The nitty-gritty: A delicious tale of manners, trysts, fencing and demons, although a little too heavy on the romance for my taste.

Creatures of Will & Temper is a retelling of Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Gray, a book I read before I started blogging and then promptly forgot about. (I'll admit I had to look up the summary on Wikipedia to jog my memory!) In Molly Tanzer's version, she's done some gender swapping to make this a much more interesting story. Dorian Gray is now Dorina Gray, a young, beautiful and flighty girl who enjoys the company of other women, who loves art and is determined to become an art critic. Her older sister Evadne is the proverbial spinster, a woman who loves the sport of fencing more than finding a future husband. One summer, the girls are invited to stay at their Uncle Basil's home in London. Dorina's goal is to observe and interview her uncle, who is an artist, but the real reason she wants to go to London is to have fun, meet new people and explore the city. Evadne is forced to go with her sister as a chaperone, but all she really wants to do is stay home and practice her fencing maneuvers.

Once in London, the girls meet the worldly and intimidating Lady Henrietta Wotton, or "Henry" as she calls herself, and Dorina is immediately smitten with the much older woman. Evadne, on the other hand, dislikes Lady Henry immediately, and suspects that her sister will try to seduce her. As Henry takes Dorina under her wing and begins to introduce her to her friends, Evadne discovers a fencing club in the neighborhood and boldly starts taking fencing lessons (not a normal activity for women at that time). As the girls drift further and further apart, both begin to notice odd characteristics about their new acquaintances. Dorina observes Henry's obsession with ginger: she smokes ginger infused cigarettes, sucks on ginger flavored candy, and even grows ginger in her garden. Meanwhile, Evadne notices the strange behavior of her uncle Basil, who is obsessed with a portrait of his dead lover Oliver. Evadne herself seems drawn to the painting, which seems to have a mesmerizing effect on whoever looks at it.

But soon enough, both girls are drawn into the secret world of demons, unbeknownst to each other. Dorina begs to join Henry's secret "aesthete club," where members explore their five senses in tantalizing ways, while Evadne meets a demon hunter at the fencing academy named George. They don't realize it, but both girls are on a collision course that is sure to end badly, and maybe even in death.

This is a tough story to summarize, because there isn't really a quick "elevator pitch" that I can use to describe it. Maybe that's one reason that I ended up with mixed feelings about this story. On one hand, I enjoyed the Jane Austen-esque story about manners, romance and family bonds, but I went into this thinking it was going to be much more focused on the speculative aspects than it was. Because of this, the first half of the story was extremely slow for me. By itself, it worked well as a story about the complex relationship between Dorina and Evadne and their introduction into the sophisticated world of Victorian London. But I kept waiting for something to happen, and although the author drops hints about the supernatural events to come—the world of diabolists (people who coexist with demons)—it wasn't until the last 20% of the story that the reader really gets to see the demons in action.

But I want to talk about what I really enjoyed. First of all, I loved the queer relationships, and I especially loved that Dorina is so open about her sexuality. For a girl of seventeen, it seemed very unusual, and even more so because of the strict and proper time period that the story takes place in. Romance lovers will really enjoy this book, because there is plenty of "shipping" going on. Dorina falls in love with Henry, a man named Jonas falls for Evadne, Evadne falls for George, and so on. It was quite entertaining, although not quite what I was expecting.

I also loved the fencing scenes! Evadne's passion is fencing (again, highly unusual for a woman at that time) and when she finds her tribe at the fencing club in London, I was so happy for her. Tanzer has clearly done lots of research on the subject and gives plenty of details about the sport, the equipment, and the sheer physical strength required to fence correctly.

The story's downfall, at least for me, was the supernatural element. To briefly sum up the relationship between humans and demons, in Tanzer's world, a demon's essence can be absorbed by humans by eating plants or other food that has been infused with the spirit of the demon. Confused yet? Well, I'm not surprised. If a human makes a deal with a demon to enter his or her body, the demon can provide wonderful benefits, like staying young forever (and that's where the similarities to The Picture of Dorian Gray come in) or giving someone superhuman strength. As long as the human keeps eating that particular substance, the demon can pass on those gifts. But as in all dealings with the devil, there is always a price to pay. It's a pretty cool concept, but unfortunately the demons involved were barely even characters in the story. A demon can only communicate with impressions or dreams, so you can't even talk to it directly.

