by Charles Dickens

This was the first of Dickens' Christmas stories and predates A Christmas Carol by a year. It was also adapted to a stage play.

It's rather typical of some of Dickens' earlier writings where there is a lot of dialogue with too many characters and it can get confusing as to what's going on, but the main character is Toby Veck, who has an interesting experience in the bell tower.

As Dickens stories go, I can't see myself reading this one again and I don't think it holds a patch on A Christmas Carol, but it's one more ticked off my list.

“Will this army do?”

"He smiled against my lips. When I pulled back, he said, “I was a student of Shakespeare centuries before the romance novel was even dreamt. Be glad I do not leave you horrible poetry on your pillow, wrapped securely around the bodies of dead rats.”"

This reader's personal opinion, ©2019, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by goodreads, Google Play, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers* 

As usual for the series, I enjoyed this one.

This far into the series, hard to review without repeating things I've already said about previous books. A very grim situation -- villain addicting changelings to a drug -- for Toby to deal with in this entry. Yet, somehow a calmer, less dark book than previous. Maybe because she was calmer, secure in her relationship with the King of Cats, mentoring a squire, etc. Moved a lot faster on figuring out things like who was behind the drug and how to handle the Queen of the Mists--there was a lot more floundering and TSTL moments in previous books. Some prickly relationships seemed easier as well.

Series is still going strong for me; looking forward to reading book #8.

*©2019.  All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher (except Penumbra Publishing) to reprint/quote in whole or in part. I may also have cross-posted on Libib, LibraryThing, and other sites including retailers like kobo and Barnes and Noble. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties or indicate release of copyright.  

Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:

★★★★★ = All Time Favorite 
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Average.   Okay. 
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked or meh? but kept reading in hopes would improve.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. Cannot imagine anyone liking.  (Might also be just an "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." If author is going batshit crazy in the blogosphere over reviews -- I now know why they are getting bad reviews.  Or maybe author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them?)

"She should have been writhing in agony.

 

 

Instead, she was just looking for something she could hit.

 

I knew I liked her for a reason."