Tangled Webs by Lee Bross

Publish Date: June 23, 2015
Format Reviewed: Hardback
Series: Tangled Webs
Author: Lee Bross
Author’s Goodreads
My Review on Goodreads

Introduction

In 1725 London, secrets are currency, and everyone who is anyone has some secrets they don't want to lose. Enter Lady A, the 16-year-old-girl who collects and exchanges secrets from clients for her nefarious boss, Bones. To keep her safe is Nic, standing nearby, while she threatens surly men in ballrooms. It's all pretense, because when they go home to their dilapidated rooms, they are orphans, starving and hungry. Arista - the girl behind the mask of Lady A - has bigger dreams of escaping, maybe, even to India. If Bones discovers her traitorous thoughts, he'd end her, but she has learned a thing or two about secrets and shady deals, and she may stand a chance. 

Setting

You don't see 1725 London very often in YA books. This has just enough details in setting to get by, but not enough to write an essay about it. Also, balls are pretty, outside is gross because it is full of the...not rich people. 

Also, who's teaching these street kids how to read? Just wondering.

Hey, a real person from history is in this book too. The video below is a bit of a spoiler, but this person did exist in real life, so readers may already know the real-life counterpart. 

Main Character

I see the main criticism in this book is Arista. She's apparently the best extorter of secrets London has ever seen, and she makes stupid decisions. Yes. She's 16. It's a rite of passage to think with your heart rather than your head. You also think you have everything under control when everything is actually on fire. And...Bones was the one pulling the strings and feeding the rumours of how dangerous she was. It's pretense and a show, and it's the life she has lived for quite some time. 

Instalove 

Yes, it does happen here. However, this is a (in no particular order) historical fiction YA romance. I admit, I was intrigued, as there is also a love triangle (which I also don't usually like). But Grae is a saint with all his patience, which makes it incredibly unbelievable. No one is that good. 

Book Aesthetic 

Thought I'd mention that this book does have these lovely lace decal pages. I thought it was a nice touch on the aesthetics of the book, especially with the bold use of black pages. So it's more than just plain text on pages, which was nice. 

Final Verdict

I found this to be an entertaining romp of 18th-century London. I didn't care for the beginning because of the irritating dumps of her history that should have been written in better. It was a fast read, so that's a bonus for some readers. Goodreads says this is a series, but this was published in 2015 and I don't see the sequel. Either way, this book wraps up nicely as a stand-alone. I recommend this to teens who want a historical fiction YA with lots of romance, with a bit of thriller elements (but not too much).