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Regency Faerie Tales #2
Ten Thousand Stitches
Regency housemaid Euphemia Reeves has acquired a faerie godfather. Unfortunately, he has no idea what he's doing.
Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There's only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke's heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.
Effie has heard rumours about what happens to those who accept help from faeries, but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, she has one hundred days - and ten thousand stitches - to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn't wreck things by accident, that is. For Effie's greatest obstacle might well prove to be Lord Blackthorn's overwhelmingly good intentions.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a whimsical fantasy romance with a Cinderella twist. Pick up TEN THOUSAND STITCHES, and dive into another enchanting faerie tale set in Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!
Effie has most inconveniently fallen in love with the dashing Mr Benedict Ashbrooke. There's only one problem; Effie is a housemaid, and a housemaid cannot marry a gentleman. It seems that Effie is out of luck until she stumbles into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, who is only too eager to help Effie win Mr Ashbrooke's heart. All he asks in return is that Effie sew ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket.
Effie has heard rumours about what happens to those who accept help from faeries, but life as a maid at Hartfield is so awful that she is willing to risk even her immortal soul for a chance at something better. Now, she has one hundred days - and ten thousand stitches - to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn't wreck things by accident, that is. For Effie's greatest obstacle might well prove to be Lord Blackthorn's overwhelmingly good intentions.
From the author of HALF A SOUL comes a whimsical fantasy romance with a Cinderella twist. Pick up TEN THOUSAND STITCHES, and dive into another enchanting faerie tale set in Olivia Atwater's charming, magical version of Regency England!
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2020
About the author
Olivia Atwater
11 books2,541 followersOlivia Atwater writes whimsical historical fantasy with a hint of satire. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. When she told her second-grade history teacher that she wanted to work with history someday, she is fairly certain this isn't what either party had in mind. She has been, at various times, a historical re-enactor, a professional witch at a metaphysical supply store, a web developer, and a vending machine repairperson.
Searching for more Regency faerie tales? Sign up for the Atwater Scandal Sheets at oliviaatwater.com and get ongoing updates, along with the exclusive novella The Latch Key.
Searching for more Regency faerie tales? Sign up for the Atwater Scandal Sheets at oliviaatwater.com and get ongoing updates, along with the exclusive novella The Latch Key.
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December 27, 2022I don't review my own books, of course—but here are some facts you might not have known about Ten Thousand Stitches and the Regency era in general!
FUN FACTS ABOUT TEN THOUSAND STITCHES
- The first scene I wrote of this book was . I changed where I was actually going to begin the book at least four times. Whole scenes were written and discarded until I finally settled on starting the book properly from
- Though I did plenty of research on Regency era servants specifically, much of Effie's emotional experience with her employers is drawn directly from my time working in retail and as a barista. I have since learned that I can use the book as a litmus test to see who's worked an "unskilled" customer-facing job before. White collar workers tend to be sceptical that bosses would "really act like that", while most other food and retail workers start offering me recountings of midnight phone calls and bizarre workplace demands.
- In a perfect example of "things everyone should surely know but I only found out late in life", I had no idea that Oranges and Lemons had a tune to go with it until my original audiobook narrator sang the song for me. Oddly, I recognised the melody, but had never managed to connect it to the poem before. (Yes, you may roast me now.)
- Originally, George was just a fellow servant, rather than being Effie's brother. Halfway through the first draft, however, I asked myself how Effie had been hired on at Hartfield in the first place, and the obvious answer clicked into place. Regency era servants often recommended family members for jobs in the same household, and it only made sense that Effie and George were related, given their interactions so far.
AMUSING FACTS ABOUT THE REGENCY ERA
- Several times throughout the book, Effie recites nursery rhymes while she is doing chores, or else to calm herself down. Regency era servants (and servants as far back as the medieval era) often used nursery rhymes to time their tasks. There are actual recipes from the era which say things like "recite 5 Hail Marys while you heat the sauce, stirring all the while".
- There are several references to church in Ten Thousand Stitches. First-hand accounts by servants during the period detail what a relief church was for them, since it was a mandated break from their duties every Sunday. In some accounts, servants didn't even get to set foot outside of the house until Sunday, when they finally had the chance to breathe fresh air during the walk to church.
- As a corollary to this: many servants in the Regency era were deeply depressed, and there may have been a physical component to this. Around this time, the idea that servants should be invisible was in style, and homes were intentionally built to keep servants sequestered in the attic or underground. As a result, servants rarely saw sunlight, and many of them almost certainly suffered from extreme vitamin D deficiency.
- At one point, Cookie advises that I am delighted to tell you that this was a real Regency era remedy, and
- During this period, footmen had a reputation for being hired based on their looks; they were considered to be tall, lovely men with nice calves and almost no intelligence. At least one noble wrote that they hired two footmen at once by lining up all of the candidates and choosing the two who were closest in height, so that they would match aesthetically when flanking a doorway on either side. Similarly, housekeepers had a reputation for taking on airs, while butlers had a reputation for being drunkards. The latter had a grain of truth: butlers held the key to the wine cellar, and were therefore capable of sneaking drinks from the good stuff.
- As is mentioned in the book, Regency ladies often passed down old gowns to their servants, in order to make room in their wardrobe for new gowns of the latest style. Given how expensive all clothing was during this period, maids would indeed wear these old gowns during their work for lack of other options, and were watched suspiciously for signs that they had grown too fond of their fancy clothing. In the Victorian era, maids would eventually be forced into the uniforms we now associate with the profession, rather than being given leave to choose their own clothing and wear their employers' cast-off gowns.
- Because many of our surviving historical records tend to favour the upper class, one of the single most difficult questions I had to research for this book was what an average Regency maid for a country estate might wear to bed. As always, while my own research took two days and produced exactly nothing, my historical nitpicker magically provided the answer after five minutes: even in a stingy household such as Hartfield, Effie's employers would be obliged to provide her with a housecoat for the winter months. It would simply be the only housecoat they ever gave her, no matter how threadbare it got.
INTENSELY AWFUL FACTS ABOUT REGENCY ERA SERVANTS
- During the course of my research for this book, I read several firsthand accounts of servant life during the era. Most of it was so outrageously awful that I had to tone it down in order to keep things... relatively family friendly. Other events were so ridiculous that I knew I'd be accused of writing cardboard villains if I included them. Some of these things are mentioned below, but please be forewarned that trigger warnings for sexual assault are appropriate.
- The language that employers used to describe their servants in letters to one another was flagrantly patronising. Employers in the Regency era saw their servants as amoral, unruly children who would indulge in endless sin unless they were taken stringently in hand. This perception is mostly why male and female servants were separated into different sleeping areas, why servants had almost no expectation of privacy, and why employers punished perceived moral slights as though they had parental authority. Servants were not allowed to be married or engage in relationships, and any sign that they were in a romantic relationship—even with another servant—was grounds for dismissal. Many servants therefore left service as soon as they decided they wanted a relationship and/or a family of their own.
- Burnout among servants was extremely common. Most servants didn't last more than a few years in the job, despite its relative perks. Servants deciding to loyally serve the same family for more than one generation may make for a lovely Regency story, but while this did sometimes happen, the overwhelming reality was that the work was so gruelling and the employers so callous that the job regularly broke people.
