The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne (The Outlaws Scarlett a… (2024)

I’m a diehard Lockwood and Co. fan so was excited to hear about Jonathan Stroud’s new book, and I was already sold on Scarlett after the first few sentences:

"That morning, with the dawn hanging wet and pale over the levees, Scarlett McCain woke up beside four dead men. Four! She hadn’t realised it had been so many. No wonder she felt stiff."

By the second chapter Scarlett has already single-handedly robbed a bank, but her carefree life of crime is interrupted when she comes across a bus crash and finds someone still alive hiding in the bathroom. Against all her self-preservation instincts, Scarlett gets involved. She coaxes Albert Browne out of his hiding place and agrees to help him on his way, but they soon realise they are being followed. Scarlett and Albert must team up to escape their relentless, dangerous pursuers and find a safe place to hide.

‘The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne’ is an irresistible juxtaposition of gunslinging Wild West and waterlogged dystopian England. Scarlett and Albert are a wonderful comedic duo. Scarlet is a notorious outlaw and charming web of contradiction—happy to rob and kill but carries a swear jar around to stop herself cursing and needs regular breaks to clear her mind through prayer and meditation. Albert is a seemingly helpless, naïve character, who is actually an even bigger mystery than Scarlett. A thrilling adventure in an inventive new world—long live Scarlett and Browne!

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

In author Jonathan Stroud’s brand new YA fantasy series set in a future England, we meet brave and fearless teenager Scarlett McCain, wanderer, and outlaw. England has been ravished by a series of catastrophes that have crushed cities or flooded them. It has now been split into seven religious kingdoms where the remaining population live in towns that are well protected from the outside and try to live a normal life.

Beyond the walls are the wilds where beasts and ‘The Tainted’ roam and you don’t want to be outside the walls at night-time as this is when they are most active and you will be their prey.

After robbing a bank Scarlett heads through the wilds to get away from her pursuers, knowing that they won’t enter the forest and so she will be able to get a clean getaway. On her journey she comes across an upturned coach, the passengers eaten. Never one to miss an opportunity to find items of worth, money, or food, Scarlett climbs into the coach where she realises someone is locked in the toilet.

Mysterious Albert Browne has been hiding in the toilet for days, listening to the beasts come and tear his fellow passengers to death. Scarlett offers to help him get to the next village, but could that be her one mistake as it would seem Albert Browne is wanted too and his pursuers will not stop for anything or anyone to get him back, but what is so special about this seemingly ordinary boy?

This is my first Jonathan Stroud book, though I have now checked out his Lockwood & Co series and have added them to my TBR list. His writing is superb. The future England is very imaginative if a little scary with ‘The Tainted’ and large beasts roaming free waiting for you to make one wrong move and they will have you for their lunch. It is like a historical wild west land but set in the future, I was fixated on how England now looked, astonishing!

The characters are both likeable, they bounced off one another. Scarlett quite mouthy and opinionated whilst trying to find a way to survive in the harsh world. Browne having not seen the real outside world before was like a cat in the headlights, mesmerised and overwhelmed by everything and he needed Scarlett’s help. He was also keeping a few big secrets about why he is wanted.

My only little criticism was that some pieces of the book felt like they were missing, but this is the first in a series so I hope that those answers come in later books. Overall, it is a riveting read and I can’t wait for book two.

Update: I now have a mighty need for the sequel.

New series by Jonathan Stroud? I have a mighty need.

Jonathan Stroud is one of my favourite children and young adult writers working today, and the goodwill I feel towards him for writing the Bartimaeus books in the early 2000’s is still very much alive to this day. There is a “brand” I associate with Mr Stroud’s writing, and it is a brand characterised by 2 elements:

(1) A great sense of humour
(2) A dystopian, alternate version of Britain of some kind

Even before The Hunger Games (and its many copycats) exploded into the YA literary scene, Mr Stroud gave us a vivid oppressive version of Britain ruled by authoritarian magicians who enslave spirits and demons to keep the commoners down and colonise other nations. Imagine Harry Potter but Voldemort was victorious (and by Voldemort, I mean actual 19th century British Prime Minister William Gladstone). As a kid when Harry Potter was the vogue thing, I was that little hipster in the schoolyard who liked Bartimaeus better because it was more cynical and funnier. Then Mr Stroud followed that up with a different sort of dystopian Britain in Lockwood and Co. in which the nation is infested with ghosts, and agencies employing teenagers (who are sensitive to them) sprung up everywhere to investigate and exorcise them.
So after playing with magic and horror, Mr Stroud decides to show us yet another version of Britain: this time, some unspecified cataclysm had occurred, causing the collapse of modern society and turning the nation into an analogue of the Wild West frontier replete with outlaws, bandits, and six-shooters (along with giant mutant animals and cannibal zombies for good measure). London, as we learned early on, is now a lagoon, and the country was split into seven kingdoms reminiscent of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy in the 5th century.
We are immediately introduced to one of Stroud’s familiar bullheaded stock heroines, Scarlett McCain, who felt like she descended from either Kitty Jones from the Bartimaeus books or Lucy Carlyle from Lockwood & Co. She is an outlaw of indeterminate age who chews gum and kicks ass, and is on the run from the militias of 20 towns for robbing banks across Wessex, Mercia, and Wales. In chance meeting early in the book, Scarlett found a pale, wide-eyed youth called Albert Browne who locked himself in a privy on a wrecked bus. He was, mysteriously, the only survivor of whatever calamity that had befallen the bus’ occupants (who had mostly been reduced to gory remains).
What I enjoy about Mr Stroud’s brand of YA is that while he does include elements of romance in his books sometimes, they are rarely overwrought or overly dramatic. His characters may have traumatic backstories but they are seldom broody or angsty either. His stories hit a sweet spot for me for having plots and themes which are complex enough for YA readers while retaining a children’s writer sensibility of fun and adventure. Like his alternate Britains in Bartimaeus and Lockwood & Co., I had a grand old time finding out how this Western-themed version of Britain works. In The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, people are cloistered in defensible settlements called “Surviving Towns”. Horror creatures known as the “Tainted” roam the wilds. Meanwhile, a powerful organisation called the High Council of the Faith Houses rules over everyone with the twin iron fists of puritanism and eugenics. I particularly enjoy how areas in London had been reduced to a bunch of ruined archipelagic settlements like Bayswater Isle, Chelsea Atoll, and a plague island called Camberwell. I am sure there are a lot of jokes and allusions about London here which soared right over my non-English head.
For the most part, The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne is a satisfying book on its own and it does answer the major mysteries of the plot like the nature of Albert Browne and the mysterious institute of Stonemoor from whence he came—but many of the greater world-building mysteries remain unanswered (presumably future books in this series will remedy that). Like all of Stroud’s YA series, the chemistry and banter between the characters just come naturally. Some of my favourite bits of this book are just scenes of dialogue between Scarlett and Albert.

