The main plot follows Ebele and her mother in their pursuit of assassins wreaking havoc in the city. The opening scene—a shooting competition—was very interesting as we learn about the magic system in the book. However, this was the only part of the story that truly captured my attention.

The rest of the book struggled with pacing and lacked the tension expected from a hunt for assassins. I had difficulty connecting with the characters, and at times, feel they're annoying. Additionally, the ending felt anti-climactic, leaving some questions unanswered.

In terms of writing, there are numerous spelling errors and a few naming error. I also noticed that the dialogue feels kinda stiff sometimes. All in all, while the premise and certain moments held potential, the overall execution failed to deliver a satisfying or cohesive experience.

Ebele’s journey introduces a fascinating concept where gunpowder can be manipulated with essence, adding a unique layer to the story’s world. The characters and assassin-driven mystery are compelling, but uneven pacing—slow to start and rushed towards the end—affects the overall flow. Abrupt POV shifts can also be distracting, but the originality of the setting and ideas keeps it engaging. A creative read with room for refinement.

This book was a very unusual plot. I felt like it needed more backstory. I wanted to like this book. It was definitely an unusual concept--manipulating gunpower with essence. I think it could have been a great story. But things got lost along the way and more info kept getting tossed in.

What I didn't appreciate was the vulgar coarse swearing and lewd language--I'm not a fan of it in adult books, and especially not YA. There are millions of amazing words and powerful phrases in the world--why must we always go for the base ones? (roll eyes)

Sex innuendos, lewd coarse vulgar language, violence--if it was a Netflix show it would have been rated MA. Throw in some LGBQ, and it's a summary of modern entertainment. No substance or value just sex, violence, and the LGBQ agenda.

3 Stars--only for the originality of the idea.

*I was given a complimentary copy of the ARC from the publishers and NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Surprisingly an enjoyable read. I like Ebele as the main character and the story and world building. Will gather my thoughts and will edit and add some more.

I liked the concept and storyline, but didn’t love the writing style (it didn’t fully grip me or make me feel immersed) and the pacing

This was surprisingly so good.
Honestly, I wasn't expecting too much because of the lack of reviews and knowledge of this book, but it was so good
I loved the characters and set up, but it was kind of underdeveloped in terms of pacing. Like at 50 percent, still not much had happened so then it felt more rushed towards the end. Also at some points it just switched povs which sometimes made me confused for a little bit.
But other than that, I really enjoyed this.

I thought this was such a great storyline and enjoyed the way this was creating the world around. It uses that concept perfectly and enjoyed the overall feel of this in the genre. Teddy Baire has a great writing style and was glad I got to read this. It uses the assassin element that I was looking for and glad it worked overall.

Gunpowder Dolls is such a good book. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.