- Male employers often presumed that sexual favours were part of the job description for female servants. Rape and coercion were extremely common. To make matters worse, pregnant servants were almost always dismissed in disgrace and left to fend for themselves—sometimes after being coerced into intimacy with their own employer.
- On a lighter note, Lady Culver's insistence that her maids pretend to be French is taken from a real firsthand account. French maids were considered to be a mark of class, but real French maids could command a higher salary because of this. As such, at least one actual English noblewoman demanded that her English maids put on a fake accent and pretend to be French.
FUN FACTS ABOUT TEN THOUSAND STITCHES
- The first scene I wrote of this book was . I changed where I was actually going to begin the book at least four times. Whole scenes were written and discarded until I finally settled on starting the book properly from
- Though I did plenty of research on Regency era servants specifically, much of Effie's emotional experience with her employers is drawn directly from my time working in retail and as a barista. I have since learned that I can use the book as a litmus test to see who's worked an "unskilled" customer-facing job before. White collar workers tend to be sceptical that bosses would "really act like that", while most other food and retail workers start offering me recountings of midnight phone calls and bizarre workplace demands.
- In a perfect example of "things everyone should surely know but I only found out late in life", I had no idea that Oranges and Lemons had a tune to go with it until my original audiobook narrator sang the song for me. Oddly, I recognised the melody, but had never managed to connect it to the poem before. (Yes, you may roast me now.)
- Originally, George was just a fellow servant, rather than being Effie's brother. Halfway through the first draft, however, I asked myself how Effie had been hired on at Hartfield in the first place, and the obvious answer clicked into place. Regency era servants often recommended family members for jobs in the same household, and it only made sense that Effie and George were related, given their interactions so far.
AMUSING FACTS ABOUT THE REGENCY ERA
- Several times throughout the book, Effie recites nursery rhymes while she is doing chores, or else to calm herself down. Regency era servants (and servants as far back as the medieval era) often used nursery rhymes to time their tasks. There are actual recipes from the era which say things like "recite 5 Hail Marys while you heat the sauce, stirring all the while".
- There are several references to church in Ten Thousand Stitches. First-hand accounts by servants during the period detail what a relief church was for them, since it was a mandated break from their duties every Sunday. In some accounts, servants didn't even get to set foot outside of the house until Sunday, when they finally had the chance to breathe fresh air during the walk to church.
- As a corollary to this: many servants in the Regency era were deeply depressed, and there may have been a physical component to this. Around this time, the idea that servants should be invisible was in style, and homes were intentionally built to keep servants sequestered in the attic or underground. As a result, servants rarely saw sunlight, and many of them almost certainly suffered from extreme vitamin D deficiency.
- At one point, Cookie advises that I am delighted to tell you that this was a real Regency era remedy, and
- During this period, footmen had a reputation for being hired based on their looks; they were considered to be tall, lovely men with nice calves and almost no intelligence. At least one noble wrote that they hired two footmen at once by lining up all of the candidates and choosing the two who were closest in height, so that they would match aesthetically when flanking a doorway on either side. Similarly, housekeepers had a reputation for taking on airs, while butlers had a reputation for being drunkards. The latter had a grain of truth: butlers held the key to the wine cellar, and were therefore capable of sneaking drinks from the good stuff.
- As is mentioned in the book, Regency ladies often passed down old gowns to their servants, in order to make room in their wardrobe for new gowns of the latest style. Given how expensive all clothing was during this period, maids would indeed wear these old gowns during their work for lack of other options, and were watched suspiciously for signs that they had grown too fond of their fancy clothing. In the Victorian era, maids would eventually be forced into the uniforms we now associate with the profession, rather than being given leave to choose their own clothing and wear their employers' cast-off gowns.
- Because many of our surviving historical records tend to favour the upper class, one of the single most difficult questions I had to research for this book was what an average Regency maid for a country estate might wear to bed. As always, while my own research took two days and produced exactly nothing, my historical nitpicker magically provided the answer after five minutes: even in a stingy household such as Hartfield, Effie's employers would be obliged to provide her with a housecoat for the winter months. It would simply be the only housecoat they ever gave her, no matter how threadbare it got.
INTENSELY AWFUL FACTS ABOUT REGENCY ERA SERVANTS
- During the course of my research for this book, I read several firsthand accounts of servant life during the era. Most of it was so outrageously awful that I had to tone it down in order to keep things... relatively family friendly. Other events were so ridiculous that I knew I'd be accused of writing cardboard villains if I included them. Some of these things are mentioned below, but please be forewarned that trigger warnings for sexual assault are appropriate.
- The language that employers used to describe their servants in letters to one another was flagrantly patronising. Employers in the Regency era saw their servants as amoral, unruly children who would indulge in endless sin unless they were taken stringently in hand. This perception is mostly why male and female servants were separated into different sleeping areas, why servants had almost no expectation of privacy, and why employers punished perceived moral slights as though they had parental authority. Servants were not allowed to be married or engage in relationships, and any sign that they were in a romantic relationship—even with another servant—was grounds for dismissal. Many servants therefore left service as soon as they decided they wanted a relationship and/or a family of their own.
- Burnout among servants was extremely common. Most servants didn't last more than a few years in the job, despite its relative perks. Servants deciding to loyally serve the same family for more than one generation may make for a lovely Regency story, but while this did sometimes happen, the overwhelming reality was that the work was so gruelling and the employers so callous that the job regularly broke people.
- Male employers often presumed that sexual favours were part of the job description for female servants. Rape and coercion were extremely common. To make matters worse, pregnant servants were almost always dismissed in disgrace and left to fend for themselves—sometimes after being coerced into intimacy with their own employer.
- On a lighter note, Lady Culver's insistence that her maids pretend to be French is taken from a real firsthand account. French maids were considered to be a mark of class, but real French maids could command a higher salary because of this. As such, at least one actual English noblewoman demanded that her English maids put on a fake accent and pretend to be French.
Read
July 18, 2021Delightful Regency fairy tale (the old dangerous kind not the Disney kind) with a servant girl who thinks she wants to marry the handsome gentleman. Actually about kindness, and justice, and righteous anger. Effie is a very relatable angry heroine, and Lord Blackthorn the world's greatest elf. A thorough pleasure, enormous fun. (Though lots of American in the dialogue, which is jarring).
November 17, 2020
Charming, gentle, innocent, fragrant (in a sense, as you’ll see) - I’m groping for adjectives in the least used parts of my reviewing toolbox to describe this fun story. No need at all for dark, gritty, grimy, harsh, bloody to be dug out for this read! And I thoroughly enjoyed this different variety of fantasy fiction to that which I commonly read.
It’s probably accessible for all ages, although it is mainly for YA and older; an innocent enough magical tale for kids but also some telling observations on life for the adults. It is fundamentally a romance, seen from the female protagonist’s angle, though not a sentimental or yucky one! Some thoughtful comments on love and relationships for sure.
This book is a follow on from volume 1 in the series (Half a Soul), although a rather different story, about a poor embittered maid in a Regency era country mansion. It uses some of the ‘world building’ from volume 1, so it’s worth reading in order. This is a romance of sorts but not of the type of volume 1, which paid tongue-in-cheek homage to Jane Austen. The author’s ‘Afterword’ links it more to a Cinderella tale. The female lead is very well drawn and the clever plot avoids the obvious paths that seem to be set up for her to better her lowly position. I’ll say no more on the magical plot, although it involves horrible aristocratic owners, haughty housekeepers and Faerie folk.