The boy was watching her. “Why are you doing this? What is that thing?”

“I am setting out my prayer mat. I wish to pray.”

He nodded. “Praying? I have heard of that. So you do it on that old rag?”

Scarlett paused. “I use this fragile, sacred cloth, yes. And, by the way, once I’m sitting on it, there are rules. You don’t bother me, prod me, talk to me, or flick soil at my ears. You leave me alone and wait for me to finish.”

Albert Browne considered the matter. “So it’s like a toilet, then? Old Michael at Stonemoor used to express himself in similar terms.”

Scarlett clutched pre-emptively at her cuss-box, then took another deep slow breath. “I won’t strike you… Self-evidently you are a simpleton and have a head filled with clay. No, Albert, it is not like a toilet. Quite the reverse! This mat, when it’s unrolled, is holy ground.”

“Yet you plant your backside on it,” the boy observed. “That is a sorry act, and surely disrespectful to the sacred cloth.”

Scarlett gave a bleak half-smile. “It is not really so strange. When I sit upon it, I am in a state of grace.”

“So if I sat on it, would I be in a state of grace too?”

“No. You would be in a state of some discomfort, for I would beat you with a stick.

My only complaint is that there aren’t nearly enough of them. While it doesn’t quite match up to the laugh riots that are the Bartimaeus books, I still found myself smiling and chuckling regularly through it. The plot moves at a good clip, and before I knew it, I finished the whole book in just one day.

Jonathan Stroud’s books are like putting on a pair of old but comfortable socks for me. The story is rich, but not over-complicated. There is always a promise of a good few hours of discovery and adventure in a well-constructed alternate version of our world with fun charismatic characters. In a way, his writing is like good theme park rides and this time, the theme is post-apocalyptic sci-fi western. It’s Stranger Things by way of Sergio Leone.

Rating: 3.75/5

You can read this and other reviews I wrote on my blog, A Naga of the Nusantara.

I'm a huge fan of Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood and Co. series, so that's how I came across his latest work. It's a cool story set in a messed-up version of England where Scarlett McCain wakes up near a couple of dead guys. She's a confident troublemaker, I liked her character, and her life gets even crazier when she meets Albert Browne, a mysterious guy hiding out after a bus crash.

Together, Scarlett and Albert have to deal with all kinds of dangers in this messed-up England. Jonathan Stroud knows how to spin a good tale, and this one is no exception. As a fan of his previous books, it's packed with action, humor, and friendship.

Una historia de aventuras y fantasía para leer en cuestión de HORAS, por lo dinámica y divertida que es.

Tenemos a Scarlett McCain, una muchacha ladrona, atrevida, arrogante y asesina (por si fuera poco), quien se acaba encontrando con Albert Browne, un chico que parece acabado de nacer por su inocencia. El compraste de sus personalidades crea un dúo muy entretenido entre piques, insultos y un objetivo común: huir de sus respectivos perseguidores.

Me ha dado vibes a historias como “Percy Jackson” o “Sombra y hueso” (pero con un mundo mucho más plano) en el que tenemos una fantasía más juvenil centrado más en una única misión con un tipo de pluma detallada. Ese sentimiento de nostalgia y de adicción (porque he leído 450 páginas en 24h) me han hecho darle 3,75⭐️

No llegan a ser 5 porque 1) es el tipo de historia que me gusta leer para entretenerme pero no me llega a marcar y 2) me hubiera gustado ver más del pasado de los personajes o de la construcción del mundo, porque parece más profunda de lo que es.

Ciertas partes de la novela son bastante previsibles pero no lo veo como algo negativo porque igualmente estás atenta a ello y sabes que está hecho así a propósito.

Espero con ansias la secuela a ver en qué líos se meten estos dos ya como amigos 👀 ¡y obviamente Agente Lockwood (la saga más popular del autor) va a caer en mis manos también!

Intriguing, entertaining, fast-paced, and fun - exactly what I've come to expect from Jonathan Stroud. I adored the characters of Scarlett and Albert (and Joe and little Ettie), and I could not put the book down just from having to know what would happen next. I'm so glad that I loved this so much and I can't wait for the sequel! Five stars from me!

