One either hunts or is hunted; there are no bystanders.
The Ghost Theatre
by Mat Osman
Genre: Historical Fiction
About: Shay lives between two worlds. In one she's had to take on the leadership of an outskirts religious community, in another, she flits from rooftop to rooftop longing to be part of the magic that is London. When she meets Nonesuch, a charismatic boy with a mysterious past, she is swept up in entirely new world - that of the theatre. There's a power to being on stage she's never known, both thrilling and dangerous.
Thoughts
This is a book that, as time passes, I think I will rate a lot higher as there were some really stunning scenes and the overall themes were strong. There is definite magic here. Devana, Shay, Nonesuch and Trussell are all characters I will remember, with many sweet, tragic and theatrical moments attached to each.
That said, the book was a bit of a mismatch for me. The story is strongly YA in terms of character development and plot, but the actual prose felt far older. Chunky paragraphs, abstract descriptions and a relatively slow pace fitted more to adult literary or historical fiction but its missing some depth. The villains in this story roll into one (there's little separating Gilmour, Evans or The Jagger), Shay and Nonesuch's importance to the Queen of England felt sudden and blown out of proportion, and the plague is swept aside as a mere backdrop to events instead of actually impacting anyone.
Overall, I enjoyed a lot of this book. The scenes on stage are completely captivating, I loved Shay's relationships with the people (and birds) around her, and the themes of captivity and taking ownership of your own path were parts of the book that I found really engrossing and beautiful to read. But I wanted a bit more. A faster pace perhaps or a plot that engaged more with the world around them. Once Shay became part of the theatre group, London became the audience instead of part of the story.
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