If there’s a moral to the tale it’s that being very angry about injustice is a Good Thing! Also a special call out for the last few pages, where you find out how all the major characters end up.
I’ve really enjoyed these gentle Regency Faerie Stories by this author. Sometimes it’s good to read Nice books when the real world seems rather dark and dreary. I hope she writes more in the same vein. I’m a fan. A shame that, according to the list of GR reviews, I’m one of the very few male readers!
It’s probably accessible for all ages, although it is mainly for YA and older; an innocent enough magical tale for kids but also some telling observations on life for the adults. It is fundamentally a romance, seen from the female protagonist’s angle, though not a sentimental or yucky one! Some thoughtful comments on love and relationships for sure.
This book is a follow on from volume 1 in the series (Half a Soul), although a rather different story, about a poor embittered maid in a Regency era country mansion. It uses some of the ‘world building’ from volume 1, so it’s worth reading in order. This is a romance of sorts but not of the type of volume 1, which paid tongue-in-cheek homage to Jane Austen. The author’s ‘Afterword’ links it more to a Cinderella tale. The female lead is very well drawn and the clever plot avoids the obvious paths that seem to be set up for her to better her lowly position. I’ll say no more on the magical plot, although it involves horrible aristocratic owners, haughty housekeepers and Faerie folk.
If there’s a moral to the tale it’s that being very angry about injustice is a Good Thing! Also a special call out for the last few pages, where you find out how all the major characters end up.
I’ve really enjoyed these gentle Regency Faerie Stories by this author. Sometimes it’s good to read Nice books when the real world seems rather dark and dreary. I hope she writes more in the same vein. I’m a fan. A shame that, according to the list of GR reviews, I’m one of the very few male readers!
January 24, 2024
The second book in the Regency Faerie Tales series, I ended up enjoying this book way more than I thought I would.
Effie, a housemaid, has fallen in love with a man well above her station. When Effie bumps into fae Lord Blackthorn, she is hesitant to accept any help from him knowing deals with the fae don't always go as planned. But Effie makes the deal to become a lady, and must give him ten thousand stiches in return.
This book focused on inequities of the time it's set, much like the first book. But having this book set from the perspective of a maid showed more of the downstairs viewpoints than the first novel did. Lord Blackthorn was a fun character and I loved seeing the dynamic of him and Effie since the two were so different. Despite focusing on serious issues this is also a fun romantic series and I'm excited to read the third book.
Effie, a housemaid, has fallen in love with a man well above her station. When Effie bumps into fae Lord Blackthorn, she is hesitant to accept any help from him knowing deals with the fae don't always go as planned. But Effie makes the deal to become a lady, and must give him ten thousand stiches in return.
This book focused on inequities of the time it's set, much like the first book. But having this book set from the perspective of a maid showed more of the downstairs viewpoints than the first novel did. Lord Blackthorn was a fun character and I loved seeing the dynamic of him and Effie since the two were so different. Despite focusing on serious issues this is also a fun romantic series and I'm excited to read the third book.
October 10, 2020
The beginning of this book was quite a surprise; compared to the first of the series (both of these can be read entirely as a stand-alone) it's all very zippy about it's romantic intentions. It screamed fairy tale retelling, what with the sudden romantic idealism between two characters we'd scarcely met. So far, so sweet and fluffy, I thought. Well-written, engaging and suitably magical, but maybe not as much fun as the first.
Dear reader, I was wrong.
It is a fairy tale retelling, and it does start on a far lighter note than the preceding novel. Yet it isn't the story you think it's going to be. Not even the wonderfully knowing foreshadowing could quite convince me of how it could end in the way it had to. But by that end I had a smile on my face as wide as any Cheshire cat. It's not just you average romance, it's a clever social commentary and emotional examination threaded through with an undertone of imaginative magic.
The story starts with a maid, Effie Reeves, working her stockings off at the short-staffed Hartfield estate. It is there that she falls into the path of Benedict Ashbrook, youngest son of the family who's just returned from a jaunt around Europe. He's handsome and, most shockingly of all, considerate (wouldn't you fall for a pretty face who knew to take muddied boots off at the door?) When Effie happens upon a mysterious faerie named Lord Blackwood looking to do good deeds, her daydreams of marrying the handsome baron's son could come true. This maid will go to the ball... But when the fae are involved things don't often turn out quite as one would expect.
I loved Effie, the spirited maid-slash-seamstress whose righteous anger propels the story along. Her down-to-earth attitude complemented the flighty Blackthorn perfectly as the two worked on their unusual plans. He's such an over the top character, full of a puppy-dog kind of enthusiasm and innocence that makes his fae ways somewhat less creepy than expected (though no less bizarre). Side characters including the rest of the household staff and family got plenty of time to establish themselves as complex personalities, and you could never feel complacent that you knew all the facts about them. They provide so many unexpected twists and turns that it keeps the more standard fairy tale romance plot infused with moments that leave you reeling.
The romance is one of those simmering under the surface ones. It's obvious to all but our blinkered heroine, but the joy of reading it is just waiting for her to understand what it is she feels and why. It's not all cute and fluffy stuff, but it's deeper than your average retelling. It also plays with expectations so much - while I was just nodding along for the first half of the book, it's in the second where things really start turning back to that slightly twisted faerie logic and the reveals make you look at everyone in a new light. It makes the ending all the more satisfying; I dare you not to air punch at the cheeky epilogue where we learn the fates of our favourite characters. It also highlights this story's more realistic approach to addressing complex ideas of human nature, social justice and what really makes someone fall in love.
This may be part two of a series, but you don't need to know anything of book one to enjoy it (although there is a role for one Lady Hollowvale whose story is well worth the read with Half A Soul). As a reader with a brain like a sieve, not remembering the exact details wasn't a barrier to enjoying this one.
Overall, while it didn't have quite the same quirky originality and Emma Newman-ish-ness of book one, I still really rather enjoyed it for it's different take on the psychology of love and the class divide.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dear reader, I was wrong.
It is a fairy tale retelling, and it does start on a far lighter note than the preceding novel. Yet it isn't the story you think it's going to be. Not even the wonderfully knowing foreshadowing could quite convince me of how it could end in the way it had to. But by that end I had a smile on my face as wide as any Cheshire cat. It's not just you average romance, it's a clever social commentary and emotional examination threaded through with an undertone of imaginative magic.
The story starts with a maid, Effie Reeves, working her stockings off at the short-staffed Hartfield estate. It is there that she falls into the path of Benedict Ashbrook, youngest son of the family who's just returned from a jaunt around Europe. He's handsome and, most shockingly of all, considerate (wouldn't you fall for a pretty face who knew to take muddied boots off at the door?) When Effie happens upon a mysterious faerie named Lord Blackwood looking to do good deeds, her daydreams of marrying the handsome baron's son could come true. This maid will go to the ball... But when the fae are involved things don't often turn out quite as one would expect.
