Just a preview but a great one. Very interested in the rest of the book and series. I read the first book and absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait to read the next books in the series. Lara Elena Donnelly is an incredible writer and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Marketed as John le Carre meets Cabaret, this is a sprawling, complex novel. I especially love seeing complex queer characters and relationships in fantasy. The plot focuses on rising facism in the city of Amberlough, and is certainly a timely theme, but made it a hard read for me.

I DONT THINK I HAVE EVER BOUgHT A KINDLE BOOK THAT FAST BEFORE!!!!

It has a bit of a slow start but it picks up about 60% of the way through (of this sample, so about chapter 4?) and then by the time you get to the end of part 1 you're screaming because the sample ends and there's nothing left to read.

I was actually trying to turn the page on my Kindle even though it said 100% and I just kept yelling NOOOO!!!

This is such a fun book, so far, and PERFECT if you enjoy crime or detective novels, and especially if you dig the whole era and aesthetic of Cabaret. Also if you want to read about LGBT/GSM people. But that I feel goes hand in hand with Cabaret so...

I won't be posting a public review since I've only read this preview portion of the book - I don't believe it's fair to the review reader to write a review (positive or negative) based only on a partial read.

This book is completely the sort of book that appeals to me. A sci-fi political mystery thriller with an entertainment world slant to it? It's almost as though this were written with me in mind!

Lara Donnelly's writing is crisp and the characters really stand out.. The intrigue that she sets up is strong and very thrilling and all-too-believable, especially given the current political climate.

With the preview copy we really only get in to the set-up of characters and story and so I really want to read more to see where this story goes and how our master spy fares.

I worry that this might too closely resemble Cabaret with a modern bent to it, but I'd be very interested in finding out for myself.

apologies. I thought this was the book itself rather than an excerpt. I've already contacted the publisher through the BMBR blog's account requesting the proper widget.

This excerpt represents the first quarter of Amberlough and I’m unsure whether it piqued my interest enough to continue with the full novel. Amberlough City is a lush cityscape filled with rusting pipes, cigarettes, and sex. The setting is fascinating, but I never quite connected with the political narrative that drives the main story. Ultimately, I got the exact same amount of plot detail from the description on Goodreads that I did from this sample, so it is tough to judge how useful this excerpt is. The relationships are titillating and the characters unique, but I am not sure the story gripped me enough to see it through to the end. How cool is that cover, though?

I was very intrigued by the description and loved the cover - but just cannot get into this sample... I find the writing somewhat stilted feeling and simply can't find any connection with the characters. I couldn't even finish the sample! This one is just not for me...