Hmmm. I don't know what to say about this series or what I think about it really. It is rough, every kind of horrible thing you can think of is in this series repeatedly and it is excessive. I don't know what to think about the female characters. A lot of them seem like caractuiures, rather than fully round people. (Why do most of them not get on? Has Helen got the same allure of her namesake? Emilia cruelty is undeniable and I can't quite understand it, all I've got is she has no scruples and will step on anyone to get what she supposed wants. She doesn't care who she hurts or if her actions lead to peoples lives being destroyed. All that for a crime reporting job in London/getting money to support her big family but it doesn't seem worth it when blood will end up on your hands.

Spoiler

Especially as she's enabling her siblings learned helplessness/laziness rather than truly helping them.

Her and people like her torture the victims. It's utter cruelty.)

Though I do think that maybe characters development/character study with nuance isn't what the author was going for. There is so many blanks about the characters, but what we do know, is there for a purpose. I think it's meant to be a fast entertainment. They are very easy to binge, short snappy chapters that lead you to say "One more chapter" again and again. So it does do that successfully.

It was very obvious from the first book that this series was written by a man.

It is gritty and dark. It is harsh. Utter depravity is commonplace. It is hard to read at times.

But I kinda do want to see what happens to the characters/how the story develops throughout the series.


mostly overall general spoilers for the whole series;

Spoiler

Emilia behaviour is getting worse and worse throughout the series. It's abhorrent. She is abhorrent. She used to hover the line, but now she's so over the line, the line no longer exists. Her behaviour is degraceful, especially as she always goes after the victims. She dines on their pain like it's nothing and doesn't care she's hurting people. She's a ghoul. She gives the victims no privacy or grace. I know she's been a victim in the past and had a rough life but she has turned from victim to abuser.

Also, Helen would have some serious chronic pain by book 8. Seriously, she would struggle with it daily, her body has taken far too much for it to be believable that it wouldn't cause any permanent problems for her. Even if that is just a wonky walk or something. Or she feels the cold more easy in her bones that had been broken.

also, bloody ell. why is everyone in this series have a literal tantrum over a rough day. "they were my catch! i should be given more kudos! how dare they!" Just because occasionally they have to do some boring parts of the job. Like why are they so paranoid? They see slights where there is none and always go to the most extreme option.

Also, why are most of the new characters the most deranged people ever? Either their is madness lurking in the soil of portsmouth or Helen manages to bring out their darkness through jealously the moment they meet her.