Content warnings for violence, a few spooky moments (cannibalistic monsters are not my favorite), and mild language

"I will tell you, Scarlett, because I trust you and respect you. Also, I think you are likely to punch me senseless if I do not."
"Correct in every detail."

re-read 2023:
Change couldn't be stopped, it couldn't be controlled. Sure as the debris brought in on the ceaseless tides, it would go on unendingly, for better or for worse.
goodness gracious, I love this book. it's my perfect blend of humor and heart. Scarlett and Albert hold very special places in my heart.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

I am a huge fan of this author and love his work. I was thrilled to hear about this new series. The novel takes place in a dystopian England with a western flair. Civilization is held in a loose collection of cities and the wilderness is a scary place of blighted landscapes and creatures.

At home in this wilderness is a gal named Scarlett who is wanted pretty much everywhere for robbery and assorted crimes. She fierce and stubborn and awesome. She happens to come across a boy named Albert Browne who is basically a walking accident waiting to happen. He is sensitive and dreamy-eyed and never sees the danger even as it is about to eat him. Against her better sense of self-preservation, Scarlett helps Browne. Her world implodes and she just knows that boy is hiding something.

The best thing about this novel is the juxtaposition between Scarlet's sass and Browne's wishing to view the world at its best. The banter and development of the relationship between the two is pure entertainment. Then ye have the world itself with the dangers of both creatures and people alike. I loved the world building and the characters even if there are more answers than questions.

I can't wait to find out more! Arrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House!

Beh, è Stroud. Quindi si parte con aspettative elevate, desiderosi di ironia e sarcasmo, di ambientazioni affascinanti e di giovani protagonisti che ti catturino.
E non veniamo delusi dall'autore.

Abbiamo un'Inghilterra post-apocalittica, piena di creature mutate e mostruose, di rovine del passato, di paludi e boschi pieni di pericoli, di rimandi al misterioso incidente che distrusse il mondo.
Un misto di western e fantasy, con Scarlett che è una giovane fuorilegge abilissima e senza paura, capace di fare fuori quattro briganti che l'hanno attaccata di notte, e al mattino dopo di derubare da sola la banca di una cittadina.

E poi abbiamo Albert. Timido e impacciato, deboluccio e spaventato, sempre con lo sguardo perso nel vuoto, evasivo riguardo al proprio passato e affascinato da ogni cosa che vede.
Un ragazzo improbabile, visto che viene trovato come unico superstite di una corriera rimasta distrutta lungo il suo tragitto, tutti gli altri occupanti sbranati dalle creature che infestano di notte i boschi. Non sa dove sia, o anche solo cosa ci sia intorno a lui, non ha il minimo senso pratico e da solo morirebbe subito. Per questo Scarlett si ritrova ad aiutarlo.

E i due poco a poco si avvicineranno conoscendosi e capendosi, aprendosi e vivendo avventure: rapine, fughe, scontri armati...

Bello e divertente, forse un attimo prevedibile ma ciò non toglie che come sempre ci si goda la lettura, si rida per le situazioni in cui si trovano i due, si speculi su cosa sia accaduto e su Albert, si frema per loro nei momenti critici.
Mi ha messo voglia di rileggere Bartimeus e Locke (di cui a breve arriverà la serie TV, non vedo l'ora!)

That was so much fun! I just always enjoy Jonathan’s stories! There’s something about the humor that always clicks with me.

Die 17jährige Scarlett hat viele Talente. Ihre Mitmenschen einzuschätzen und ihre Schwächen herauszufinden gehört dazu. Sie schafft es auch meist sehr mühelos Banken auszurauben. So verdient sie sich ihren Unterhalt. Nach einem Überfall findet sie auf ihrem Weg zurück nach Hause einen Bus und in diesem einen jungen Mann. Arthur Browne scheint ihr anfangs mächtig auf die Nerven zu gehen. Er ist das komplette Gegenteil von ihr, aber wie so oft trügt der erste Eindruck und in Browne steckt sehr viel mehr als zu Beginn ersichtlich.
Aus der Zweckgemeinschaft wird langsam mehr und die beiden verbindet eine enge Freundschaft, die sie durch ein verwüstetes Land und gefährliche Wälder leitet.

Fazit:
Da der Autor in meiner Lieblingsbuchhandlung eine Lesung hatte, wollte ich doch unbedingt etwas von ihm lesen. Seine Reihe Scarlett & Browne klang interessant, deshalb habe ich kurzentschlossen zu Band 1 gegriffen.
Bei der Lesung hat der Autor auch verraten, dass er immer schon einen Western schreiben wollte, der in England spielt. In Scarlett&Browne hat er seiner Fantasie freien Lauf gelassen und viele Elemente aus diesem Genre aufgegriffen. Die zwei Hauptfiguren sind so unterschiedlich. Es dauert einige Zeit, um die zwei ins Herz zu schließen. Ihre Abenteuer führen sie durch gefährliche Wälder, Städte, die scheinbar Schutz bieten, deren Bewohner aber oft finstere Gedanken hegen. Vor allem als klar wird, dass Arthur einiges zu verbergen hat.
Ein richtig tolles Jugendbuch, das mir ein paar super Lesestunden beschert hat.

