Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this book it was well written with a compelling story line and well developed characters that popped off of the page

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Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I had a hard time getting into the story. It was a lot of flashbacks, which I understand the need to, but the pace went off. Also, I couldn't connect to the characters, they felt distant and I didn't get to know them. I absolutely love the cover and I thought this was a win for me but unfortunately not. I put it down before I was finished.

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A femme fatale in a mobster world, determined to avenge the crimes against her family.
A story full of retribution, belonging and survival.
Set in 1930s Chicago and the wonders of the World Fair.
A wonderful storyteller with lots of vivid detail, it’s a mixture of mystery and intrigue, luring you in to the mysticism of the World Fair.
With well developed, relatable characters who were determined and resilient, creating a web of relationships.
Thanks @AnikaScott @Duckbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

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It's entertaining but the history was not the one told in this story and there wasn't a single pilot but a mass transatlantic flight of 25 seaplanes, the first in the world.
As for fascism and mafia it didn't work like in the book.
It's an entertaining story as long as you don't know the historical details or don't care

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Sinners of Starlight City is a compelling and well-crafted novel that will appeal to fans of historical fiction and crime fiction. Anika Scott's writing is top-notch, and she does an excellent job of bringing the era and the characters to life. If you're looking for a gripping and immersive read, "Sinners of Starlight City" is definitely worth checking out. The pacing of the novel is excellent, with plenty of action and suspense to keep the reader engaged. The descriptions of the seedy underworld of Starlight City are vivid and gritty, adding to the sense of danger and intrigue.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

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It is a story of family, honour, revenge and betrayal. The main character is Rosa Mancuso, who, as the exotic and mysterious Madame Mystique, is the attraction of the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. Meanwhile, it soon turns out that Rosa has a mission. She wants at all costs to avenge her Sicilian family that Paolo Amanta killed. However, the plan for revenge gets complicated faster than Rosa expected. One day, her cousin Mina appears and manages to escape from the house of the gangster who was watching her at the behest of her father and uncle. To make matters worse, Mina desperately needs help retrieving her daughter, who has just given birth. Phew. And that's not all. The action in this story is complicated and complex, as are the character's motivations. Overall, I liked this story. Especially since nothing in it is obvious and straightforward.

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Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

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"Sinners of Starlight City" by Anika Scott is a game of two halves as it were. I really enjoyed Madame Mystique and the descriptions of the World Fair in Chicago. However it didn't meld very well with the backstory of life in Sicily.

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. . . eh. i appreciate the effort that was put into it, but the characters were too flat and i simply couldn’t care for the plot. it’s a shame, really, because i thought the premise was pretty engaging.

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Very descriptive language, the colours stand out especially and the plot is good, as is the character of Madame Mystique,which is very well drawn. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

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