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The heart-wrenching story of The Radium Girls meets the enchanting world of Howl’s Moving Castle. Jamie Pacton’s fantasy debut is a story of timeless love and deadly consequences. It was a day for finding things . . . On the morning Twain, a lonely boy with a knack for danger, discovers a strand of starlight on the cliffs outside Severon, a mysterious curiosity shop appears in town. Meanwhile, Quinta, the ordinary daughter of an extraordinary circus performer, chases rumors of the shop, The Vermilion Emporium, desperate for a way to live up to her mother’s magical legacy. When Quinta meets Twain outside the Emporium, two things happen: One, Quinta starts to fall for this starlight boy, who uses his charm to hide his scars. Two, they enter the store and discover a book that teaches them how to weave starlight into lace. Soon, their lace catches the eye of the Casorina, the ruler of Severon. She commissions Quinta and Twain to make her a starlight dress and will reward them handsomely enough to make their dreams come true. However, they can’t sew a dress without more material, and the secret to starlight’s origins has been lost for centuries. As Quinta and Twain search the Emporium for answers, though, they discover the secret might not have been lost—but destroyed. And likely, for good reason.
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I started reading the e-arc and struggled through the first two chapters. Then I decided to pick it up in audio as well. Best decision I ever made as it helped a ton. Also changing the font on my Kindle to OpenDyslexic has made a world of a difference.
I wouldn’t have gotten into the book without the audio and I would’ve probably marked it as 3-stars, which means I missed out on all that the book has to offer. I even thought of dnfing it, so I sort of recommend the audio above the e-book/physical. Or a hybrid read if you’re able to.
This is a beautiful story and I think I was focusing too much on the Howl’s Moving Castle comp to realise the inner workings of the book. I was waiting specifically for Howl and Sophie lookalikes, but didn’t really get that (well I’ve only watched he movie but I hear the characters differ in the book). But I quickly realised that didn’t even matter!
I liked Quinta and Twain about the same. I think they complemented each other well and Pacton wrote them both well. I liked reading about Quinta’s insecurities and Twain’s drive. It made them more real to me and like them more. They both had dreams and wanted to dream more.
I think the shop then found them at the right time, for them both. The shop is full of dreams and pulls in dreamers. I definitely do think it shows itself to people when they need it. I like the shop – I did think they would spend all their time in it but I like what we got.
I think this is definitely a book where you should read more about the other comparison/inspiration – The Radium Girls. Pacton took that inspiration, really ran with it and made it mystical and wonderful. It spoke to burning yourself out to work for others who won’t care about you or how it harms you. As well as dismal working conditions – which happens in any era – in any type of workplace unfortunately.
I liked that she took the real-life events and added fantasy elements to it. It was well-done and was a good part of the overall plot. This is my first book by Pacton and her first fantasy book, but to me she managed to tie all the different parts of the plot together neatly – which isn’t always easy.
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