The Life and Death Parade

by Eliza Wass

[Empress of Sass]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

I was torn about what star rating I should give this book, whether it was a high 3, a middle ranged 4, or if I should give it a 5. I decided to go in the middle and give it a four. It was an enjoyable read. The characters and story hooked me, and while the twists didn't always go in the direction I wanted them too, in the end I was happy I read it- if a little melancholy because it is a heavy study in grief and loss, and the sometimes callous senselessness of death.

I found the opening a little jarring, perhaps jumping in too quickly and not taking enough time to establish setting and characters. I know the age old advice is to start 3 chapters in from where you think you should and normally I like it when a book gets right down to business but in this case I think a little more setup was needed. I am not sure why, but from the opening paragraphs I thought the book was set in the Southern US- imagine my surprise when I realized it was actually set in Britain!

For the most part, Kitty frustrated me. I think mostly it is because she and I are opposites- I'm a natural believer, she is more of a skeptic. I grew annoyed very quickly of her reluctance to admit her love for Nikki, especially since it was based in her dislike of wealth and class, when Nikki was a good person. People cannot help the circumstances they are born into, and Kitty was too focused on social appearances to be willing to give in to the love she felt for a boy with a good heart who truly loved her. He saw past that she was the daughter of the help, but she could not see past his father's title and money. My heart ached for Nikki, because I really felt he truly loved her and would wait forever for her to love him back.

Roan was a very interesting character. I really enjoyed him, and was pleased with his arc and back story. I won't go into details, because some of his story actually had a twist or two that surprised me, and that is a rare find for me these days. I liked that he was complex, and you never truly knew with him what was real and what was show.

The Lord and Lady Bramley I found predictable and standard. They were a bit of a let down for me because of their stock characterness. I wish they had a little more depth to them. Same goes for the sister Holiday, and to some extent Macklin. By the end I was more impressed with Macklin's arc, but I felt like a little more could have been done with him. Perhaps if we had more of a lead up before the book took off, that would have made a difference.

I wish there had been more with the Life and Death Parade, that the book had introduced more characters from it and developed that aspect a bit more. I was left a little wanting by ending, and some other plot choices, but I get what the author was trying to say with this book, and she well accomplished it. Some stories end before we want them to, some people leave us and the hole never fills in. Not all people get a happy ending, and just because you want something badly enough to will it into existence, does not mean that it will make you happy in the way you thought it would. Life isn't fair, and neither is death.