Gentleman's Guide to Vice & Virtue by Mackenzi Lee {audiobook review}

THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AN VIRTUE

by Mackenzi Lee

publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
release date: June 27th, 2017
intended audience: Young adult
series: Guide, book 1
source: library, Hoopla Digital

Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.

But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.

Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

My thoughts:

If you haven't jumped into this fun, adventurous, shenanigan-filled, romp of a story---you are missing out.  Furthermore, if you HAVE read this story and haven't listened to it's audiobook counterpart---YOU ARE ALSO MISSING OUT. While this new trio will capture the hearts of many just on the written page, the audiobook performance of this was 100% spot on. Read by actor Christian Coulson (Tom Riddle, himself!), he managed to perfectly portray Monty's spoiled cheekiness and longing, Percy's sweetness and conflict, and Felicity's intelligence and indignance.

Monty is off on a Grand Tour with his best friend and secret crush, Percy. His headstrong and booksmart sister, Felicity is along for the ride.  He's determined to ditch their appointed chaperone and have some fun.  So Monty, being Monty, does something brash and ridiculous---and his reckless actions get them hunted down and mixed up in a dangerous secret that will have them veering off-tour and crossing paths with mysterious scientists, strangely conscientious pirates, and all manner of undesirables.

The adventure kicks in almost immediately, twisting and turning and whisking them all over the world and hardly letting up until the end. The romance is swoony and complicated, but there were definitely times when Monty's pining and whining and just plain cluelessness got to be a little much. Still, for the most part he's hilarious and his character definitely progresses. Percy is quiet and troubled and faces challenges from many sides, his station, his illness, his ethnicity,...all things he just can't get Percy to understand. Felicity is disapproving and ready to roll her eyes at all her brother's antics, but she was also absolutely brilliant and refuses to let society's ignorant view of a woman's place hold her back. She proved to be one of my favorite characters in the story and I absolutely can't wait for her to take center stage in book two!

•ABOUT THE AUTHOR•

Mackenzi Lee holds a BA in history and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Simmons College. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the historical fantasy novels THIS MONSTROUS THING and THE GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE (HarperCollins), as well as the forthcoming THE LADY'S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY and SEMPER AUGUSTUS (coming in 2019 from Flatiron/Macmillan). She is also the author of BYGONE BADASS BROADS (Abrams, 2018), a collection of short biographies of amazing women from history you probably don't know about but definitely should, based on her popular twitter series of the same name. 

She currently calls Boston home, where she manages an independent bookstore, drinks too much Diet Coke, and pets every dog she meets. 

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •   INSTAGRAM

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee {review}

This Monstrous Thing
by Mackenzi Lee
♦publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
♦release date: September 22, 2015
♦hardcover, 384 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: ARC from publisher for honest review

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

Review:
This Monstrous Thing is not a retelling of Frankenstein, but a brilliant and haunting fantasy reimagining of how Mary Shelley’s masterpiece came to be! 

Alistair and Oliver are brothers, both close to each other and as opposite as two can be. Their relationship and Alistair’s memories drive the story with grinding conflict. Oliver hated being a shadow boy, while Alistair’s dreamed of someday studying under the best, Dr. Geisler.  After Oliver’s death, he comes back as an especially dark and troubled character, and Alistair is in constant turmoil over whether he did the right thing by bringing him back. The obligation he feels to take care of him keeps him from his dreams, but when he’s forced to leave the city, he’s caught between the happiness of finally getting a little freedom, a chance to do what he’s always wanted and a crushing guilt of leaving Oliver behind. 

When he realizes a new book called Frankenstein basically lays out his secrets for all to see,  Alistair struggles to figure out who betrayed him by writing the book. There's not much mystery for the reader---obviously the girl he loved, Mary is going to be the culprit there! It’s almost a little annoying to watch him so adamantly say ‘oh, no, it couldn’t be her’ over and over again, but there something compelling about watching him make his way to the truth.

While not a particularly fast-moving plot, the intensity and drama of the writing held me absolutely entranced. It's every bit as gruesome and dark as one would expect of a story surrounding the legendary work of Frankenstein. As I’m sure you can imagine, a story about clockwork parts being melded into flesh and bone can get pretty graphic. But strangely there is also beauty in it, as those with clockwork parts fight to be treated as humans and you see those who work on them, like Alistair and his father, show them such compassion. There are moments of stomach-churning horror, hope and wonder, and especially danger as a rebellion forms and then becomes explosive, all brought to life with absolutely gorgeous prose. 

This story is a haunting steampunk thriller about family, loyalty, dreams, and freedom that readers won’t find easy to forget after the last page.

Find Mackenzi Lee online:  Website  • Twitter  • Pinterest

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

And check this out! A really cool illustrated synopsis done by the author! :)