All is Fair | Books and travelling with Lynn

All is Fair (The Split Worlds, #3) by Emma Newman

Posted On 31 July 2016

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Tags: All is Fair, Emma Newman, The Split Worlds

All is Fair is the third book, in the Split Worlds series by Emma Newman, that I’ve been reading as part of a readalong. This is an unusual world where fae exist – in exile and the mundane world in which we live is separated from the fae by the Nether world. I’m not going to elaborate too much on the previous books because, and maybe wrongly so, I’m going to assume if you’re reading this review you’ve already read the first two and, if you haven’t you really need to do so and you also need to beware of spoilers).

So, at the end of the last book Will has finally achieved the throne of Londinium in a rather ignominious way, Cathy is recovering following the attack upon her person, Max and his sidekick the Gargoyle are still investigating the deaths at their Chapter and Sam is becoming more embroiled in this alternative world than he ever suspected with the Elemental Court now playing a key role in his life.

How can I describe the Split World series. It’s a series set in the modern world – with a period regency style world jostling alongside it seperating the mundanes from the fae and the elementals. A world where nothing is ever quite what it seems and behind the morning dresses and polite afternoon teas is unrest. This series is a slow burner, there’s no mad action here, things happen at their own pace and yet underneath, simmering under the surface are a number of storylines that are gradually heating up.

And, I have to hand it to Miss Newman, she writes these characters in a way that just makes you fume! Literally! Well, personally, I think she’s writing the characters in that way. For example Will. He’s a noble from the Nether world, he’s privileged and used to having what he wants but he’s also quite indoctrinated into this world and so, although he seems like he might change it seems that every other thing that he does right he does another three things that will just infuriate the socks off you. Yes, this is a very sexist world, the women in the nether are repressed and those that speak out or either silenced using charms or transported elsewhere. The Agency help with this. The Agency are a strange and corrupt organisation. They keep things running smoothly in this world but they’re far from above world.

Now on top of this we have the fae who are quite a bunch of schemers. A surreal bunch of characters, scheming and wicked. We also have the sorcerers – sorry I forgot to mention them earlier – of course there is a massive scheme afoot, one that I can’t mention. What I can say is that the newest edition to the sorcerer’s world is very interesting – Rupert.

It’s difficult to say too much here. There is a grand sweeping plot and so it would be very easy to spoil the story. What I can say is that by the end of the story the foundations have been laid for change and things look as though they’re about to get very interesting (by which I mean go to hell in a handcart).

I’m very much looking forward to No.4.

I received a copy of All is Fair from the publisher through Netgalley. The above is my own opinion.

All is Fair by Emma Newman, #3 Split Worlds, readalong week 4 (final week)

Posted On 25 July 2016

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Tags: #3 Split Worlds, All is Fair, Emma Newman, Readalong

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Today is the final week of our readalong of book #3 of Emma Newman’s Split Worlds series, All is Fair. The schedule is below, all welcome and please be aware of potential spoilers lurking below.

Week 1: Monday 4th July, Chapters 1-6, hosted by Over The Effing Rainbow
Week 2: Monday 11th July, Chapters 7-14, hosted by Hisham El-Far
Week 3: Monday 18th July, Chapters 15-22, hosted by The Illustrated Page
Week 4: Monday 25th July, Chapters 23-End, hosted by x + 1

Straight to the Q&A:

1. Apparently women can’t be Arbiters or Sorcerers. Is this another sign of Nether sexism, or do you think there may be other mysteries at play here? What do you think Rupert will do about it?

Well, given that the only female sorcerer who we’ve made the acquaintance of seems to be living in hiding and has felt the need to go to such dire measures as try to kill all the other sorcerers I’m guessing this springs from sexism within the Nether. Perhaps she feels really bitter and by killing all the other sorcerers and being the only sorcerer left alive everyone will have no choice but to accept a female – seems a little extreme doesnt it?Obviously we haven’t met the character yet or heard her own reasonings – but let’s be honest, she is responsible for mass murder so far isn’t she, so it doesn’t bode terribly well in terms of her own mental balance!

2. Were you surprised at Max’s choice? What about his deliberate reaching for his emotions? What do you think the future holds for him and the Gargoyle?