Ich bin ja ein großer Fan von Jonathan Strouds "Lockwood & Co."-Reihe, daher war ich sehr gespannt auf seinen neuen Roman "Scarlett & Browne - Die Outlaws". Ich muss gestehen, dass die Geschichte, die mich erwartet hat, dann doch trotz Klappentext überrascht hat.
Der Roman spielt in einer dystopischen Zukunft und zeigt deutliche Western-Einflüsse, die ich jetzt nicht unbedingt beim Schauplatz England erwartet hätte. Großbritannien ist in dieser Zukunft in sieben Reiche zerfallen, die Städte und Bewohner wurden durch vergangene Umweltkatastrophen drastisch reduziert. So stehen beispielsweise in London nur noch vereinzelte Ruinen und diese sind im Wasser - die sogenannte Lagune von London - versunken und gelten jetzt als Freie Inseln. Die meisten Dörfer und Städte gibt es nicht mehr. Die Verbliebenen Städte sind von Mauern umgeben, denn das Leben außerhalb der befestigten Ansiedlungen ist lebensgefährlich. Die Tiere sind um einiges wilder und blutrünstiger, als wir sie kennen, und haben sich den Lebensraum außerhalb der Städte zurückerobert.
In dieser Welt leben die 17-jährige Scarlett McCain und der etwa 15-jährige Albert Browne, die beiden Titelhelden dieser neuen Reihe. Scarlett ist ein taffes Mädchen, die sich ihren Lebensunterhalt mit Bankraub und anderen kriminellen Aktivitäten verdient und dank ihrer Fähigkeiten als meisterhafte Schützin und Lebenskünstlerin von Stadt zu Stadt zieht. Nach einem gelungenen Banküberfall sind ihr die wütenden Gesetzeshüter von Cheltenham auf den Fersen, daher ist es mehr Zufall, als sie auf der Flucht über den hilflosen Albert stolpert, der sich in der lebensfeindlichen Natur nicht zurechtzufinden scheint. Fortan hat sie ihn am Hals und ahnt nicht, dass auch auf den scheinbar ahnungslosen Jungen ein Kopfgeld ausgesetzt ist.
Mehr möchte ich zur Handlung und zu den beiden Figuren nicht verraten, um nicht zu spoilern. Beide sind sympathisch, aber man merkt dem Buch deutlich an, dass es ein Reihenauftakt ist, denn die Hintergründe der beiden Hauptfiguren werden nur teilweise und langsam nach und nach aufgedeckt. Dadurch steht der Abenteueraspekt mehr im Vordergrund, was an sich nicht schlecht ist, weil die Handlung fast durchgängig spannend ist. Mich hat der sparsame Einsatz von Informationen durch den Autor jedoch auch teilweise gestört, weil ich mir manchmal doch mehr Infos über die Welt, die alles verändernde Katastrophe und die Vergangenheit der beiden Protagonisten gewünscht hätte. Daher ein insgesamt guter Reihenauftakt, aber noch mit ein wenig Luft nach oben.

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne
Paperback, 400 pages
Published April 1st, 2021 by Walker Books

This book just jumps right into nonstop action that keeps on bubble popping and sarcastically moving forward. The combination of big uninformed Albert and worldwise Scarlett is just PERFECT! I mean, I love a wisecracking girly dry land pirate in a Matrix leather coat!

So Scarlett and Albert live in the future in England, when there is genetic cleansing and the tainted (a zombie-like person who will eat you... rather like a white walker in GOT). Everyone lives in a protected area (the wall?) and a certain adventuresome criminal (Scarlett) travels between areas with relative ease, if now a great deal of killing. While moving from place to place she finds a wrecked coach and its lone survivor, big-footed and skinny Albert who is grateful and uninformed about the ways of the world as it exists.

They take up company, at least until Scarlett can leave him someplace safe. But it would seem that Scarlett's past is following them with a determination that has never been seen before... or are they following something else? These strangers keep coming until there's a body-littered path to the two new heroes! Only these guys are way more difficult to kill than others!

This was a super fun book that swept me up and kept me going page after page. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see a new book in the series! (LOOK I am on the ground floor of a series!). I loved the fantasy aspect of the story and the creative plot.

5 stars

Happy Reading!

Still a big fan of Jonathan Stroud's work, this one just didn't click with me. So far, I still have the Bartimeaus trilogy's conclusion to get to, so there's that.

A new Jonathan Stroud book, let alone a wholly new series, is among the very best things that can happen in the world of publishing. I came to Stroud shamefully late in the game, near the tail end of the Lockwood & Co series, so I had yet to experience the feverish anticipation of this situation. So when I found out about this book, I promptly scoured the internet for a way to buy a British book in the US, thankfully found a website that offered free shipping, and dove right in.

To say that Stroud is a superlative writer is merely stating the obvious. It’s hard to say what’s more impressive: the characters that leap off the page and into our hearts, the stories that have us on the edge of our seats because we know Stroud doesn’t mess around, or the worlds that are practically begging to be obsessed over the way Westeros and Hogwarts are. Really, the most impressive part is that Stroud’s works contain all of these elements, and he makes it look effortless.

Beginning with the world-building: I really envy Stroud’s imagination. He has a gift for taking a premise (Genies! Ghosts that only kids can see! Dystopian Britain!) and truly following the implications for how society would evolve to deal with it. In this book, we are plunged into a dystopian Britain that has splintered into seven kingdoms, mostly with towns dotted among the wilderness – and it’s tough to say which is more savage, the society in the towns or the lawlessness outside them.

A really cool thing is the specificity of this being Britain. Stroud makes the most of the geography, with the story following the Thames, and its literal twists and turns informing the story in a huge way. I can’t wait to go back to the UK and explore some of the locations that inspired this book.