I loved Effie, the spirited maid-slash-seamstress whose righteous anger propels the story along. Her down-to-earth attitude complemented the flighty Blackthorn perfectly as the two worked on their unusual plans. He's such an over the top character, full of a puppy-dog kind of enthusiasm and innocence that makes his fae ways somewhat less creepy than expected (though no less bizarre). Side characters including the rest of the household staff and family got plenty of time to establish themselves as complex personalities, and you could never feel complacent that you knew all the facts about them. They provide so many unexpected twists and turns that it keeps the more standard fairy tale romance plot infused with moments that leave you reeling.
The romance is one of those simmering under the surface ones. It's obvious to all but our blinkered heroine, but the joy of reading it is just waiting for her to understand what it is she feels and why. It's not all cute and fluffy stuff, but it's deeper than your average retelling. It also plays with expectations so much - while I was just nodding along for the first half of the book, it's in the second where things really start turning back to that slightly twisted faerie logic and the reveals make you look at everyone in a new light. It makes the ending all the more satisfying; I dare you not to air punch at the cheeky epilogue where we learn the fates of our favourite characters. It also highlights this story's more realistic approach to addressing complex ideas of human nature, social justice and what really makes someone fall in love.
This may be part two of a series, but you don't need to know anything of book one to enjoy it (although there is a role for one Lady Hollowvale whose story is well worth the read with Half A Soul). As a reader with a brain like a sieve, not remembering the exact details wasn't a barrier to enjoying this one.
Overall, while it didn't have quite the same quirky originality and Emma Newman-ish-ness of book one, I still really rather enjoyed it for it's different take on the psychology of love and the class divide.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 11, 2022
Ten Thousand Stitches is very different from Half a Soul, and that's something I always find so interesting in series. The world is still the same, but the main characters couldn't be more distinct. I'll say this : Half a Soul felt like it was written with a reader like me in mind, as it features a few tropes/character types that I hold dear. For the longest time, I believed that Ten Thousand Stitches—a Cinderella retelling, besides!— wouldn't compare, even though I was enjoying it. In the end however, it gave me a story I didn't know I needed, and I'll treasure it just as much, for different reasons:
▪ it's full of wonder and so wholesome with a distinct fairytale feel
▪ did you say EAT THE RICH 🔥🔥🔥
▪ the romance is softer and made me smile so big
▪ juniper jubilee is such a kind, adorable love interest 🥺 welcome in my #MustBeProtectedAtAllCost club 🖤
Looking forward to the next book in the series (it's sapphic!!!!!!!!)
▪ it's full of wonder and so wholesome with a distinct fairytale feel
▪ did you say EAT THE RICH 🔥🔥🔥
▪ the romance is softer and made me smile so big
▪ juniper jubilee is such a kind, adorable love interest 🥺 welcome in my #MustBeProtectedAtAllCost club 🖤
Looking forward to the next book in the series (it's sapphic!!!!!!!!)
September 16, 2024
One of the hilarious yet fabulous aspects of re-reading books I read in 2020 is finding that I don't remember them at all, and can now read them again FOR THE FIRST TIME. Also, I love this chaotic faerie himbo / grumpy practical girl pairing so much. If you haven't read this series, I don't know what you're waiting for.
August 8, 2021
The eat the rich of faerie tales. This one focuses on a maid who is very good at stitching and a faerie who is not very good at helping. Together they both try to help each other through a deal where the faerie helps her marry a gentleman she’s in love with and where she embroiders the world’s most beautiful coat in return. But only because a faerie must ask for something in return you see! He wouldn’t otherwise- because he wants to learn how to be virtuous. Really virtuous, human style. Unfortunately his attempts cause many mishaps and hjinx ensue. And he is wholly charming at it!
I honestly just found this too preachy to be as absorbing or lovely as the first one. I felt lectured to and hectored rather than swept away - especially as the story went on. There’s something stern about it’s morality. Stern and self-approving and hard backed chair Protestant which my Catholic raised soul has never responded to. It dissipates when Blackthorn the faerie is about, or in the Lady Hollowvale scenes and the ones with the lovely neighbor guy- Mr Jessen I think his name was- that I wished we’d had a book about instead. I’d loved to have read his and Lydia’s story. I just… I dunno, I agree with the politics in theory I just can’t take it that far up into my face.
Ah well- perhaps the magic will return in 3?
I honestly just found this too preachy to be as absorbing or lovely as the first one. I felt lectured to and hectored rather than swept away - especially as the story went on. There’s something stern about it’s morality. Stern and self-approving and hard backed chair Protestant which my Catholic raised soul has never responded to. It dissipates when Blackthorn the faerie is about, or in the Lady Hollowvale scenes and the ones with the lovely neighbor guy- Mr Jessen I think his name was- that I wished we’d had a book about instead. I’d loved to have read his and Lydia’s story. I just… I dunno, I agree with the politics in theory I just can’t take it that far up into my face.
Ah well- perhaps the magic will return in 3?
May 17, 2022
↠ 4 stars
Euphemia Reeves has encountered quite the inconvenient problem in that she has fallen in love with the son of a gentleman. As a housemaid for the gentleman in question, Effie is out of luck on how to proceed, but when she finds herself drawn into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, she finds an unexpected solution. Lord Blackthorn is a benefactor, more than willing to help Effie in her venture, for a trade of one thousand stitches sewn into his favorite jacket. With just one hundred days to convince Benedict Ashbrooke to propose, Effie is on the clock. Her mind made up, nothing will stop her in her quest for love, not even Lord Blackthorns' insistent meddling.
Ten Thousand Stitches is a Cinderella retelling with a twist of regency romance in the best way possible. With an underlying air of kindness and charm grounding the entire story, Atwater infuses such heart into the second installment of her regency faerie tales. Unlike its predecessor, Ten Thousand Stitches focuses more heavily on class structure and the lives of servants working behind the scenes for the great families of England. Effie is one of my favorite historical romance heroines thus far, seriously stubborn and determined to find love no matter the cost. Jubilee/Lord Blackthorn made this romance all the more amusing, and his constant need to meddle eventually worked its way into my heart. Ten Thousand Stitches is a romance that carries as much depth in the commentary, as it excels at being incredibly heartwarming, and it made me fall in love with retellings all over again.
Trigger warnings: domestic abuse
Euphemia Reeves has encountered quite the inconvenient problem in that she has fallen in love with the son of a gentleman. As a housemaid for the gentleman in question, Effie is out of luck on how to proceed, but when she finds herself drawn into the faerie realm of Lord Blackthorn, she finds an unexpected solution. Lord Blackthorn is a benefactor, more than willing to help Effie in her venture, for a trade of one thousand stitches sewn into his favorite jacket. With just one hundred days to convince Benedict Ashbrooke to propose, Effie is on the clock. Her mind made up, nothing will stop her in her quest for love, not even Lord Blackthorns' insistent meddling.
Ten Thousand Stitches is a Cinderella retelling with a twist of regency romance in the best way possible. With an underlying air of kindness and charm grounding the entire story, Atwater infuses such heart into the second installment of her regency faerie tales. Unlike its predecessor, Ten Thousand Stitches focuses more heavily on class structure and the lives of servants working behind the scenes for the great families of England. Effie is one of my favorite historical romance heroines thus far, seriously stubborn and determined to find love no matter the cost. Jubilee/Lord Blackthorn made this romance all the more amusing, and his constant need to meddle eventually worked its way into my heart. Ten Thousand Stitches is a romance that carries as much depth in the commentary, as it excels at being incredibly heartwarming, and it made me fall in love with retellings all over again.