But when the story hits about the 80% mark, I started flying through the rest of the pages. Tanzer's final showdown had several twists that I didn't see coming and she brought everything together beautifully. My only wish is that the pace had been consistent from the beginning, but I can't deny that Molly Tanzer is a talented writer, and I'm eager to read more of her work.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

The best way I can think of to describe this weird fantasy set in fin-de-siecle London one universe over is to compare it to Shostakovich's Eleventh Symphony, which blends classical and modern musical themes as it tells the story of the 1905 Revolution.

It starts with deceptive slowness, as Victorian novels do, sedate, with attention to late-Victorian detail, but with contemporary viewpoints skewing the Victoriana, and period language mixed with modern.

Here and there sharp thematic hints: the mention of demons, pooh poohed, of course, by modern thinkers. Unabashedly queer-friendly, at a time when there were life-destroying courtroom dramas on this very subject.

Central are two sisters, ten years apart, Dorina Gray and Evadne. Dorina is seventeen, pretty and socially savvy, and knows what she wants. Evadne is not pretty, socially awkward, disappointed at pretty much everything, except her fencing. At that, she's very, very good.

The girls do not get along, though deep down they do care for each other, and wonder how to communicate. This aspect kept me reading, painful as it was a times, but Tanzer is very deft at characterization, never letting even minor characters remain one note, or predictable.

I totally believed in the sisters' arc (I have a sister exactly four years younger, and all the time we had to share a room we fought like hyenas, but as soon as we got our own rooms, we got along great; our blend of tearing at each other and yet having each other's back matches the difficult emotional arc I read here), which is very important. Meanwhile the demonic theme is tantalizingly dangled before the reader.

Then, like the Shostakovich, the relatively quiet beginning slowly begins to intensify, until the bloody and thunderous rush of the climax.

Very engrossing, vivid, intense, a real page turner.

Molly Tanzer’s Creatures of Will and Temper is the kind of novel that looks up at you with a mischievous smirk. It is the story of two Victorian-era sisters, Dorina and Evadne Gray, who go to spend a summer in London with their Uncle Basil. Dorina, 17 years old and the younger of the two, wants to be an art critic and is eager to soak up the culture of the big city; Evadne, eleven years Dorina’s senior, is conscripted against her will and charged with keeping her sibling’s wilder impulses in check. Once in London, the two are introduced to Lady Henrietta Wotton (Henry for short), a wealthy dandy who takes an interest in mentoring Dorina, to Evadne’s consternation. Unbeknownst to the Gray sisters, Henry traffics with a demon, one that seems to have something to do with the untimely death of Henry’s beloved twin brother, who was also Basil’s lover.
The novel’s greatest strength is its depiction of the Gray sisters’ combative relationship, which overlies their zealous devotion to each other. Even motives born of affection and goodwill seem to turn into grounds for conflict between them. The raffish Lady Henry makes the perfect deciding agent for their mutual antagonism, as she, by her very nature, leans to encouraging the very behavior in Dorina that Evadne was sent along to quash. But as Evadne grows more exhausted in a battle she seems destined to lose, she begins to pursue her own interests, which spins their story in quite an unforeseen direction.
Without delving into anything too spoilery, let me say that the final act of Creatures of Will and Temper is not for the faint of heart. It took me a minute to reorient myself from the supernaturally tinged melodrama I had been reading to the Grand Guignol horror show that it became, so I am compelled to pass along a friendly warning. But if your tolerance for viscera is sturdy enough, at least know that the novel stays true to the heart at its core, and is buoyed throughout by Tanzer’s lucid and lustrous prose.

Victorian Era London is a wonder that's known for it's fluid social roles, vibrant arts scene, and underground diabolic cults. Evadne Gray, a fencer, isn't interested in those first two and doesn't know about the last, but she finds herself in the city against her wishes to act as a chaperone for her younger sister, Dorina, an aspiring art critic. After Dorina meets their uncle’s friend, Lady Henrietta “Henry” Wotton, an aristocrat and aesthete, Evadne enrolls in a fencing school where she meets George Cantrell, a top tier fencing master. George shows her more than she bargained for - a hidden world of demons and their servants. George has dedicated himself to fighting demons and diabolists, and he needs Evadne’s help. In fact, Lady Henry might actually be a diabolist - and worse yet, Evadne suspects Dorina have turned as well.