Stroud avoids throwing in a lot of Proper Nouns in lieu of backstory, but the implication seems to be environmental catastrophe. (In related news, can we make this book required reading in the halls of Congress?) The wildlife is huge and deadly. London is mostly underwater, with the skyscrapers jutting out of the sea. Mankind is increasingly hostile towards people’s otherness. Slavery is back in vogue, religion holds a vague authority over the feudal towns, and organized crime and banks are all still there.

In short, it’s a world ripe for storytelling, and filled with tensions that seem bound to boil over. Yet we find ourselves in a small corner of the world, following one (then two) outlaws who are just trying to get by. Scarlett and Albert are a fantastic duo of protagonists, and I am on board to go on many many adventures with them.

They are so very different. Scarlett is prickly, Albert is warm and friendly. Scarlett is world-weary and jaded, Albert is naïve and has an insatiable curiosity about the world. Both have mysterious pasts, and both are trying their damnedest to be good people in a world that’s clearly inhospitable to good people. Either one of them would be a great protagonist to carry a story – the two of them together, and their fantastic friendly chemistry, is an embarrassment of riches. Stroud doesn’t skimp on the quiet moments in this action-adventure – there are plenty of conversations, a chance for them to both banter and to open up to each other. It almost took me aback when near the end of the book, there’s a mention of “this crazy adventure I’ve been on with you for 10 days” – it felt like they’d been together forever by the end of the book! I couldn’t even imagine them without the other.

Storywise, this is pretty much the most perfect “pilot” for a series I’ve ever read. It tells a somewhat complete story regarding a villain, but first and foremost, it’s a travelogue through this world to establish it, and a way to develop Scarlett and Albert as a team whom we want to go on adventures with. As soon as I read the last page, I immediately wanted to go on further adventures with these two.

Lastly, I need to mention Chapter 20. I read it when I was having trouble falling asleep, and that was a huge mistake: I had to read for another hour just to come off of the terror that was Chapter 20. Stroud established he’s good at creepy scary stuff in the Lockwood books, but this was a whole other level. Stroud builds up the Tainted throughout the book, to the point where even though we don’t know much about them, we are viscerally petrified thanks to Scarlett and Albert. It reminded me, most of all, of the Reavers from Firefly. That entire chapter, the suspense and the action and everything… it was TERRIFYING. Genuinely one of the scariest things I’ve read in a long long time.

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne is a book that is firing on all cylinders, and one hell of a start to a series that I will be reading the very second I can get my hands on each installment. I can’t wait for the next adventure!

ETA: Rereading it a year later, I am as awed as before by this book. Even knowing what happens, the action keeps your heart pounding. And this time, I took more notice of the writing. The choice of words, the punchy descriptions and moments of alliteration... this is a master of the language, writing at the height of his powers. It's astonishingly good.

From the first sentence of this book, I know it was going to be a good one. I just couldn’t have predicted just HOW good it would be. Wow. I honestly enjoyed every second of reading this book. I just had so much fun and it honestly felt like nothing I’ve read before. The closest book for comparison I can think of is Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children but even that doesn’t do the peculiarity and brilliance of this one justice. It felt so wholly unique.

To be honest, you had me with the introduction of Scarlett. What a character. She was just jaw dropping from start to finish, I was completely obsessed with her. So well rounded and funny, Albert’s character complimented hers so well. They were just the perfect duo to go on this adventure. I feel like I could read a further seven books about them and not get bored.

This book was so well written and all encompassing, it held my attention completely. I just felt so immersed in the story and what was happening the whole time. Though the story is actually really bleak when you take a step back and think about it, it managed to be so funny. I love me dry some humour and this just did it to perfection. It was snarky and unpredictable, the perfect combination. Every word that came out of Scarlett McCain’s mouth was golden.

It was a really interesting world we’re thrown into, and I really can;t wait to see if we delve more into it in future books. I really would love some more backstory to see how things ended up the way that they are. I love the doom and danger of it all at the minute though, it really has you on the edge of your seat wondering what on earth is going to happen next. It was completely impossible to guess what was going on, and I loved it. I just had so much fun with these and I can’t even put into words how amazingly done I think it is.

Sequel please!!!!! PLEASE

I expected another stylish, distinctive Stroud book and instead I found watered-down Stroud: this was not distinctive, not memorable, not particularly creative - almost a mashup of other books I’ve read before. It had cookie-cutter villains and, worse, a predictable storyline.

“Stroud is a genius”, the blurb on the cover says. I agree - but not because of this book.