Trigger warnings: domestic abuse
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June 7, 2023DNF @ 35%. I loooooooved the first one and I knew this didn’t follow the same couple but hoped it would still be as charming as the first. I started this via ebook and kind of soft DNFd and then I got the audio and tried to listen as long as I could but I wasn’t interested. It wasn’t giving me cozy or whimsy and I just didn’t care.
September 28, 2024
“If anger never helped, then why would you have it at all? Some humans are born with extra fingers or toes, yes, but all of you are born with at least a little bit of anger. It must do something of use.”
“Oh no,” Effie said.
“Oh, thank God!” Lydia said.”
Stealing dresses as revenge for the poor
“I would not dare to lay claim to the title of maid,” he assured Effie. “I have not worked nearly hard enough to do so.”Two roads: be English / be French
Me and the fairy godfather I ca’t get rid off
her: Dude, where’s my boss?
Me, about to tell her I cursed her to sleep for one hundred years
Don’t make me wear dignity again please.
Putting orange peels up your nose with the gang
Fairies not knowing how to punish the fortunate
Lydia:
“A decently angry man?” Effie asked, bewildered.
“Have you looked around at the state of things lately?” Lady Hollowvale asked dryly. “Any really decent man ought to be angry, you’d think.”
Bring a maid out in the sunlight at least once a day
Abigail waiting for Lady Hollowvale to finish playing pianoforte
Juniper Jubilee inviting himself entering parties he’s not invited to
“Oh no,” Effie said.
“Oh, thank God!” Lydia said.”
Stealing dresses as revenge for the poor
“I would not dare to lay claim to the title of maid,” he assured Effie. “I have not worked nearly hard enough to do so.”Two roads: be English / be French
Me and the fairy godfather I ca’t get rid off
her: Dude, where’s my boss?
Me, about to tell her I cursed her to sleep for one hundred years
Don’t make me wear dignity again please.
Putting orange peels up your nose with the gang
Fairies not knowing how to punish the fortunate
Lydia:
“A decently angry man?” Effie asked, bewildered.
“Have you looked around at the state of things lately?” Lady Hollowvale asked dryly. “Any really decent man ought to be angry, you’d think.”
Bring a maid out in the sunlight at least once a day
Abigail waiting for Lady Hollowvale to finish playing pianoforte
Juniper Jubilee inviting himself entering parties he’s not invited to
May 3, 2024
olivia atwater's books are just exactly what i'm needing rn.
this book is a twist on the classic cinderella story with my fair lady added in. she covers a lot of her inspiration and thinking behind it in her notes after. i found it interesting, but i also loved her aversion to the idea that women need to be sweet and meek, and that anger can actually be a useful tool and motivator. that was something i quite liked as a theme in this book and book 1.
i thought the romance developed well and i found lord blackthorn particularly delightful.
“If anger never helped, then why would you have it at all? Some humans are born with extra fingers or toes, yes, but all of you are born with at least a little bit of anger. It must do something of use.”
“But nothing has a point!” Lord Blackthorn protested incredulously. “All of life is absurd to some extent or other!”
“Oh,” he said. “Yes, they… they are rather fragile, aren’t they?” He looked at her then, and Effie had the impression that he might not be thinking of the butterfly as he spoke.
this book is a twist on the classic cinderella story with my fair lady added in. she covers a lot of her inspiration and thinking behind it in her notes after. i found it interesting, but i also loved her aversion to the idea that women need to be sweet and meek, and that anger can actually be a useful tool and motivator. that was something i quite liked as a theme in this book and book 1.
i thought the romance developed well and i found lord blackthorn particularly delightful.
“If anger never helped, then why would you have it at all? Some humans are born with extra fingers or toes, yes, but all of you are born with at least a little bit of anger. It must do something of use.”
“But nothing has a point!” Lord Blackthorn protested incredulously. “All of life is absurd to some extent or other!”
“Oh,” he said. “Yes, they… they are rather fragile, aren’t they?” He looked at her then, and Effie had the impression that he might not be thinking of the butterfly as he spoke.
March 27, 2022
I went in expecting a romance but instead got a story about anger, class injustice and servants unionising in Atwater’s magical Regency England. I liked that story just fine - although it’s a very white, very heteronormative view of the issues - but I didn’t vibe with the central relationship between Effie, an exhausted maid, and the self-improving elf, Lord Blackthorn. Both characters seem so incredibly naive about love and relationships, not to mention sex (which, incidentally, is never mentioned), that I had to keep actively reminding myself they were both adults. It reads very much like a kids book for adults in that respect. It’s incredibly charming in the set-up and the window dressing, and it’s very affirming about eating the rich and amplifying the working class, but everything else feels distinctly flat and predictable. I wasn’t rooting for the relationship since there was so little of substance to latch on to.
April 18, 2023
3.75 rounded up to 4 for Goodreads
November 12, 2023
3.5-3.75*
Didn't quite have the same whimsical vibes of Dora & Elias' story but there is no denying how this read hits and made me *think* 🙃
I don't typically reach for Cinderella retellings but the author's note at the end struck a chord and settled certain puzzle pieces into place for me. I LOVED the way Ms Atwater chose to flip this trope on its head and leaned into the somewhat grimier underbelly that typical Cinderella retellings shy away from. Her use of the "angry woman" trope as a positive vs the typical negative stigma attached to these emotions in women was so masterfully done and the magic woven through this story was a subtly genius play that I've to hold my hands up and admit I totally missed it 🤗
The friendship between Effie & Lydia was a real highlight for me and really worked to balance out the rage induced by interactions with the family - despite the upstairs/downstairs slant to this story Downton Abbey this most certainly was not and despite my potentially perceived grumblings I LOVE that this is perhaps a more true to life storytelling minus y'know the faerie interactions obvs 🤭
Which brings me neatly on to Mr Jubilee, what a delightful character he is - therein lies the whimsy needed for cozy fantasy. He was just adorkable in his earnest yet haphasard quest to help. His interactions with Lydia and indeed many of the "humans" in this brought such a smile to my face. Blackthorn in Faerie is a testament to him.
I am so curious to see where book3 takes us, Abigail's hinted at story in the blurb ahead of the sneak peek preview chapter has me so intrigued that for once I did not read it and hope to devour her story in its entirety - hopefully in one go unlike this book which I had to read in multiple parts due to my poor time management 🙈
Didn't quite have the same whimsical vibes of Dora & Elias' story but there is no denying how this read hits and made me *think* 🙃
I don't typically reach for Cinderella retellings but the author's note at the end struck a chord and settled certain puzzle pieces into place for me. I LOVED the way Ms Atwater chose to flip this trope on its head and leaned into the somewhat grimier underbelly that typical Cinderella retellings shy away from. Her use of the "angry woman" trope as a positive vs the typical negative stigma attached to these emotions in women was so masterfully done and the magic woven through this story was a subtly genius play that I've to hold my hands up and admit I totally missed it 🤗
The friendship between Effie & Lydia was a real highlight for me and really worked to balance out the rage induced by interactions with the family - despite the upstairs/downstairs slant to this story Downton Abbey this most certainly was not and despite my potentially perceived grumblings I LOVE that this is perhaps a more true to life storytelling minus y'know the faerie interactions obvs 🤭
Which brings me neatly on to Mr Jubilee, what a delightful character he is - therein lies the whimsy needed for cozy fantasy. He was just adorkable in his earnest yet haphasard quest to help. His interactions with Lydia and indeed many of the "humans" in this brought such a smile to my face. Blackthorn in Faerie is a testament to him.