As soon as I realized that Molly Tanzer's newest novel, <i>Creatures of Will and Temper</i>, was inspired by <i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i> by Oscar Wilde, I knew I had to find a copy for myself. Luckily, I actually managed to get myself approved for an ARC on NetGalley. This is my first time trying Tanzer's work, but overall I was really impressed with the quality of it all. Although the story is slower paced than what I usually like and takes a little while to really get going, the writing is gorgeous. I really enjoyed getting to know our two flawed sisters, Evadne and Dorina, since they have such a close connection. Neither are completely likable, but I couldn't help but root for both of them. I loved the fencing and action in the story. I don't often see fencing in historical fantasy, so this was a lot of fun seeing Evadne get toe-to-toe with a master. I also was also good to see an f/f relationship take the spotlight - between Dorina and Lady Henry, especially as Dorina's one of the leading characters and setting - plus, there are other LGBTQ+ characters featured.

Overall, if you're looking for a refreshing new historical fantasy with a great cast, epic sword fights, and a realistic connection between sisters, then you absolutely need to try <i>Creatures of Will and Temper</i> by Molly Tanzer. Just be warned the first half of the book sets a slow pace as we are introduced to the characters and their world, but it's definitely worth sticking with it. Like Cat Winters, <i>The Dark Days Club</i> by Alison Goodman, and <i>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</i>, then you'll probably like this new release.

Creatures of Will and Temper is a book that will likely be divisive to many readers: it's a literary take on a beloved literature icon that can be hard to get into initially but rewarding if followed to the end. Using The Portrait of Dorian Gray as a starting point, author Tanzer gives us a feminist take on the subject that is intriguing and thought provoking. But this is a slow burn story that is allowed to grow and develop organically if you are willing to stick with it. Also reminiscent of Sense and Sensibility, this is a story about a grounded older sister and a more romantic younger sister - rather than a romance of supernatural. In fact, the supernatural elements rarely come up and the conflicts come from people rather than demons.

Story: Sisters Evadne and Dorina are complete opposites navigating London Society around 1900. Evadne is grounded and pragmatic while younger Dorina follows her passions recklessly. When the girls travel to London to come out for a season, both discover a world they had never known. Evadne, whose passion is the very manly sport of fencing, finds a home at a prestigious fencing school. Dorina, whose love is art and women, falls in love with a mysterious older noblewoman. Through their uncle, a painter, they find themselves embroiled with a mysterious hidden world where people can channel and communicate with demons. But demons don't have a moral compass - they can be both good and evil. The sister will encounter both as their new friends bring them into the fold of cabals and loves lost.

Author Tanzer stays true to the novel's literature roots by telling the story in the same languid way as the source material. It's not a retelling; rather, this uses many aspects of Dorian Gray but changes them quite a bit as well. Those invested in Oscar Wilde will likely enjoy where Tanzer took the story. Those not familiar with Wilde's works can enjoy the story on its own since it was inspired by (and not a rewrite of) Dorian Gray.

The sisters are an excellent contrast - one who falls deeply in love while the other chases romantic moments. Each girl finds the person they think is the perfect soulmate for them - but things are not always what they see in a society based upon appearances. There is a lot of growth of the characters as well as a lot of action and drama. Evadnes, the fencing master, especially gets to take on the knight chivalric role in impressive ways.

Although fairly slow in the beginning as the girls move to the City and navigate its waters, the mystery unfolds smoothly and organically. Tanzer allows the plot to develop naturally and doesn't rush it - this is not a typical YA that is all rushed and hurried and written for teens with low attention spans. But the half way part, the mysteries and explanation, twists and turns begin and we have a great story to follow. Be prepared for surprises aplenty.

If I had one problem with the book, it's that it was too anachronistic in several places. Characters would use modern turns of phrases that were jarring and ruined a lot of the atmosphere. There weren't many and for the most part, the book was written as if it was penned at the turn of the century. Mannerisms and dialogue felt right for the time. But there were enough 'slip ups' that is was noticeable.

In all, a fascinating take on Portrait of Dorian Gray, giving it a feminist twist as viewed through the lens of fin de siecle England. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Simply exquisite, Creatures of Will and Temper is an exotic bloom of a fantasy novel. It is not only a wondrous homage to Wilde’s Dorian Gray, it stands in it’s own right as a literary work.

