MinhChau

I purchased this because I had enjoyed the author's previous works, even though the premise and blurb didn't really sound that enticing. I didn't know much about the '20s, and wasn't that interested in it, but I needed an audiobook for the commute so I took a chance. I'm so glad I did! The author brings the '20s and all its sparkling energy to life in this book, and I really felt immersed in it, in a way that I rarely do with YA novels. The narrator did an excellent job giving each character a unique voice, and capturing the inflection and tone of speech in the '20s. She even sounded great singing some of the songs!

Unlike the other reviewer, I thought the characters were well fleshed out and true to life. I liked reading from all of their perspectives, even though there were a couple of characters that would probably annoy the hell out of me if I knew them in real life.

Best of all, the story moves FAST, which is especially impressive considering how complex and layered the plot is. There's a lot of stuff going on at once, but Ms. Bray manages to keep all the balls up in the air and the pages (figuratively) turning. The scary parts of the book are genuinely scary--another thing I have never seen in a YA novel.

One caveat: the story starts out a bit slow, and the main character, Evie, comes off as a brat when we are first introduced to her. It also takes a while for modern ears to get used to the '20s talk without snorting and thinking of one of those cheesy noir detective movies. Hang in there. It's definitely worth it.