I am so curious to see where book3 takes us, Abigail's hinted at story in the blurb ahead of the sneak peek preview chapter has me so intrigued that for once I did not read it and hope to devour her story in its entirety - hopefully in one go unlike this book which I had to read in multiple parts due to my poor time management 🙈
July 28, 2022
4.5 stars
Ten Thousand Stitches, the heartwarmingly whimsical sequel to Olivia Atwater’s spellbinding regency romance, Half A Soul was absolutely charming (and delightfully quirky) Cinderella retelling that I absolutely LOVED!
It follows Euphemia ‘Effie’ Reeves an kindhearted but overworked housemaid to makes a bargain with a faerie to win the heart of the gentleman she’s hopelessly fallen in love with. Effie knows making wagers with fae can be dangerous, but life as a maid at Hartfield is awful and she’s willing to risk her immortal soul for a chance at something better.
Lord Blackthorn is only too eager to help if, in exchange she’ll sew Ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket. Now, she has a hundred days— and ten thousand stitches - to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn't wreck things by accident, that is. For the greatest obstacle to Effie’s happiness might well prove to be Lord Blackthorn's overwhelmingly good intentions.
I absolutely loved this! Having read (and absolutely loved) Half A Soul I was incredibly excited to get the change to dive right back into this whimsical regency world once again and I especially enjoyed getting to see the eccentric Lord Blackthorn once again.
Like Half A Soul, Olivia Atwater’s unique and witty regency retelling of Cinderella was charming and throughly unique, delving into issues surrounding social justice whilst exploring anger, virtue, happiness, and love.
I loved soo many of the characters but I have to say Lord Blackthorn definitely stole my heart with his enthusiastic joy and sincerity as he strives to become a better person. Though, this cinnamon roll faerie godfather’s helpfulness doesn’t always workout (unintentionally causing more problems than he solves.) But, his enthusiasm is soo infectious that even Effie cannot stay mad for long.
Likewise, I also loved our protagonist, Effie is a kindhearted and strong-willed maid worked to exhaustion by her employers—I really enjoyed watching her grow in confidence and learn to stand up for herself as the story unfolds. I loved her scenes with Lord Blackthorn, the friendship that grows between them was absolutely wonderful. The one downside is that we don’t explore the relationship and growing feelings between Blackthorn and Effie nearly as much as I hope we would but otherwise a really fully, lighthearted and throughly enjoyable read.
It is the second book in the Regency Faerie Tales series, but as it’s a separate story from the first you can enjoy this as a standalone (though I definitely still recommend reading book one as it’s really good.)
So, if your looking for a Downton-esque, Studio Ghibli rendition of Cinderella set in an alternate regency England then you definitely have to give this a read, it’s absolutely delightful!
Also, a huge thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the e-arc.
Ten Thousand Stitches, the heartwarmingly whimsical sequel to Olivia Atwater’s spellbinding regency romance, Half A Soul was absolutely charming (and delightfully quirky) Cinderella retelling that I absolutely LOVED!
It follows Euphemia ‘Effie’ Reeves an kindhearted but overworked housemaid to makes a bargain with a faerie to win the heart of the gentleman she’s hopelessly fallen in love with. Effie knows making wagers with fae can be dangerous, but life as a maid at Hartfield is awful and she’s willing to risk her immortal soul for a chance at something better.
Lord Blackthorn is only too eager to help if, in exchange she’ll sew Ten thousand stitches onto his favourite jacket. Now, she has a hundred days— and ten thousand stitches - to make Mr Ashbrooke fall in love and propose. . . if Lord Blackthorn doesn't wreck things by accident, that is. For the greatest obstacle to Effie’s happiness might well prove to be Lord Blackthorn's overwhelmingly good intentions.
I absolutely loved this! Having read (and absolutely loved) Half A Soul I was incredibly excited to get the change to dive right back into this whimsical regency world once again and I especially enjoyed getting to see the eccentric Lord Blackthorn once again.
Like Half A Soul, Olivia Atwater’s unique and witty regency retelling of Cinderella was charming and throughly unique, delving into issues surrounding social justice whilst exploring anger, virtue, happiness, and love.
I loved soo many of the characters but I have to say Lord Blackthorn definitely stole my heart with his enthusiastic joy and sincerity as he strives to become a better person. Though, this cinnamon roll faerie godfather’s helpfulness doesn’t always workout (unintentionally causing more problems than he solves.) But, his enthusiasm is soo infectious that even Effie cannot stay mad for long.
Likewise, I also loved our protagonist, Effie is a kindhearted and strong-willed maid worked to exhaustion by her employers—I really enjoyed watching her grow in confidence and learn to stand up for herself as the story unfolds. I loved her scenes with Lord Blackthorn, the friendship that grows between them was absolutely wonderful. The one downside is that we don’t explore the relationship and growing feelings between Blackthorn and Effie nearly as much as I hope we would but otherwise a really fully, lighthearted and throughly enjoyable read.
It is the second book in the Regency Faerie Tales series, but as it’s a separate story from the first you can enjoy this as a standalone (though I definitely still recommend reading book one as it’s really good.)
So, if your looking for a Downton-esque, Studio Ghibli rendition of Cinderella set in an alternate regency England then you definitely have to give this a read, it’s absolutely delightful!
Also, a huge thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the e-arc.
August 8, 2023
I initially gave this four stars, but you know what? I'm bumping it up. There's definitely a little bit of right person, right time going on here, but this was a five star read for me. This HIT as a person in my mid-twenties, burned out, aimless, and disillusioned with the prospect of working until I die. I think this did for me what ACOTAR did for other people.
Effie and Lord Blackthorn were literally perfect protagonists. I'm so over the edgy, grumpy male love interest: give me a man who's kind, curious, interested in improving himself and learning about the world and the people around him. Blackthorn's bumbling quest to understand English virtue was incredibly sweet and endearing. (He actually reminded me a bit of a more genuine and sincere version of Bambleby from Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, which I also loved.) Effie, on the other hand, was the perfect vehicle for the series' overarching themes of anger not as a moral failure but as an essential tool toward righting systemic wrongs: an ethical person in an unethical society MUST be angry.
Effie and Lord Blackthorn were literally perfect protagonists. I'm so over the edgy, grumpy male love interest: give me a man who's kind, curious, interested in improving himself and learning about the world and the people around him. Blackthorn's bumbling quest to understand English virtue was incredibly sweet and endearing. (He actually reminded me a bit of a more genuine and sincere version of Bambleby from Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, which I also loved.) Effie, on the other hand, was the perfect vehicle for the series' overarching themes of anger not as a moral failure but as an essential tool toward righting systemic wrongs: an ethical person in an unethical society MUST be angry.