The novel centers around two sisters, Evagne and Dorina Gray. The younger Dorina yearns to be an art critic, to experience and explore the art world of London. Her vibrance makes Evagne’s taciturn stolidness seem all the more dull and unpalatable. Evagne has limited love of beauty and has been disappointed both in love and by her sister’s actions. Her only love is that of fencing, the physical pleasure of achievement. It is only natural that the connection that Dorina forms with the captivating and completely unconventional Lady Henry troubles her. Lady Henry is a diabolist whose focus is aesthetic enjoyment. Henry’s unconventional approach to life, her intelligence and her fearlessness attract Dorina immediately. Evagne on the other hand fears her influence and distances herself from both Lady Henry and her sister. Instead, she goes to a fencing academy, meeting the instructor she always desired. But nothing is as it seems, and not all demons are the same.

Aesthetics, morality, sexuality and art as a means of expressing its creator are all concepts that are explored within the pages of Creatures of Will and Temper. It is a novel that is thought provoking. Like Lady Henry, it doesn’t seek to influence the reader, but encourages the reader to ask their own questions. This is a character and concept driven fantasy rather than an action driven one.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Creatures of Will and Temper from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Goodreads Rating: 3.5 stars.

There are so many things I want to say about this book, but at the same time, I feel like a short and sweet review will do it much more justice.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this when I started reading, but even with the slow build to the action and actual plot, I got sucked into the world and wanted to know more and more about the characters. We focus on two sisters, who are a mish-mash of tropes, but the exact opposite of what their general look would clue you in on. I loved the contrast between the two of them, and it really allowed each of their two storylines to stand separate from each other, while still melding excellently together in the end.

The pacing is excellent and while I suspicious of almost every character, I was still surprised exactly how everything played out in the end. While the entire demonology aspect did seem a bit lacking in straightforward explanations, there was still enough divulged to understand what exactly was going on.

This was slightly inspired by "The Picture of Dorian Gray," but I found the similarity to that to be more of a sub-plot than a part of the main plot. However, it does end up playing into the demon explanation in the end, so it's a fun Easter egg of sorts to follow throughout.

Definitely recommended to those who enjoy paranormal thrillers!

When I first heard of Creatures of Will and Temper, I read descriptions calling it a gender-swapped, lesbian The Picture of Dorian Gray with swords and demons. While that was enough to get my attention (and it helped that I was a fan of Tanzer’s Vermillion), that description is both right and wrong. Yes, there is a lesbian POV character named Dorina Gray, an artist named Basil, and a Lady “Henry.” But it’s not a one-to-one analog of Dorian Gray. It is an inversion. As Tanzer writes in the introductory author’s note, “What if Dorian had no victims? What if his quest for aesthetic experiences were not portrayed as a journey into a moral and spiritual underworld? As in life, matters would not be nearly so clear-cut, nor would they be so easily and neatly resolved.” Whereas Dorian Gray was a story of descent into depravity and indulgence, Creatures of Will and Temper is a story of ascent of self-discovery, love, and beauty. And it’s also a story of demons and swordplay—that part was entirely accurate.

Creatures of Will and Temper takes place in Victorian London as seen through the eyes of the Gray sisters. Older sister Evadne has been forced, ordered by her mother, to keep an eye on her younger sister Dorina who can’t wait to go to London and begin her career as an art critic. While staying with their artist Uncle Basil, Dorina falls in with Basil’s friend, the aesthete Lady Henrietta “Henry” Wotton.

Once Evadne concludes that Dorina and her reputation are lost under Lady Henry’s spell, Evadne turns to a local fencing academy to pursue her own interests. There she meets George Cantrell, the charming but stern and demanding instruction. Evande finds herself working harder and harder to earn his praise and affection, earning the title of “George’s girl.” Things grow more complicated when he reveals that he is a vigilante, hunting down London’s diabolists, and Evadne learns that Lady Henry and Dorina might be his next targets.

I am such a fan the Gray sisters. Tanzer did a tremendous job describing their complicated relationship—one that seems underrepresented in genre fiction. As the story unfolds, there are so many moments that reminded me of my relationship with my sister—the older, “responsible” sibling trying to look after the wilder, younger sibling who doesn’t want or really need a monitor; a shared foundation of love and closeness that also arms each sibling with the weapons to hurt the other so deeply; and new, more mature love for each other forming only after each has spent time apart to discover who they each really are and what they really love. The fights, the bungled apologies, the tense silences, and the reconciliations were all honest and well presented.

