Corpse and Crown ARC Review

I received a copy of Corpse and Crown from Harlequin TEEN in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

Agatha DeLacey’s family isn’t rich or titled, so studying nursing at Ingold’s East End Hospital in London is a rare opportunity for her. Despite the school’s focus on the innovative Bio-Mechanical program, Aggie cares more about the desperately poor human patients who flood the hospital, even if that means providing unauthorized treatment after hours... and trusting a charming, endlessly resourceful thief.

But the Artful Dodger is barely a step ahead of his underworld rivals, the menacing Bill Sykes and mercurial Oliver Twist, and Aggie’s association with him soon leads her into danger. When a brutal attack leaves her blind, she and the Dodger find themselves at the mercy of an experimental Bio-Mech surgery. Though the procedure restores Aggie’s sight, her new eyes come with an unnerving cost, and the changes in Dodger are even more alarming- instead of seeing Aggie as the girl he fancies, he now views her as a potential threat.

As war between England and Germany brews on the horizon and a sinister medical conspiracy threatens to shatter the uneasy peace in Europe, Aggie and the Dodger must find a way to work together so they can protect their friends and expose the truth... even if it means risking their own survival.

“I promise you, we’re not going to do anything bad to your mum. We’re going to help her.” His eyes searched her face. “You swear?” “On my life. May I be struck blind if I’m lying.”

We met Aggie in Cadaver and Queen. We didn’t learn too much about her in the previous book. All that we knew was that she was a nursing student and roomed with Lizzie.

“There were so many ways for a working woman to get burned and bruised and broken in the course of a day. Whenever some man started talking about how women were the weaker sex, Aggie thought about all the women she knew who worked in factories until the moment they went into labor.”

In Corpse and Crown we learn a lot now about Aggie. She’s a nursing student, yes, but she’s a great nursing student. She’s compassionate and caring. She wants to help anyone who is in need of her assistance. I loved seeing the character development throughout the book. It was amazing.

“Without the older woman’s support, Aggie knew she wouldn’t last long here. Her own mother had said as much. “London, is it? You’re just asking for trouble aren’t nurses supposed to keep their legs crossed? We’ll see how long that lasts. I reckon you’ll be ruined by one of them young doctors and selling yourself in the streets within a year.”

My heart does go out for Aggie. Just hearing the way her mother, her own mother, didn’t believe in her. Saying those awful things about her own daughter. Telling her that she will end up a prostitute instead of a nurse.
Even though she was told that she would end up the lowest of the low, and even thought she suffered through a terrible life changing accident, she didn’t let that stop her. She came out stronger than ever and even more confident in her abilities.

“What the eye cannot see, the heart never grieves.”

Throughout the book we see other characters, primary as well as secondary, go through their own struggles and challenges. Dodger, Will, Byram, Justine, Lizzie, Victor.
But in the end, everything will be okay.

“The moment you chose to harm him, you stopped being a nurse.”

4/5 Stars!

I’ll start by suggesting that you read Cadaver & Queen first. Though this largely works as a standalone, there is some character background that would be extremely useful for this 2nd book.

Now, in Corpose & Crown, we change main characters. I wasn’t sure at first (and our old characers still feature), but this was actually a welcome change. Aggie is wonderful. She’s definitely from a different background than Lizzie and it plays very well with our Oliver Twist and Artful Dodger connection.

The author gives us a good idea of the squalor that comes with the poverty in much of her setting and it works.

And, no worries – we still have our bio-mechanicals and they are wonderful!

The author pulls no punches. This one is a little more bawdy at times and definitely a bit more edgy.

And it’s a very good read!

Looking forward to the next book!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

*I received a free copy of this for review from Netgalley*

Solid 3 stars. Funny story, didn’t realize this was a sequel and that I hadn’t read the first book. However; the author did a great job briefly explaining things that you would’ve learned in the first book and this was a completely enjoyable read regardless. Actually planning on going back and reading the first book like a prequel.

I really enjoyed this book and reading it. I did feel at times like I should have started on book one with the small details that were included about people and places that I didn't have much information on. However, it was overall a good book that mostly could stand alone.  I liked reading the blend of familiar and new characters - featuring a grown Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger, and Victor Frankenstein. I didn't like how the Bio-Mechs were looked down on so harshly or how the doctors stopped trying to save lives to advance the Bio-Mech program. It was, overall a good read that I was able to enjoy while planning for the holidays.

Interesting young adult novel. I like the authors use of known characters like Frankenstein and Oliver Twist while incorporating their own concepts of zombie like beings.

If you have not read the first one you have to in order to fully understand this book. I mean it could be read as a stand alone but you wont fully understand it like you need to. I honestly prefer the first book this one is more lacking in some areas and it felt a bit rushed. Over all a good book but not like the first one!

We follow the infamous tale of Frankenstein back into the world of BioMechanicals only this time we follow a different set of characters as they tackle the consequences of the scientific breakthrough.

This book was received as an ARC from Harlequin TEEN in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and Thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I knew from the looks of the cover and the detailed description that this was going to be an intensely captivating book and was I right. I was not expecting the direction the book took with the plot incorporating the characters from Oliver Twist to get involved with Aggie and her family. I am a huge fan of overcoming adversity and achieving dreams but it was such an unusual twist when Aggie had to team up with the Artful Dodger in order to save her family and herself. From page to page cover to cover it was just more interesting as you read on.

We will definitely consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I had to go back and read the first one. You don't have to but I did. Accuracy. So the first one was really good in fact I enjoyed it way more than this one. The characters are different than the first one. It was just missing something that the first one had done better. It is a solid read just of the two not my favorite. Thank you for allowing me to read NetGalley and the publisher.

A promising sequel to the author's previous installment CADAVER & QUEEN, following one of its predecessor's side characters named Aggie in order to expand the world the author has created. That being said, there was a bit of a disconnect between this book and the previous one, with a lot of questions left unanswered or dismissed early on. The writing, however, was excellent and the characters were properly fleshed out. I love it when authors give modern twists to timeless classics, and the idea of rewriting a futuristic sci-fi Frankenstein tale is no exception. Overall a fun read.

My Review: Although I really enjoyed book one to this series I was a little let down with this one. I wanted to enjoy that this one had a new set of characters to follow but it was just lacking that spark that book one had. It felt like key characters were left out and that it was completely disconnected in parts to book one. I will say that I loved the romance in this one. In the end, this one was still an ok read but it just wasn't as good as book one.


Go Into This One Knowing: Great Romance, Disconnected to the series, New Characters