Not really, I think both Max and the Gargoyle had reached a conclusion about Ekstrand – I admit that I’d been suspecting him of much more than simply being a bit eccentric and I think I’ve been proved totally wrong in that regard (another wild supposition bites the dust) so it did seem harsh that he had to die like that – but, he also seemed a bit unhinged (perhaps this is something that runs commonly amongst sorcerers!) I was pleasantly surprised that Max decided to reach out and grasp his own emotions – it was really quite touching (and a bit sad – that part about his mother wondering what had happened to her little boy!) I think Max and the Gargoyle could have a good future pairing to be honest – Max is clearly still capable of feeling some emotions and with the gargoyle as his companion he has help when he’s in the field.

3. Cathy has had sweeping success in beginning her rebellion. How do you think Londinium – and the Agency – and the Fae – will respond?

Well, Cathy has certainly gone for it 100%. I don’t blame her to be honest, I’m not sure that pussy footing around or taking baby steps would work here – in fact she’d probably just find herself with a doll curse or some such other. The Agency will obviously be livid because this obviously takes from them a very lucrative business, the Londinium crowd – well, there will no doubt be some people who rail against a woman trying to change the rules. I don’t really think there should be a knock on effect about taking staff away from the agency – the families will still have their staff and just pay them instead of the Agency. Not sure how the fae will react – part of me wonders why they would be concerned about how the people in the Nether run their domestic affairs – but maybe they like to be in control of this and so Cathy’s actions will seem out of place. At the back of my mind I can’t help thinking that there has to be an underlying threat of the fae wanting to escape but I’m not sure how that plays into the themes so far. I predict lot of bother.

4. Will has finally become an ally. Do you think he’s strong enough to stick to it? Do his secrets make him vulnerable?

I think his secrets do make him vulnerable. Cathy had a little bit of the same and decided to come clean about things which makes her a lot less vulnerable to blackmail for example. I think Will needs to come clean with Cathy about a number of things – otherwise they’re likely to just come out further down the line. I still don’t think Will is strong enough to be honest. He seems to give a little but always hold back, or try to think of the line of least resistance and he comes across as a bit cowardly – he’s always got his eye on damage limitation in terms of the fae or his family and I really don’t see him rushing into the fray. He just seems a bit lily livered to me.

5. Sam assumes the mantle of Lord Iron – what do you think of his intentions to pick up Leanne’s mission as well? Do you think he will find his deeds tainted just as Amir’s were? What do you make of his reflection that he’s found a way to look at the past such that it’s nobody’s fault?

I’m not quite sure what to make of Sam just yet. He certainly seems to be getting comfortable making demands already – almost too comfortable in a way – and a little bit too angry to be making reasonable decisions. Even his letter to Leanne – the way he was coming across. He seems almost a little bit aggressive and feels like he’s pin balling around and ricocheting from thing to thing. I think that Amir probably had a good idea about what he was talking about when he said everything he did was tainted. Maybe Sam can find a way to change that. We’ll have to see but at the moment I think he needs to take a few of the baby steps I mentioned above.

All is Fair by Emma Newman, #3 Split Worlds, reading week 3

Posted On 18 July 2016

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Tags: #3 Split Worlds, All is Fair, Emma Newman, Readalong week 3

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Today is week three of our readalong of book #3 of Emma Newman’s Split Worlds series, All is Fair. The schedule is below, all welcome and please be aware of potential spoilers lurking below.

Straight to the Q&A:

1. What do you think the fae could be breeding people for? And why Cathy and Will?

This is very puzzling and I don’t really understand it one bit to be honest. My only thought was that maybe the fae are changing the babies for changelings but again I can’t see why that would be beneficial to them. Plus there seems to be some urgency about it all with a baby being demanded from Will and Cathy within the first year of marriage. I puzzled over why Cathy and Will – Cathy seems to be railing against the lifestyle but Will feels fairly indoctrinated. I really can’t pinpoint anything although I feel like there’s something just eluding me.

2. Cathy’s third wish starts to provide some hope right when things look most desperate. Do you think she has a shot? Will the book group end up being of any help?

I think that Cathy has finally reached the right conclusion in that she has to try and make changes herself – she’s spent her time so far looking for someone else to take up the gauntlet. That third wish was certainly a good one and has already improved things for her. I don’t hold out too much hope for the book group at the moment, they’re too afraid, although perhaps they’ll change and come around if Cathy starts to make a difference. Strength in numbers after all.

3. Will’s landed in some dire straits. Do you think he’ll be able to wiggle out of it? Do you want him too?

I’m not sure if I believe there’s any hope for Will – I keep thinking that he will change but then he will just disappoint me with something else. At the end of the day he needs to clear Bartholomew’s name, it’s the right thing to do. Yes, it will cause him problems but he was acting on what he believed to be sound knowledge at the time. Then there was his tender moment with Cathy when he was kissing her but thinking of Amelia! What!! I think there will be a way out of this situation but at the moment I’m not sure that I care enough about him to be pleased about it. I feel like I’ve gone through various stages with Will – disbelief, anger and now can’t be botheredness!

