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I took Treasure Island to church with me as a talisman.
“What a lovely bible,” Mrs. Tribly said.
“Isn’t it just?” I replied, hoping she would not ask me to read a favorite verse aloud.
I do not believe the psalmist wrote,
Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest,
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.

The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.

Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

I’m five books in, and Emma is as witty as can be. That’s good, because her wit’s been carrying through her series as we watch her day-to-day life without much development or change, until this book. The character development is a bit odd though.

Emma seems perfectly fine until the men in her life start telling her she’s not fine. We’ve never seen Emma comment on her health or quality of life until we’re told that she looks ill and never eats (which readers wouldn’t know because we see her having tea and eating all the time). Peculiar. We’re also told that she’s obsessed with Maxwell, which doesn’t really show itself in her journals. She’s sad, of course, but nothing really suggests that it’s an unhealthy obsession, until the men in her life tell her that it is.

She does heed their advice, but not on purpose. That’s one of the immaturities that bugs me about Emma–everyone is concerned for her, but she doesn’t care. She’s also going to lose her house in two years, but instead of actively looking for a solution, she’s focused on acquiring books that she’ll lose when she loses the house. Why?

Do I love the wit and humor of these books? 100%.
Am I annoyed that we’re more than halfway into the series and we still know nothing about Islington, Pierce, and Hawkes? Also 100%.
I very much enjoy the quality of the writing in this series, but I’m not a fan of being strung along–give me some info on the characters’ pasts and lets see how that impacts their lives and relationships.

I’m on the fence about a rating. Solid 3.5 stars. Maybe 4 stars.

Rated PG.

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Check out my review of book four here!