Bello come tutti i libri precedenti di Stroud. Stavolta si cambia ambientazione e dalla Londra ottocentesca piena di magia, si passa ad un'Inghilterra post-apocalittica, fatta di piccole città-regni fortificate, dove la popolazione vive seguendo leggi ben precise per proteggersi dai pericoli (umani mutanti e cannibali, orsi e lupi giganteschi e bande di fuorilegge) che vivono al di fuori delle mura, nelle Lande desolate e contaminate. Chiunque disobbedisca alla legge viene appeso alla forca e chiunque venga percepito anche minimamente "non normale" viene ostracizzato dalla comunità e lasciato solo nei boschi, facile preda delle bestie affamate.
In questa Inghilterra ostile, la giovane e disillusa Scarlett McCain, fuorilegge solitaria, incontrerà per caso Albert Brownie, ragazzo un pò strampalato e con la testa tra le nuvole, che vuole lasciarsi il passato alle spalle e raggiungere le Isole Libere che sorgono nell'arcipelago che ha sommerso la vecchia Londra.
Viaggiando e scappando insieme, con alle calcagna banchieri derubati, bande di fuorilegge arrabbiate e un'inquetante ed algida dottoressa, Scarlett scoprirà che Albert non è poi così "normale", Albert imparerà che Scarlett non è poi così cinica, ed entrambi impareranno a recuperare un pò di quell'umanità, di quell'amiciza e di quel rispetto reciproco che il resto della popolazione sembra aver perso in seguito al Cataclisma che ha sconvolto il mondo.
***
This book is as beautiful as all of Stroud's previous books. This time we change the setting and from a nineteenth-century London full of magic, we move on to a post-apocalyptic England, made up of small fortified city-kingdoms, where the population lives according to restrictive laws to protect themselves from dangers (mutant and cannibal humans, gigantic bears and wolves and gangs of outlaw men) which live outside the walls, in the wastelands and contaminated country. Anyone who disobeys the law is hanged on the gallows and anyone who is perceived even in the slightest as "not normal" is ostracized by the community and left alone in the woods, easy prey for hungry beasts.
In this hostile England, the young and disillusioned Scarlett McCain, a lonely outlaw, will meet by chance Albert Brownie, a somewhat odd boy with his head in the clouds, who wants to leave the past behind him and reach the Free Islands that arise in the archipelago that has submerged old London.
Traveling and running away together, escaping from robbed bankers, gangs of angry outlaws and a cold-hearted doctor searching for Albert, Scarlett will discover that Albert isn't all that "normal", Albert will learn that Scarlett is not that cynical, and they will both learn to catch up a bit of those humanity, friendship and mutual respect that the rest of the population seems to have lost consequently the Cataclysm that shocked the world.

Nu e chiar de 4 stele, dar treacă de la mine.
O nouă serie de la Stroud, o nouă distopie britanică, o nouă eroină pusă pe jefuit și ucis răufăcători care luptă contra celor mai malefici dușmani și creaturi posibile. Are alături de ea un puști cam tont, slăbănog și aiurit, ce mai mult o încurcă, dar pe măsură ce citești vezi că toate trăsăturile de mai sus au un motiv anume, și surprizele pot apărea de oriunde. Ce să zic, mie mi-a plăcut, orașe pustiite, creaturi ucigașe, fel și fel de peripeții și o lume stranie, cu zone desprinde parcă din „Picnic la marginea drumului”. Recomandat ptr fanii lui Stroud și cititorii de distopii young adult.

Câteva detalii:
https://vderevlean.wordpress.com/2023...

I like to think of myself as someone who is pretty up to date on books. I know the new releases in all genres, I take weekly trips to B&N, mostly just to walk around, see what's on the up and up and add to my neverending tbr. I participate in cover reveals, book tours, etc, and casually stalk new authors on social media.

I am not sure how this book snuck by me, but boy was it SNEAKY!

"That morning, with the dawn hanging wet and pale over the levees, Scarlett McCain woke up beside four dead men. Four! She hadn’t realised it had been so many. No wonder she felt stiff."

That, my friends, is the opening line to a book that is sure to be my favorite of the month and it's only October 6th. TOSAB opens with our spunky bubble-gum chewing outlaw as she kills her way out of a sticky situation and subsequently robs a bank because who wouldn't? She's confident in her skills and very okay about working alone, so when she happens upon a bus crash and a survivor named Albert stuck in a bathroom, she isn't too keen on a tag-along. But she agrees to help him and things go from bad to worse. She's not only running from debtors, but from a group of people who want Albert. He's hiding secrets, but so is she. What's the worse that could happen?

Stroud gives us a Wild West type dystopian England that was a bit of a character in itself. The world is wrought with Tainted humans, oversized animals, and people who make their own rules. He gives us elements of fantasy and dystopian without it feeling familiar. He is an effortless writer (I know he probably isn't and cries behind his laptop sometimes as we writers do) but I'd like to keep this illusion going.

His characters leap off the page. Scarlett is morally grey, fierce, stubborn, and brutal while Albert is the complete opposite in his politeness and calm. Scarlett is jaded about the world whereas Albert is curious and naive and despite their pasts, they are good people at heart who want nothing more than to find where they belong. They are two very different people on very different paths and it took me aback at how perfect they were with each other, despite their differences. Opposites attract, right?

The plot is action-packed and strings us along this journey through a waterlogged world. With each stop along their travels, we learn a bit more about Scarlett and Albert and establish their characters. By the time the book ended, I immediately wanted to jump into book two. Please let there be a book two. PLEEEEEASSSSSE.

My only qualm was that this felt like an epilogue. I didn't feel that sense of completion went the story ended; it felt like the beginning.

Overall, I absolutely loved every single second of this book. it had everything I love in a YA fantasy. This is my first Stroud novel and it will not be my last.

Bookstagram

I am kinda disappointed here. Stroud's books are usually a heap of fun thrill but this one, it takes a while to get me excited. The world building is my biggest concern. It is like a patchworks of many dystopian, anti-hero franchises - with zombie-like 'tainteds', abandoned cities after a 'catastrophic event' and a lead character running out from a mysterious institution for the 'deviants'. All of those AND we also have a world controlled by fanatics ("The Faith") but a flavor of the wild wild west with self governing towns and slavery. But wait, the dangers do not stop there, we also had hadpterodactyl-like birds, man-eating otters, and IDK how many weird animals. One more thing, the way the other lead character used 'Siddhartha' in exclamations and meditated on top of a 'prayer mat' just don't click with me. And then we have so many travelling - I am not the biggest fan of travelogue in SFF - and a lot of pages of navel gazing.