In fact, I enjoyed all of Tanzer’s characters. Her cast is complex, layered, and harboring secrets under their public facades. As they reveal themselves over the course of the story, not only do they grow, but they also cause those around them to change. Some friends become enemies and others become lovers. These dynamic and deep relationships make for a very compelling climax, when each must react in the face of life-threatening danger. Creatures of Will and Temper has a character-driven plot that I am always on the lookout for.

Like any good magician, Tanzer has enough tricks up her sleeve and just enough misdirection to keep me as entertained and surprised. What starts off as a tale of two provincial girls coming to the big city builds into a darker, more dangerous, more explosive finale. Yes, there are quiet teas sipped in drawing rooms, but there is also blood and monsters and sex and violence. Tanzer’s quieter moments plant the seeds for danger and action to blossom later in the book.

And don’t let me forget about the demons. Although there are plenty of stories of demonic possession, Tanzer doesn’t go down a well-trodden path. Each demon is unique. They are each driven by its own goals and wants and needs. And because they are never able to fully cross over to the human realm, they communicate largely by emotional bursts that range from a second internal commentary to an irresistible compulsion. They bestow gifts and demand a price, but the particulars of that exchange depend upon the demon and the host. Tanzer’s demons reminded me more of djinns—elemental forces that change us in unpredictable, terrible, and terrific ways.

In the end, the Gray sisters are profoundly changed by their trip to London. And despite the diabolical and violent climax, the story ends with notes of love, hope, and peace. Like I said, it’s not Dorian Gray. What began as a riff on a classic becomes its own piece, separate and beautiful. And for those who enjoyed the book as much as I did, when Tanzer sold this book, it was a two-book deal, and I look forward to what she has in store for the Gray sisters, their comrades, and demon-filled London.

*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*

This book was not quite a retelling but was inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray. And while it wasn't all that similar, it was still a good book in its own right.

I don't actually know what it's like to grow up with a sibling, so reading about siblings is always interesting to me. And this book had a type of sibling relationship I have not come across often in books, or at least not seen explored so deeply, even though I feel like it was a realistic one. Evadne and Dorina didn't always get along, they often annoyed each other, sometimes they purposely pushed each others' buttons or said/did hurtful things, they often didn't feel like the other cared about them, but they did still love and cared about each other. They wanted to be closer as sisters, but they just had a really hard time trying to figure out how to do that. And that relationship seemed to be the focus of the book more than anything.

As for the characters themselves, I'll be honest, neither Dorina nor Evadne was wholly likeable, but they weren't wholly unlikeable either. They were realistic. I appreciated that. And by the end, as they both grew some, they grew on me as well.

The writing was also very good. It matched the tone and setting of the story and had this way of drawing me in.

The fencing aspect was another thing I enjoyed. I didn't know anything about fencing, so that was fun to read about, and Evadne's passion for something athletic helped me to relate to her.

My one main complaint is that took a long time for things to really start happening. I feel like the first half or so was just kind of, "Ok, here they are doing stuff in London. Here are Dorina and Evadne not getting along. Here is Dorina hanging out with Lady Henry. Here is Evadne fencing." I wanted to get to the stuff about the demons sooner. Once it did get to the demons, things got faster-paced and more interesting.

I also want to note that I generally don't categorize books as LGBT+ unless the protagonist is LGBT+, but I'm making an exception in this case. Dorina, who is a lesbian, is a POV character and has a big part (even though I'd say Evadne is the protag), Dorina's relationship with Henry plays a big role in the story, and multiple other characters are LGBT+ as well.

So even though this book wasn't very similar to the original Dorian Gray, the author did ask what it would be like if Dorian's quest for aesthetic experiences didn't actually lead to corruption and stated that her intent was to create a less dark variation on the story, and in that regard, I think she succeeded.

Thanks Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and netgalley for this ARC.

Wild, crazy, and totally cool. This book will have you looking at demons, plants, and everything with new eyes.

This book ticked all my boxes! Victoriana, demons, romance and surprise. By the halfway mark I was looking up what else this author has written. A thumping good read, a great action scene near the end and a twist and reversal in the story that I wasn’t expecting!
Recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC copy through NetGalley for review.