4. So much has been revealed about the Elemental Court. Do you think Sam’s making the right decisions? Will he be able to use his new power to create some change?

At the moment I think Sam is floundering around a little – I would like to think that he can make some changes and I thought it was interesting that one of the changes he was thinking of in particular was rescuing Cathy! It will be interesting to see how both these storylines pan out. They both seem to be trapped in situations that they didn’t want but that have resulted in them both having more power or standing then they ever expected. Whether their hands will still be too tied to use any of that remains to be seen.

5. Any other thoughts?

I’m a bit blank on other thoughts at the moment. The Agency seem to be a bad lot – in fact they come across as worse than the fae at the moment. Then there’s the whole issue with Ekstrand and his strange behaviour. I feel like we only have a little book left to see how some of these strands come together so it’s going to be interesting. (Of course we do have a book 4 on the horizon!)

All is Fair by Emma Newman, #3 Split Worlds, reading week 2

Posted On 11 July 2016

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Tags: All is Fair, Emma Newman, Readalong week 2, Split Worlds #3

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Today is week two of our readalong of book #3 of Emma Newman’s Split Worlds series, All is Fair. The schedule is below, all welcome and please be aware of potential spoilers lurking below.

1. We finally meet the Sorcerer of Mercia (Rupert?) – He is VERY different to Ekstrand. Not only does he seem younger and more adaptable to the modern world, he seems comfortable working with scholars from and In the Nether! As we compare and contrast the two Sorcerers, what does this say about Ekstrand – and does it change our views of his actions, behavior and decisions? Is he completely bonkers?

I think Ekstrand is completely bonkers and meeting Mercia has finally made it even more apparent. I think Ekstrand is afraid of change or anything modern – perhaps he’s one of the reasons that the Nether stays so olde world – I don’t really know to be honest but I don’t trust Ekstrand at the moment. He comes across as just plain harmless and dotty but I’m not sure I buy into it.

2. Cornelius and Amelia have been well and truly rumbled – Will knows how badly he’s been manipulated by the siblings, and exactly how! Do you think that either or both of the siblings might bounce back somehow? What about Will and Amelia’s baby? Did Amelia benefit inadvertently from the “help” Will received from Lord Iris’s faerie? If Amelia benefited, Why didn’t Cathy?

I never even considered Amelia benefitting from Lord Iris’s faerie in that way – although I’m sure Cathy wouldn’t have seen it as beneficial! I don’t think this is the last we’ll see of at least Amelia – not sure about Cornelius. Amelia is very calculating I think.

3. Skullduggery and Subterfuge! Sam has uncovered Leanne’s secrets and mission – Cathy is unearthing the secrets and like minded thinkers that Miss Rainer has kept hidden. Margritte and Bartholomew seem to have been likely allies to Cathy’s cause – is it possible Lord Iris/Poppy and the other Fae are Intentionally manipulating events to keep the current status quo/gender in-equality in Londinium? If So, to what end? As for Sam – what is he going to do with his new knowledge about Leanne or her findings?

I don’t really know – things definitely seem to be coming out of the woodwork now. I don’t know what the fae are playing at to be honest. It feels a little like the Nether is being kept from progressing somehow – like as though keeping it in it’s current status makes it easy to manipulate people or something.

4. Where do you think the main characters are going to go now? Will Cathy meet Rupert? Will Rupert destroy Ekstrand? Will any more/new hidden players in this drama come into the center stage?

Well, I hope Ekstrand’s plot to kill Rupert doesn’t work. I don’t know much about Rupert but I think Ekstrand’s plot to kill him is terrible! We don’t know that this Rupert has done anything wrong after all. It’s all speculation on Ekstrand’s part and makes me suspicious of him.

5. So much happened in this weeks chapters It was hard just limiting my questions to the above – What did you find to be the most interesting event/revelation? Or is there anything else you want to talk about?

I thought this week’s chapters were very intriguing. I’m still not sure that I really have a handle on what’s going on so I keep jumping to all sorts of crazy conclusions.

I thought Cathy’s visit was very interesting – particularly that it seems like maybe a few of the wives in the Nether are unhappy and are having charms used on them to keep them all in line. Kind of puts you in mind of the Stepford Wives or something.