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Lee Bross is the author of Fates and Chaos, written under the pen name Lanie Bross.
Tangled Webs
by Lee Bross
eBook
$9.99
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ISBN-13:
9781423187752
- Publisher: Disney Press
- Publication date: 06/23/2015
- Series: Tangled Webs
- Sold by: DISNEY PUBLISHING WORLDWIDE -EBKS
- Format: eBook
- File size: 6 MB
- Age Range: 14 - 17 Years
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Lady A is the most notorious blackmailer in the city. With just a mask and a gown to disguise her, she sweeps into lavish balls and exclusive events collecting the most valuable currency in 1725 London—secrets. But leading a double life isn't easy. By day Lady A is just a seventeen-year-old girl named Arista who lives in fear of her abusive master,Bones, and passes herself off as a boy to move safely through the squalor of London's slums. When Bones attempts to dispose of his pawn forever, Arista is rescued by the last person she expects: Jonathan Wild, an infamous thief who moves seamlessly between the city's criminal underworld and its most elite circles. Arista partners with Wild on her own terms in order to save enough money to buy passage out of London. Everything changes when she meets Grae Sinclair, the son of a wealthy merchant. Grae has traveled the world, seen the exotic lands Arista has longed to escape to her whole life, and he loves Arista for who she is—not for what she can do for him. Being with Grae gives something Arista something precious that she swore off long ago: hope. He has promised to help Arista escape the life of crime that has claimed her since she was a child. But can you ever truly escape the past?
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From the Publisher
"The title's setting matches that of important mainstays in the English curriculum, such as books by Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters, but its contemporary style makes it easier to read than the classics...A volume for historical fiction fans, which would also be a good choice for readers just getting into the genre."—School Library Journal "Tangled Webs is a fast-paced page-turner filled with intrigue and romance. Bross presents Arista's limited worldview and gender limitations with thoughtful consideration, taking few liberties beyond what the plot requires. The author takes pains to create particular moods through numerous and detailed setting descriptions."—VOYA
VOYA, August 2015 (Vol. 38, No. 3) - Johanna Nation-Vallee
It is 1725, and London society lives in fear of an infamous blackmailer, Lady A, who trades in secrets and sells them to the highest bidder. Little do they know, Lady A is but a powerless teenage girl working as a pawn for underworld kingpin Bones, who has owned the orphan since she was five years old. When Arista (Lady A’s true identity) meets Grae, son of a wealthy shipping merchant, at a costume ball, her mind and heart open up to greater possibilities for her future. Fate, along with the machinations of London’s Thief Taker, Jonathan Wild, propels Arista directly into Grae’s world, where hope and treachery force her to declare her loyalties. Tangled Webs is a fast-paced page-turner filled with intrigue and romance. Bross presents Arista’s limited worldview and gender limitations with thoughtful consideration, taking few liberties beyond what the plot requires. The author takes pains to create particular moods through numerous and detailed setting descriptions. That said, the selection of 1725 as the period for this novel is curious, as several elements fit far more easily in the nineteenth century—strong commercial ties with India and the possibility of settlement there being the most obvious examples. Fans of Bross’s Fates (written under the name Lanie Bross [Random House, 2014]) should enjoy this novel, as will readers who enjoy historical fiction and stories of intrigue. Reviewer: Johanna Nation-Vallee; Ages 12 to 18.School Library Journal
05/01/2015Gr 8 Up—An orphan finds her way in Oliver Twist-like London. Arista is indentured to a malevolent master who lords over her and dozens of other children. Her master's traffic is secrets (such as messages and blackmail payments). Arista dons disguises so convincing that she sometimes loses herself even to herself, amid shadowy and dangerous circumstances. As she comes of age, Arista rebels against her disguises and finds her voice and courage. She is lovely, smart, and fortunate. Her best luck is having a best friend and two boys who adore, champion, and protect her. Plot and character development go hand in glove in this historical work, supported by rich details about the intricate social and political hierarchy of industrializing London. The story line involves Arista attempting one tricky and dangerous mission after another. Each time, she outwits danger and discovery with her own cunning plus friends who have her back. The only romance in the novel is chaste. The title's setting matches that of important mainstays in the English curriculum, such as books by Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters, but its contemporary style makes it easier to read than the classics. VERDICT A volume for historical fiction fans, which would also be a good choice for readers just getting into the genre.—Amy Thurow, New Glarus School District, WI
Kirkus Reviews
2015-04-01Secret-life shenanigans in 18th-century London. Seventeen-year-old orphan Arista survives by helping her vile and violent employer blackmail the aristocracy. As the public face of their extortion racket, she slips in and out of costume balls to deliver messages to and collect payments from sleazy courtiers. When, in the line of duty, she crosses paths with an attentive masked stranger, they are both thrown by the force of the instant attraction between them. But the course of true love never did run smooth, and this romance rehashes many timeworn tropes en route to its inevitable happy ending. Arista as a character remains elusive; her inner life is essentially just a loop of vigilant worry, and the third-person perspective puts her at an additional remove. She's street-smart, but is she intelligent? The novel might find an audience among readers who enjoy both the predictability of the romance genre and the warrior ferocity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the dialogue lacks the humor and warmth of the latter, and at times, the tale sags under the weight of its own overwrought exposition. Conversational anachronisms like "okay" and nagging plot holes—like how the nearly feral Arista can pass for middle-class in daily life—further disrupt the narrative momentum.The overall effect is that the tale is underbaked; perhaps the planned sequel will help it set. (Romance. 12 & up)