book data
438 ratings, 3.68 average rating, 25 reviews
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published
February 13th 2004
(first published 1994)
by Scholastic Point
binding
Paperback, 304 pages
setting
Unknown
isbn
0439977797
(isbn13: 9780439977791)
description
Days after she witnesses a mysterious explosion in 19th-century London, 16-year-old Becky Winter is on her way to a small country In Central Europe, a...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 696)
Read in January, 2009
recommends it for:
Pullman fans
Further adventures of several characters from the Sally Lockhart series.
Mystery, political intrigue, and even a dash of romance. Adelaide, the little girl who disappeared near the end of the first book in the Sally Lockhart trilogy, is now all grown up and secretly married to the shy prince of Razkavia. When his brother, first in line to inherit the throne, is assassinated, Prince Rudolph must return to Razkavia--bringing his new wife. Jim Taylor and a new character, Becky, come a...more
Mystery, political intrigue, and even a dash of romance. Adelaide, the little girl who disappeared near the end of the first book in the Sally Lockhart trilogy, is now all grown up and secretly married to the shy prince of Razkavia. When his brother, first in line to inherit the throne, is assassinated, Prince Rudolph must return to Razkavia--bringing his new wife. Jim Taylor and a new character, Becky, come a...more
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Read in December, 2008
Probably the best in this series--I think I always liked Jim better than Sally Lockhart anyway. Rollicking would be a good word for this book if it wasn't such a weird, kind of ugly word in general. Actually the characters work very very hard. Pullman values hard work. Hmm...
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Read in September, 2007
Moderately successful attempt to go back to the milieu of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart trilogy. What I like about Pullman's books is their core of emotional toughness -- there are no easy choices, no safe paths. Jim Taylor, previously one of Sally's sidekicks, here the hero, is a gambler, a private detective, a writer of penny dreadfuls, interested in excitement, danger, and violence -- rather meaty stuff for YAs. The plot resembles The Prisoner of Zendain its presentation of the political t...more
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Read in June, 2007
The final Sally Lockhart mystery really doesn't even feature Sally. She's on like 5 pages. Which is fine, she's a bit annoying sometimes. And this does bring us back to Adelaide who has been "missing" for 2 books. But I don't believe the prostitute-turned-Queen deal. That's just a wee bit too far-fetched for me. So really, anything after Adelaide is introduced in the book was just ridiculous to me. Yes, Pullman did need to bring her back but I thought it poorly done and the characters ...more
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
young adults
This book ties up some loose ends from the Sally Lockhart trilogy, but it is primarily an adventure tale set in a fictional tiny kingdom caught up in the empire-building of Germany and Austria before WWI. The lesson, as in the entire Sally Lockhart series, is that good doesn't always triumph over evil but that good people can act courageously and honorably.
And we find out what happened to Adelaide from "Ruby in the Smoke."
And we find out what happened to Adelaide from "Ruby in the Smoke."
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Read in July, 2006
recommends it for:
young adults
This is the final book in the Sally Lockhart series, and my least favourite. It took me the longest to read out of all of them despite being one of the shorter ones. It was an interesting storyline with the unexpected arrival of an older character and an engaging twist, yet the majority of the characters in this book refused to remain memorable and I got bored quickly because of this. Even so, it was a fun and well written read.
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Read in November, 2008
Not nearly as good as the Sally Lockhart trilogy. The characters, while having the toughness and flaws that make Pullman's figures so well-rounded and complex, here are somewhat hollow and rather unlikeable. By the end, I really wanted Jim to end up with Becky and not Adelaide. And the ending was a bit of a disappointment - the whole book seemed to lead up to nothing.
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Read in February, 2008
Not the strongest of Pullman's works, it is still a tale that pulls you along to an unsatisfactory ending. The characters weren't as well developed as in the Sally Lockhart trilogy (although some of the characters got their start there). Still, if you're really in the mood for a quick, escapist read filled with intrigue and derring-do he's hard to beat.
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Read in September, 2008
This book follows the Sally Lockhart trilogy -- Sally does appear in it, but very briefly. Jim is a major figure, and Adelaide reappears (she was the little girl who vanished in _The Ruby in the Smoke_). It was a good romp of a read. If you've read the previous books featuring these characters, you'll want to read this one.
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I don't know why, but this spin off sequel to the Sally Lockhart Mysteries (Ruby In The Smoke et al.) really touched me. I enjoyed the gently bittersweet tale of "and they all lived happily ever after". Fantasy in the real world. You can't buck the system, but they can't crush your spirit, and you can make a difference. Beautiful.
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cheesy children's mystery series set in the 1800s. the main character is Sally Lockhart, who is a bad ass progressive feminist in a time when women couldn't owe anything, much less travel alone or have a business. (St. Kate's set me up, i can't help it)
very nice.
very nice.
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Read in May, 2002
I didn't like this one anywhere near as much as the others. I eventually finished reading it, but there wasn't much of Sally, and it just didn't really interest me. I seem to remember it getting kind of ridiculous and much less realistic than the other books.
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Read in October, 2007
Folks have said they didn't care for the story as it doesn't include Sally (except for cameo appearances at the beginning and end). I disagree, preferring it to the two Sally "sequels", which I found rather heavy-handed and political.
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Read in December, 2007
Without the cosmic scope of the Lyra novels, its harder to forget that Pullman is fundamentally writing children's books. Still the meditation on propaganda at the end is refreshingly brutal.
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AH! This is probobly one of the only books i've ever read that i couldn't finish. And what is horrible, i love his other books.
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Read in February, 2008
The best of the Sally Lockhart books--you can see, in comparing Adeleide to Sally--how Pullman progressed as a writer.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in June, 2003
I actually like this book slightly more than the previous books. I find the poor German teacher very plucky.
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Read in June, 2006
Not as good as The Amber Spyglass, or Ruby in the Smoke, but better than the other books in those trilogies.
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Read in April, 2008
A adventure novel from my childhood - enjoyed the bumpy ride.
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Read in March, 2000
i was just never interested enough in adelaide.
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to-read (on 190 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 29 people's shelves)
young-adult (on 14 people's shelves)
young-adult (on 14 people's shelves)
mystery (on 11 people's shelves)
mystery (on 11 people's shelves)
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