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grav_ityThis is the book that rounds out THE AGENCY series. As much as I wish I could read books about Mary Lang FOREVER, it did end beautifully, and I adored the whole series so...yes.
OH, MARY LANG! She's pretty much the Victorian version of Olivia Dunham. Helen Magnus at age 20. (Have I mentioned lately that I want Helen and Mary fanfiction? BECAUSE I KIND OF DO.)
Anyway, this book got off to an incredibly good start with me by featuring Queen Victoria absolutely front and centre. We spent WAY more time with the royal family than I was expecting, and getting to see them all interact with each other, with the staff, and with other at large was JUST FANTASTIC. I love Queen Victoria SO MUCH, and this book did not disappoint.
We also got to see the tied off ends of the issues between Anne and Felicity that started to surface last book. I'll admit to being INCREDIBLY TORN between them because...well, largely because they're both right, but also because I have this weird and automatic distrust of anyone named "Felicity" (Thank you Road to Avonlea!). I do love that they sort of managed to part ways amicably? Kind of? WHY IS THERE NO KISSING?
BECAUSE, my friends, BECAUSE all the kissing took place between Mary and James. James really wasn't in this book very much, which was kind of neat because Mary had quite a bit to deal with, but he was in her thoughts a great deal, and I felt that to be very realistic, given the general upheaval in Mary's life. BUT OMG, THEY ARE ADORABLE.
(Okay, so there was also a truly uncomfortable kissing scene between Mary and THE PRINCE OF WALES that manages to be awful, ridiculous, heart-breaking, and an insightful analysis of all the ways in which Victorian social interactions were the worst EVER. There are about ten jokes I kind of want to make at this point, but I think the scene is better read unspoiled.)
ANYWAY: the facts are these. Mary has come to work at Buckingham Palace to solve some petty thefts. Technically, it's "beneath" her as an agent, but at the same time it's BUCKINGHAM PALACE, so she's there because she can be trusted to be discreet. In the course of her investigation, Mary discovers something entirely more dangerous than petty thievery, and works alongside James to save the day. Because her life is not busy enough, Anne and Fee are fighting, making it hard for her to get information from either of them, and a Lascar with the same name as Mary's father is about to be executed for murder.
I spent a goodly portion of the book wringing my hands (well, wringing the BOOK, as it was IN MY HANDS), and thinking "OH, MARY LANG! HOW ARE YOU SO AWESOME?" Because, seriously. AWESOME. There are SO MANY PUNCHES in this, and she just ROLLS WITH THEM and then has a HEART TO HEART WITH QUEEN VICTORIA and WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN ALL MY LIFE?
It could be said, by a person with no heart, that the ending is too neat, but clearly I do not care. I am an unabashed fan of happy endings, and this book has one. And Mary earned it. I loved it, obviously, and I also loved that it was kind of open (after book one, I was all "I hope she never marries James!" and after book two I was all "OH, GOD, I...AM CONFLICTED!" and this time I was all "Maybe they will find a TIME PORTAL and come to the FUTURE where James can be a stay at home dad and Mary can work for CSIS!").
Basically, I just loved that it wasn't end of mystery, end of book. Lee took the time to tie it all up, which is a brave initiative, and one I really appreciated. The characters were so amazingly done that I was glad to see such attention paid to all of them. Plus, it let me wring the book in my hands and yell "MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY!" a lot.
So 10/10 for a fantastic end to a fantastic series, about a fantastic heroine and her fantastic (though unlikely) job. And for giving me the opportunity to fangirl Queen Victoria. We are that kind of people.
OH, MARY LANG! She's pretty much the Victorian version of Olivia Dunham. Helen Magnus at age 20. (Have I mentioned lately that I want Helen and Mary fanfiction? BECAUSE I KIND OF DO.)
Anyway, this book got off to an incredibly good start with me by featuring Queen Victoria absolutely front and centre. We spent WAY more time with the royal family than I was expecting, and getting to see them all interact with each other, with the staff, and with other at large was JUST FANTASTIC. I love Queen Victoria SO MUCH, and this book did not disappoint.
We also got to see the tied off ends of the issues between Anne and Felicity that started to surface last book. I'll admit to being INCREDIBLY TORN between them because...well, largely because they're both right, but also because I have this weird and automatic distrust of anyone named "Felicity" (Thank you Road to Avonlea!). I do love that they sort of managed to part ways amicably? Kind of? WHY IS THERE NO KISSING?
BECAUSE, my friends, BECAUSE all the kissing took place between Mary and James. James really wasn't in this book very much, which was kind of neat because Mary had quite a bit to deal with, but he was in her thoughts a great deal, and I felt that to be very realistic, given the general upheaval in Mary's life. BUT OMG, THEY ARE ADORABLE.
(Okay, so there was also a truly uncomfortable kissing scene between Mary and THE PRINCE OF WALES that manages to be awful, ridiculous, heart-breaking, and an insightful analysis of all the ways in which Victorian social interactions were the worst EVER. There are about ten jokes I kind of want to make at this point, but I think the scene is better read unspoiled.)
ANYWAY: the facts are these. Mary has come to work at Buckingham Palace to solve some petty thefts. Technically, it's "beneath" her as an agent, but at the same time it's BUCKINGHAM PALACE, so she's there because she can be trusted to be discreet. In the course of her investigation, Mary discovers something entirely more dangerous than petty thievery, and works alongside James to save the day. Because her life is not busy enough, Anne and Fee are fighting, making it hard for her to get information from either of them, and a Lascar with the same name as Mary's father is about to be executed for murder.
I spent a goodly portion of the book wringing my hands (well, wringing the BOOK, as it was IN MY HANDS), and thinking "OH, MARY LANG! HOW ARE YOU SO AWESOME?" Because, seriously. AWESOME. There are SO MANY PUNCHES in this, and she just ROLLS WITH THEM and then has a HEART TO HEART WITH QUEEN VICTORIA and WHERE HAS THIS BOOK BEEN ALL MY LIFE?
It could be said, by a person with no heart, that the ending is too neat, but clearly I do not care. I am an unabashed fan of happy endings, and this book has one. And Mary earned it. I loved it, obviously, and I also loved that it was kind of open (after book one, I was all "I hope she never marries James!" and after book two I was all "OH, GOD, I...AM CONFLICTED!" and this time I was all "Maybe they will find a TIME PORTAL and come to the FUTURE where James can be a stay at home dad and Mary can work for CSIS!").
Basically, I just loved that it wasn't end of mystery, end of book. Lee took the time to tie it all up, which is a brave initiative, and one I really appreciated. The characters were so amazingly done that I was glad to see such attention paid to all of them. Plus, it let me wring the book in my hands and yell "MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY!" a lot.
So 10/10 for a fantastic end to a fantastic series, about a fantastic heroine and her fantastic (though unlikely) job. And for giving me the opportunity to fangirl Queen Victoria. We are that kind of people.
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Date: 2012-03-01 01:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-01 01:54 pm (UTC)