Let me say that I absolutely loved this, Molly Tanzer's Creatures of Will and Temper is a dark, passionate, journey of two sisters and the ties that truly bind them, just as all around them seems set to tear them apart, possibly forever.
Set in victorian London, it gives you everything you want in the vein of spiritualism, mysticism, and things not appearing exactly as you'd think. Not every monster is monstrous, not every kind face a reflection of truth.
Two sisters go visit their uncle in London, the eldest Evadne, has a love of fencing, and wearing things other's consider unwomanly and unfashionable. Her little sister Dorina is the prim ideal of a young lady, all the while pushing against the rules of society in secret, she is fiery and full of life, ready to explore all it has to offer her. One sister a steady boil and the other a candle burning at both ends. But in the end they come to understand the love that binds them together, and the sacrifices they must make for each other to stay together.
I really enjoyed this one, it far exceeded my expectations.

This book was just not for me. I could not get a handle on the story, characters, or where the author was going.

Tanzer uses the skeletal backbone of The Picture of Dorian Gray and imagines it in not only a diverse way, but in a way that brings in my favorite elements - supernatural, heroines, and sisters - without taking from the core of the book: vulnerability, dangerous love, and our pursuit of self. It is imagination at its best and I couldn’t love it more. Tanzer’s own author’s note puts her mission into focus - the desire to imagine our tragic story without victims, as a pure pursuit of aesthetic experiences, and the attempt to illustrate the messiness of life and our decisions.

Full of amazing characters, Tanzer takes our hero and turns him into a heroine - Doriana. But while this features alternating chapters of Doriana, my favorite character became her sister, Evadne. Doriana’s journey is a dance between demons and society’s expectations and with her own sister. Their lives and struggles to find themselves, intertwine like snakes, in an unconcious way, until the ending events are put into motion and you can trace back the ways in which their lives danced with each other. I adored Doriana’s spirit, her passion, and her ability to defy conventions. At the same time, I fell in love with Evadne’s resolve, her spirit, and her fumbling journey through prejudice. These two sisters are intricate, dynamic, and show real character growth as individuals and as sisters. They are refreshing and genuine, as prideful as they are vulnerable, and as strong as they are wounded. I saw myself in Doriana’s passions and Evadne’s discipline. I wished I could be as carefree as Doriana and as accepting as Evadne.

If you at all loved The Picture of Dorian Gray and want to see an interpretation do justice to the beauty within those pages, while bringing it to life in a new way, Creatures of Will and Temper has to be your next read.

After briefly reading a few reviews, I dove in expecting much more Dorain Gray than I got. That is not a bad thing here. Nods to the book by Wilde are definitely obvious, but there is so much more to this tale.

Molly Tanzer’s book, Creatures of Will and Temper, is described as “A Victorian urban fantasy featuring duelists, demons, and the dark arts, inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray.” It is all that and more. I picked it up because of the nod to Oscar Wilde’s classic. I read Wilde’s book in college, more than thirty-five years ago, and remember the broad strokes of the story but not the fine details. Tanzer’s story uses that basic level familiarity and builds a new story with great characters.

The main characters are sisters, Evadne and Dorina Gray. They are eighteen and seventeen years old respectively. They live in the country and are upper class. Evadne is dutiful, conservative and the bane of her younger sister. Dorina is a risk taker, rule breaker and fed up with her sister tattling to her parents. Dorina is a lesbian and enjoys a series of girlfriends, all under the radar because of the societal rules at the time.

Dorina is planning on spending time with her Uncle Basil in London, a renowned painter. Dorina is thinking of being an art critic so spending time with her uncle should be educational. After Evadne tattles on Dorina’s latest relationship, she finds herself being sent to London as her sister’s keeper. Neither sister is happy with the situation or each other.

Once they arrive in London, the story really takes off. Their uncle is mourning his friend and lover, Oliver. Oliver’s sister takes Dorina to see the museums of London and meet the people who appreciate the art Dorina will one day be writing about. Evadne finds herself becoming more confident when she finds a fencing master and pursues her passion for fencing. There are demons in London. They are not the horns and pitchfork variety. Like London itself, these demons are complex and all with their own agendas. Evadne and Dorina encounter the demons in very different ways with very different reactions to them.

There are several facets of this book I really enjoyed. One was the fencing. For over ten years, I was a fencing parent. The sections of the book detailing the salle, the weapons, the tactics, the smelly fencing whites after an afternoon of bouting, were a joy to read. The other facet I enjoyed was the relationship between Evadne and Dorina. It is a very realistic depiction of sisters close in age but far apart in temperament. Their relationship evolves over the course of the book. Like the two characters evolution, it is not straightforward or smooth. It has fits and starts as in real life.

