Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.

It's not a great sign when I have to switch from a physical book to an audiobook halfway through because it's normally a sign I'm close to a DNF. Unfortunately, swapping over to audio only helped me get through the book percent-wise; I'm not sure I retained much or enjoyed myself while listening. This is a very slow-paced novel that has a concept I found to be so intriguing I overlooked its mediocre initial feedback. I really love a historical fiction and fantasy genre crossover.

I enjoyed the Gothic historical vibes and the undercurrent of a romance throughout the plot; these elements kept me moving past the child labor and sexism. I found the storyline with Henry and Sir Edward to be far more interesting than the one with Sophia and James; a book with two timelines in which one is far superior to the other is almost the kiss of death for me. Ultimately, I found I just didn't care much at all.

I can see why some people really love this book, it just didn't quite hit right for me.