and it allows for them to have some interesting conversations.I loved the scene where Murdoch is walking Imogen around the carnival. During her time in London she had never had the opportunity to experience the circus. Murdoch wanted to spend more time with her and what better way than to introduce her to the goings on around her new life. It was very sweet and readers were given a detailed glimpse into some of the acts of the circus.