February 21, 2024
4.25 stars. I enjoyed this even more than Atwater's debut novel, Half a Soul. Ten Thousand Stitches has the same charm, heart, and cleverness, but the plot holds together better, all the way through to the conclusion. I also liked the focus on the lives of servants and issues of class struggle. Atwater strikes a good balance between humor, whimsy, and more serious themes. I look forward to her next book.
June 16, 2021
I am really impressed by this author so far. The class critique/servant anger storyline is terrific.
May 20, 2021
Even though it's full of charming moments, Ten Thousand Stitches suffers from much the same problems as its predecessor: a story that takes too long to truly get going, falsely suggesting at a mildly problematic premise that makes it more challenging for the reader to invest in the story, all for the sake of a later subversion, an intense focus on class struggles that jives poorly with the loose approach to historical accuracy, oddly unsympathetic treatment of certain minor characters.
While I had a hard time warming up to Effie (and lost patience with her several times throughout the story) because of her eagle eyes for every inch of her own woe and utter myopia when it came to anyone else's problems, it was when she chewed out poor Miss Buxley (and the story clearly sided with Effie) that I really stopped caring about her. Miss Buxley had never done a thing to Effie except dare to speak to a man that Effie was also interested in and try to attract his attention - that and happen to be born into a different social class than Effie.
This is a long rant, but these are the reasons that this book frustrated me so much. It is SO focused on the protagonist's specific grievances that it doesn't even notice the double standards and hypocrisy. Effie complains very bitterly that "no one" sees her or treats her like a person - but it's very clear that she has many people in her life who see her and treat her like a person - her brother, her friend Lydia, Mrs. Sedgewick (who tries to have a friendly conversation with her even when she's dead tired and gets cold shouldered for her trouble, and who doesn't fire her for disappearing from her job for several days with no explanation), and Mr. Allen. But Effie doesn't seem to count them, or any of the other servants. It's almost like SHE doesn't see the servants as people either, and craves the attention of the upper class because they're the only ones who are real to her.
Also, why the heck was Effie ever wearing a fancy embroidered gown that a lady would feel comfortable going to a daytime party in to clean and make fires?
While I had a hard time warming up to Effie (and lost patience with her several times throughout the story) because of her eagle eyes for every inch of her own woe and utter myopia when it came to anyone else's problems, it was when she chewed out poor Miss Buxley (and the story clearly sided with Effie) that I really stopped caring about her. Miss Buxley had never done a thing to Effie except dare to speak to a man that Effie was also interested in and try to attract his attention - that and happen to be born into a different social class than Effie.
This is a long rant, but these are the reasons that this book frustrated me so much. It is SO focused on the protagonist's specific grievances that it doesn't even notice the double standards and hypocrisy. Effie complains very bitterly that "no one" sees her or treats her like a person - but it's very clear that she has many people in her life who see her and treat her like a person - her brother, her friend Lydia, Mrs. Sedgewick (who tries to have a friendly conversation with her even when she's dead tired and gets cold shouldered for her trouble, and who doesn't fire her for disappearing from her job for several days with no explanation), and Mr. Allen. But Effie doesn't seem to count them, or any of the other servants. It's almost like SHE doesn't see the servants as people either, and craves the attention of the upper class because they're the only ones who are real to her.
Also, why the heck was Effie ever wearing a fancy embroidered gown that a lady would feel comfortable going to a daytime party in to clean and make fires?
December 23, 2022
Very sweet Cinderella like regency story I loved every moment of it
April 1, 2022
This book actually worked far less well for me than the first in the series, though I get the impression that the reverse is true for most people.
There were a few things that I did really appreciate. One is the setup: Effie is a maid in a wealthy household who falls instantly in love with the youngest brother of the family, Benedict. She enlists the help of an elf (Lord Blackthorn, her eventual love interest) with a penchant for meddling in human affairs, to help her land her man. The wager: Lord Blackthorn will turn Effie into a lady- he'll give her proper elocution, beautiful clothes, cast a spell on her so everyone receives her as an upper-class woman of quality. In return? For every hour Effie spends as a lady, she must add a stitch to an embroidered jacket for Lord Blackthorn. And if she fails to get a proposal out of Benedict, she becomes Lord Blackthorn's servant in faerie for life.
This is a *delicious* setup. I love a Pygmalion adaptation, and I extra-love "I'm helping you fall in love with someone else, and along the way I fell in love with you, and now I must pine." Sadly the book never really exploits this for its tropey romance value, but I liked it as a premise nonetheless.
I also loved Lord Blackthorn as a character. He's an absolute ray of sunshine, always curious about how human beings work, unashamed of his emotions, desperate to please others and improve himself as a person. He might be one of the least-toxically-masculine romance heroes I've ever read. Which makes it all the more interesting that there are still moments where he unconsciously wields privilege in a damaging way. Often his attempts to "help" go awry because he lacks understanding of the specific social and class pressures faced by a young woman working as a maid: and he has to deal with the fact that his inherent privilege often divorces his intentions from the effects of his actions. It's quite cleverly observed.
And there's a lovely thematic thread about anger: how one person's anger can "infect" others, and how in situations of oppression, shared collective anger can actually be a good thing. I adored that as a theme.
That's... about the end of what worked for me, though.
Effie is an angry heroine, and I LOVE an angry heroine, but she's also incredibly naive. The extent to which Effie only seemed to *discover* injustice, anger, and class discrimination within the span of this short story, when she's in her 20s and has been a maid all her life, just strained belief for me. It must be difficult to write characters who feel like they have an entire life's worth of experiences behind them, while still saving all the important growth and revelations for the pages of the actual novel, and this one kind of failed on that count.
I also had a really, really hard time buying the romance. There's so little page space devoted to it. And even what's there... it's not clear at all to me that what Effie and Blackthorn feel is romantic love or attraction? (The book even leaves it pretty open-ended whether Lord Blackthorn, as an elf, is able to feel love at all. I'm all for open-endedness, and for two people learning that they might not put the word "love" to the same emotions. But I needed that to be addressed more). Both Effie and Lord Blackthorn seemed so young, so naive, and such strangers to their own emotions, that I had SUCH a hard time understanding why their story ended in marriage rather than any of the other equally valid relationship configurations two people who enjoy each other's company can elect to engage in. Except "fairy tale/romance reasons."
Finally, and this is just a personal pet peeve, but what is Goodreads for if not your personal pet peeves... all the servants speak like this:
I do not mind the phonetic representation of accents or other (for lack of a better word) "nonstandard" ways of speaking. Done well, I think it can say a LOT about how the way we speak changes the way others perceive us. But what happened here... was not that. Why do all the servants sound exactly the same? That alone struck me as an extremely hasty shorthand for " these characters are the poor ones." I imagine this stylistic flourish was inserted into the book to dramatize the moment where Effie drinks a potion and gets her final "g" s back and becomes a "lady." But, I dunno. Either commit to having the way she speaks be something integral to our experience of her as readers, or just tell us her accent changed and let us imagine it for ourselves.
So, all in all.. I don't know. I still enjoyed reading this? The world-building is gentle, and the themes are truly original (though, once again, as with Book 1 I'd have loved to see the social critique include any awareness of imperialism). But it just didn't work for me as a romance.
