This is not an ordinary book: it's a BookCrossing book! BookCrossing books are world travelers - they like to have adventures and make new friends...and with your help, they can even write home to say what they've been doing! (You may remain anonymous if you wish.)

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From the sale shelf at Manoa Library.

TBR, but reserved for a wishlist tag when I'm done.

Elephant in the room time: I've read some of the discussion about the Alexandra Rowland accusations this summer...and I don't know what to think. I’m generally inclined to believe victims of abuse, but this doesn’t seem that clear cut. I haven't seen a whole bunch of people jumping in to support Rowland's side of the story, and she’s apparently been through something similar before, so...does that mean anything? I just don’t know. ???

I did enjoy this steampunk Western. The cover art doesn't really fit with my mental image of Karen, but she is certainly a memorable character, and her world is fascinating.

Side note: it’s nice to see something positive about someone named Karen right now; the people being tagged as “Karens” absolutely should have their bad behavior called out, but I wish it could be done without tying it to a particular name. It’s not fair to the people actually named Karen...

I'll be counting this as a release for the October 2020 LGBT History Month and National Coming Out Day challenge: protagonist Karen doesn't mind her job as a "seamstress" in Madame Damnable's Hôtel Mon Cherie, but her love interest is female. As for supplementary characters, Karen’s co-worker Miss Francina is a trans woman: "one of us girls in every way that matters", and Crispin the bouncer is "the only man allowed to live in the hotel, as he doesn't care for humping with women"; I'm not sure whether Crispin prefers men, but I think he fits for the challenge either way.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020: Karen and her friends are off on a new adventure, via media mail.

USPS tracking 9549 0104 3303 0295 1357 12
ETA 11/12/20

Released for the October LGBTQ+ challenge.

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Thank you for the book! I’m looking forward to trying it.

(Pardon the very short JE, my computer is being repaired and I’m typing this on my phone.)

It's always interesting when you know that your knowledge of an author is influencing your reading of their work. After reading about the allegations against the author and her husband in their relationships with others, my impression of Karen's attraction to and careful seduction of Priya was definitely colored. Karen's pursuit of a clever, young, gender-non-conforming girl who is feisty to others yet grateful and comparatively submissive to the main character, who plays a mentor-like role of "teaching her the ways of the world" (socially and sexually) while secretly smoothing her path in the world and wanting to help elevate her life seemed as if it might be a bit of a personal fantasy for the author. I wonder if it would have felt that way if I was coming into the story without any of the author's backstory.

Leaving that aside (which was tricky at times!) I generally enjoyed the book. I think this is the first of Bear's novels that I've actually finished. I've always lost interest partway through. I think the two components that lead me to finish this one were some interesting supporting characters who I was waiting to see more of (sadly, mostly left undeveloped) and the unique voice Bear gave Karen, which was engaging and helped propel the story when the plotting faltered.

Left on a bench near the Post Office.