I recommend Creatures of Will and Temper. It kept me engaged. Gave me characters I cared about. Alternated action sequences with character exploration. Molly Tanzer has created a fantastic book with strong female protagonists.

This book was...odd. I am really having a difficult time summarizing how I feel about this novel. At first it seemed to check off tons of my boxes - London, Victorian age, women breaking from their expected roles, a supernatural element, and a complex sister relationship. I went into this book expecting to devour it and then as for some more. Instead I found myself struggling through the slow first half and considered abandoning it, then speeding through the back half but questioning every characters actions!

Let's start with the bits I enjoyed...overall the writing was good throughout. The pacing was slow to moderate, but it made sense for the plotting. My only issue was that the language was not consistent. For the most part the author maintained a 19th century tone, but every once in a while a modern phrase would sneak its way into the character's dialogue which at the beginning of the book made me second guess if the time frame actually was 19th century London, or if this was meant to be an alternant timeline/universe. Things like "Actually, I was thrown for a loop yesterday..." and "I did not come here for my MRS degree." That last one is especially not period appropriate.

The book felt very familiar at times, but it reminded me greatly of Sense and Sensibility as we had 2 sisters, the elder, more mature sister, and the younger, more vivacious and carefree. The differences in personality often led to conflicts and their ideas of proper actions and associations were a spectrum. Their strained relationship forms the basis of most of the conflicts throughout the plot and was very believable and well thought through. I loved that the sister's relationship, and its ups and downs, was a focus throughout the novel, and often trumped the other relationships in terms of importance and pages dedicated to it.

The best part was the inclusion of same sex couples, and that their relationships were a non-issue. Everyone seemed free to love whomever they wanted and not judged for it.

Some things I had an issue with was the supernatural element, Demons, which were extremely sparse throughout the first half of the book. It read more as a historical fiction novel that an urban-fantasy/supernatural novel. Even in the second half of the book where we finally learn more of Demons and their role in our world is minimal. The idea is that anyone from our world can summon a demon and meld their existences in that the Demon's mind would take up residence within the summoner's mind. The only issue though is that the summoner have no way of summoning a specific demon. In this case the 'good people' ended up with a 'good demon' and the 'evil people' with an 'evil demon' but it could have gone completely the other way. If you can't guarantee that the demon you summon won't instantly influence you to start murdering children why would you even take the risk of summoning one at all?!

This last bit is a bit difficult to explain and is totally spoiler-y so read at your own risk! (view spoiler)

So far this book seems to be a stand alone novel. It definitely set up the possibility of it becoming a series at the end you, but I don't think I would read it.


Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I imagined going into this book that it was going similar to titles I'd read before, but that was not the case! This story is first and foremost about the bond between sisters and I really enjoyed the interactions between Dorina and Evadne. The starts a little slow, but then works its way up to exciting fight scenes. Looking back on the beginning of the book, I understand that it was necessary to slowly develop Dorina and Evadne's personalities and how they react to one another. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys an interesting take on the relationship of two polar opposite sisters faced with unusual events.

I love that there was enough influence from The Picture of Dorian Gray to appreciate - I absolutely adore that book - but not so much that it was unoriginal.

I also really enjoyed the different roles that each of the sisters played and the way those intertwined throughout the story. Evadne especially grew on me as the story progressed. She became so much less bratty as she came into her own and I'm glad she wasn't merely a one-note character. I loved her swordsmanship and the passion she had for her craft.

One thing I wasn't sure about at first was the age difference between Lady Henry and Dorina, but then remembered that it also wasn't uncommon for girls to marry much older men. At least in this case, she had an actual choice in her relationship.

Incredible book and I'm so glad I got the chance to read it!

Also, the cover is gorgeous!

After briefly reading a few reviews, I dove in expecting much more Dorain Gray than I got. That is not a bad thing here. Nods to the book by Wilde are definitely obvious, but there is so much more to this tale.

Sisters off to London for a summer stay with their artist uncle experience adventures into worlds of swords and duels and demons. Dorina and Evande have never truly gotten along from Evande's judgmental standpoint of Dorina's personal pursuits to Dorina's haughty attitude over Evande's personal presentation. During the encounters in London, both come to value the other and realize that in the end sisters must stick together.