Albert as a character was pretty cool actually, he's happy-go-lucky despite his condition, his witty remarks were amusing enough, while Scarlett was your typical scruffy angsty teen - who's a badass but had lots of baggages and zero trust for anyone, until she met Albert. I don't mind about that trope, but gosh I wish the story could be more interesting.

So, all in all, two stars. It's just okay. I am not going to continue with the series.

I have to admit that I begged to get a copy! Jonathan Stroud is an incredible author and I couldn't wait to read this - I wasn't disappointed. I'm hoping we'll get more adventures of Scarlett and Browne in future.

Scarlett ist eine geschickte Bankräuberin, hervorragende Kämpferin und Meisterschützin. Außerdem ist sie auch eine Einzelgängerin. Daher passt es ihr gar nicht, dass Albert ihr auf Schritt und Tritt folgt nachdem sie ihn aus einer verzwickten Lage befreit hat. Der Junge ist schlaksig und tollpatschig, redet ohne Unterlass und scheint völlig weltfremd und dementsprechend hilflos durchs Leben zu tapsen. Als wäre all das nicht genug, stellt sich schnell heraus, dass ihm Verfolger auf der Spur sind und so beginnt eine rasante und gefährliche Flucht durchs ganze Land.

Es handelt sich um eine Dystopie, die im England der Zukunft spielt. Was genau passiert ist wird nicht ganz klar. Die Tatsache, dass viele Fragen bezüglich dem wie und warum offen geblieben sind, hat mich nicht allzu sehr gestört. Da es sich hier um den Auftakt handelt, werden wir bestimmt in den nächsten Bänden Antworten bekommen.

Weite Teile des Landes sind unbewohnbar weil sie entweder zerstört, verseucht oder überschwemmt wurden. In der Wildnis gibt es verschiedene Bedrohungen wie beispielsweise mutierte blutrünstige Tiere oder die geheimnisvollen, aber gefürchteten „Gezeichneten“. Die verbliebenen Menschen leben größtenteils in den verbliebenen Städten, die schwer bewacht werden und in denen die Glaubenshäuser strenge Regeln aufstellen. Jeder der anders ist, wird verstoßen und meist dem Tod überlassen. Dazu gehören Menschen, die besondere Fähigkeiten haben, aber auch solche, die nur einen körperlichen oder geistigen Makel haben.

Mir hat das Worldbuilding sehr gut gefallen. Es erinnert irgendwie an den Wilden Westen in einer teils urbanen, teils dystopischen und postapokalyptischen Welt. Banküberfälle, Verfolgungsjagden und Schießereien lassen die Geschichte niemals langweilig werden. Die Atmosphäre und der Schreibstil haben mich direkt in ihren Bann gezogen. Andererseits ist das Szenario aber auch erschreckend und beängstigend. Denn obwohl die Umwelt schon menschenverachtend genug ist, tun sich die Überlebenden gegenseitig immer noch furchtbare Dinge an.

Die beiden Protagonisten fand ich toll. Scarlett ist ein toughes und starkes junges Mädchen, das schon viel zu lange auf sich allein gestellt ist. Anscheinend ist in ihrer Vergangenheit etwas tragisches passiert, worüber sie auf keinen Fall reden möchte. Sie ist sehr klug, redet nicht viel und wirkt oft ziemlich kaltschnäuzig und schroff. Dennoch merkt man, dass sie das Herz am rechten Fleck hat. Albert hingegen ist das komplette Gegenteil von ihr: er ist immer gut drauf, von allem begeistert und sehr höflich. Allerdings wäre er alleine völlig aufgeschmissen, weil er keine Ahnung von der Welt hat, nicht besonders gut kämpfen kann und eben einfach ziemlich ungeschickt ist. Die beiden sind ein sympathisches Duo, das sich gut ergänzt (auch wenn Scarlett das niemals zugeben würde), sich witzige Schlagabtausche liefert und den Leser bestens unterhält. Schön finde ich auch, dass die Perspektive immer wieder wechselt, sodass man Einblicke in die Gedanken- und Gefühlswelten beider Protagonisten erhält.

Der Verlag nennt eine Altersempfehlung ab 13 Jahren. Dem würde ich nicht unbedingt zustimmen wollen, weil das Buch doch teilweise ziemlich blutig und brutal ist. Für ältere Leser hält es aber auf jeden Fall eine halsbrecherische und manchmal nervenaufreibende Geschichte bereit. Action, Tempo und Spannung kommen definitiv nicht zu kurz!

Your honor, I love these children. That is all.

Albert trying to flip someone off but using 3 fingers was 10/10 comedy.

The world building was a bit confusing (it felt like All The Genres, from Westerns to ancient cultures smashed into one), but I loved the characters so much I don’t care if I barely understand their world. Just give me more.

this, was, SO GOOD!!!!!

𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙖, 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 “𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 (𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙧’𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣)” 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙩

i am gonna get right into this review. let’s get started!!!

༄💰༄ 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮. to sum it up, you’re following scarlett mccain, an outlaw on the run from her latest crime. while on the run, she meets albert browne, a seemingly harmless boy, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. chaos ensues from there, as people are after them.

༄💰༄ 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜. i loved this dystopian britain setting!! it was so interesting to see a familiar place in a different setting (if this makes sense) i also really liked this whole system, and how the countries were run!!

༄💰༄ 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩. it was fast paced, action filled, and new discoveries around every corner! just what i needed after 3 disappointing reads!!!

༄💰༄ 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣.

•𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩. what a great fmc!!! she was spunky, funny, and my favorite british bank robber ever!! i adore jonathan stroud for writing a female character that didn’t seem cliche. her development was great, and i really liked her dialogue. <3

•𝙖𝙡𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩. MA LIL CINNAMON BUN🥹 he was absolutely amazing!!! his “abilities” were really interesting and i loved how he always looked on the bright side.🫂

༄💰༄ 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥. i loved how they started out as enemies, but slowly became friends💗their banter was SO funny, and i might have caught hints of something more.🤭

༄💰𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩💰༄
༄𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 (𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣) 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙩
༄𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙧𝙪𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙠𝙞𝙙
༄𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨
༄𝙘𝙤𝙬𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙩
༄𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙟𝙤𝙖𝙣 𝙟𝙚𝙩𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨

༄💰༄ 𝙦𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~

“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣; 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙖𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙯𝙯 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮, 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙.”

"𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬...," 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙.
"𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮," 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙. "𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙬. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙨."

“𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧?"
“𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨? 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠?"
"𝘽𝙪𝙩, 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙! 𝙉𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩! 𝙉𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣!" 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙! 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙗𝙨" 𝙃𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙. "𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪."
"𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙢." 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚���� 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙚. "𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙧: 𝙄 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙄 𝙛𝙞𝙭 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨. 𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝?"
"𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚." 𝙃𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙩. "𝙊𝙤𝙝, 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨-𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣." 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.

"𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣," 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙. "𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙡𝙮. 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?" 𝘼𝙡𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙩 𝙪𝙥. 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩.
"𝙄'𝙢 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙚. 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤, 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚."
"𝙄𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙢𝙤𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚.”

"𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝? 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚?"
"𝙉𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙮."
“𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩,"

“𝘼𝙡𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩 𝙪𝙨𝙚. "𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙖 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚."

"𝘽𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮—𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙."
"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩."
"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣."

TA-TA FOR NOW😽💗💐

reread: October 2022:
Jonathan Stroud is a master of writing characters. This book on my second read absolutely gripped me, even more than the first time. The world is vicious and fun and exciting to explore, and Stroud lets us see glimpses into it in beautiful ways. His descriptions are easy to picture, and what's really fun about the world is what he chooses to withhold from us. There's so much we don't know, so much we don't see, and it gives the world great depth; we feel like Albert Browne, who's seeing the world for the first time and is so intrigued and frightened by it all.

Stroud's characters are, as always, so brilliant. Scarlett and Albert work fantastically together. Their chemistry is excellent, their banter is top notch. I loved how their friendship developed.

Albert was nothing but a nuisance to Scarlett but became her friend. Scarlett started off as a guide to Albert and ended up becoming Albert's inspiration.
I love the they affect one another; Scarlett becomes more like Albert, and Albert becomes more like her.
You can picture them, picture their expressions, hear their voices almost.

Another brilliant Stroud book <3

Original review, 2021:
What a strong start to what promises to be a great series!

The intrigue of the plot gripped me right away. Scarlett and Browne are a delightful duo. I really enjoyed the fact that we were given virtually no backstory to Scarlett; it was interesting to have a protagonist that we can see only at face-value, without knowing anything about the depth of her past, yet she's likeable and feisty and entertaining to read about.

Albert is such a polite delight. He's so out of place in such a dark world, but in a way that makes him a bit of a light for Scarlett. He learns from her, and she from him. His upbeat, ignorant and charmingly oblivious attitude is hilarious against Scarlett's harsh, fiery attitude.

Highly enjoyed this! :D

Okay, it’s not Bartimaeus. After you’ve read a couple of Stroud series you start to get the gist of how he works. The world of this one is all over the place: it’s a future Britain featuring an oddly punitive and fragmented civilization, people with psychic abilities, a weird melting pot of the world’s major religions, wild animals that have swollen to massive proportions and now hunt people (but how did wolves and bears get to England? did a land bridge form?), oh and also zombie-cannibals. I would have liked it all to be a bit less pell-mell. But it’s a fun read. Stroud writes fight scenes well, which is good because this entire book is pretty much nothing but a sequence of standoffs and escapes. I expect I’ll probably read the next one on another plane ride… 2.5 stars.

Je mets rarement 5 étoiles. Je trouve souvent que les longs romans finissent par s'essouffler, qu'ils ne sont pas constants dans l'émotion qu'ils procurent. Je suis souvent déçue.
Mais là, j'ai tout aimé, du début à la fin. Oh ! Surtout la fin ! Je pense que c'est la première fois que j'applaudis d'excitation en lisant une scène (heureusem*nt j'étais seule chez moi quand c'est arrivé...)
La chimie entre Scarlett et Albert, c'est ce qui m'a plu, surtout. Et on ne parle même pas d'histoire d'amour. Les dialogues. Le world building. Les odeurs, la saleté, l'atmosphère glauque...
Je pense que je vais l'acheter pour pouvoir surligner des passages.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

3,5 stars

I was very excited to read this new series by Jonathan Stroud. And overall, this book does not disappoint, no, it is very engaging in fact. I had trouble connecting with the main characters, though. I still haven't really gotten a feel for them. Hopefully, we'll dive more into the characters and their relationship in the next book.
I also wish it would've been a bit more explained how this world came to be. I have so many questions and barely any were answered. At least give me something, it doesn't have to be all at once.

[Gifted]
In a future world where London is submerged in a lagoon and animals have mutated into monsters, two incredibly fun spitfire teenagers are on the run from the law. This was so enjoyable, and Stroud has created a really unique and memorable future setting, that isn't drowning in negativity and darkness, despite some of the terrible things that have happened. Stroud's writing jumps off the page, and I devoured this.