There were a few things that I did really appreciate. One is the setup: Effie is a maid in a wealthy household who falls instantly in love with the youngest brother of the family, Benedict. She enlists the help of an elf (Lord Blackthorn, her eventual love interest) with a penchant for meddling in human affairs, to help her land her man. The wager: Lord Blackthorn will turn Effie into a lady- he'll give her proper elocution, beautiful clothes, cast a spell on her so everyone receives her as an upper-class woman of quality. In return? For every hour Effie spends as a lady, she must add a stitch to an embroidered jacket for Lord Blackthorn. And if she fails to get a proposal out of Benedict, she becomes Lord Blackthorn's servant in faerie for life.
This is a *delicious* setup. I love a Pygmalion adaptation, and I extra-love "I'm helping you fall in love with someone else, and along the way I fell in love with you, and now I must pine." Sadly the book never really exploits this for its tropey romance value, but I liked it as a premise nonetheless.
I also loved Lord Blackthorn as a character. He's an absolute ray of sunshine, always curious about how human beings work, unashamed of his emotions, desperate to please others and improve himself as a person. He might be one of the least-toxically-masculine romance heroes I've ever read. Which makes it all the more interesting that there are still moments where he unconsciously wields privilege in a damaging way. Often his attempts to "help" go awry because he lacks understanding of the specific social and class pressures faced by a young woman working as a maid: and he has to deal with the fact that his inherent privilege often divorces his intentions from the effects of his actions. It's quite cleverly observed.
And there's a lovely thematic thread about anger: how one person's anger can "infect" others, and how in situations of oppression, shared collective anger can actually be a good thing. I adored that as a theme.
That's... about the end of what worked for me, though.
Effie is an angry heroine, and I LOVE an angry heroine, but she's also incredibly naive. The extent to which Effie only seemed to *discover* injustice, anger, and class discrimination within the span of this short story, when she's in her 20s and has been a maid all her life, just strained belief for me. It must be difficult to write characters who feel like they have an entire life's worth of experiences behind them, while still saving all the important growth and revelations for the pages of the actual novel, and this one kind of failed on that count.
I also had a really, really hard time buying the romance. There's so little page space devoted to it. And even what's there... it's not clear at all to me that what Effie and Blackthorn feel is romantic love or attraction? (The book even leaves it pretty open-ended whether Lord Blackthorn, as an elf, is able to feel love at all. I'm all for open-endedness, and for two people learning that they might not put the word "love" to the same emotions. But I needed that to be addressed more). Both Effie and Lord Blackthorn seemed so young, so naive, and such strangers to their own emotions, that I had SUCH a hard time understanding why their story ended in marriage rather than any of the other equally valid relationship configurations two people who enjoy each other's company can elect to engage in. Except "fairy tale/romance reasons."
Finally, and this is just a personal pet peeve, but what is Goodreads for if not your personal pet peeves... all the servants speak like this:
"He's the son of a Baron, Your Lordship.. An' I'm just a maid. No baron's son will ever marry a maid. It just isn't done... It'd be like... like you givin' me a favour without me payin' you"
I do not mind the phonetic representation of accents or other (for lack of a better word) "nonstandard" ways of speaking. Done well, I think it can say a LOT about how the way we speak changes the way others perceive us. But what happened here... was not that. Why do all the servants sound exactly the same? That alone struck me as an extremely hasty shorthand for " these characters are the poor ones." I imagine this stylistic flourish was inserted into the book to dramatize the moment where Effie drinks a potion and gets her final "g" s back and becomes a "lady." But, I dunno. Either commit to having the way she speaks be something integral to our experience of her as readers, or just tell us her accent changed and let us imagine it for ourselves.
So, all in all.. I don't know. I still enjoyed reading this? The world-building is gentle, and the themes are truly original (though, once again, as with Book 1 I'd have loved to see the social critique include any awareness of imperialism). But it just didn't work for me as a romance.
April 22, 2023
Уявіть: рітелінг попелюшки + фейрі + Regency Era.
Цю книжку я взяла читати через те, що мені дуже сподобалась перша книга у серії, я навіть не читала синопсис.
Головна героїня покоївка у титулованій сім’ї, яка пристрасно бажає кохання та вірить у те, що вона достойна чогось більшого та може вийти за багатого чоловіка. Так стається, що вона укладає угоду з фейрі: він дарує їй можливість завоювати чоловіка мрії, а вона робить вишивку із десяти тисячі швів йому на піджаку. Але все іде не по плану.
Щоб сильно не спойлерити, можу сказати, що я тільки на половині книзі допетрила в чому суть.
Для кращого занурення в лор, рекомендую читати першу частину, а потім цю. Обидві - романтичні та наповнені змістом.
Я досі не розумію, чого книг у цьому жанрі так мало.
Цю книжку я взяла читати через те, що мені дуже сподобалась перша книга у серії, я навіть не читала синопсис.
Головна героїня покоївка у титулованій сім’ї, яка пристрасно бажає кохання та вірить у те, що вона достойна чогось більшого та може вийти за багатого чоловіка. Так стається, що вона укладає угоду з фейрі: він дарує їй можливість завоювати чоловіка мрії, а вона робить вишивку із десяти тисячі швів йому на піджаку. Але все іде не по плану.
Щоб сильно не спойлерити, можу сказати, що я тільки на половині книзі допетрила в чому суть.
Для кращого занурення в лор, рекомендую читати першу частину, а потім цю. Обидві - романтичні та наповнені змістом.
Я досі не розумію, чого книг у цьому жанрі так мало.
December 16, 2022
This is a cute little book, and a perfect palate cleanser after some heavy reads.
I didn't realise it was supposed to be a take on Cinderella, as I don't especially love that story.
I liked this focused on a maid in Regency England, as that almost never happens, and I did life the "social justice" undertones.
It was fun and cute and just what I needed. Mr Jubilee is the sweetest!
I didn't realise it was supposed to be a take on Cinderella, as I don't especially love that story.
I liked this focused on a maid in Regency England, as that almost never happens, and I did life the "social justice" undertones.
It was fun and cute and just what I needed. Mr Jubilee is the sweetest!
July 19, 2022
Ten Thousand Stitches is the second book in Olivia Atwater’s Regency Fairy Tales series, and it follows Effie, a housemaid who makes a bargain with a faerie to win the heart of a gentleman she’s in love with. Lord Blackthorn is very willing to help Effie, if, in return, she sews ten thousand stitches onto his favorite jacket. Effie knows she shouldn’t make a bargain with a faerie, but she is desperate, and though Lord Blackthorn’s intentions are true, it seems as if everything that could go wrong does.
It took me a while to get invested in the characters, and at the beginning, I only had a mild interest in their journeys. Effie was interesting, and I liked that she wasn’t the typical historical romance heroine, but she was angry all of the time. Though I understood why, it didn’t make her the most likable protagonist when the story first began. Lord Blackthorn seemed vapid and too charming, and I didn’t love him either, nor did I like Effie’s love interest or his parents. However, as their characters become more fleshed out, I became more interested in their stories, especially Effie’s and Blackthorn’s.
Effie is relatable in many ways, especially in her anger and righteous indignation over the way she and other employees are treated. Effie often feels invisible and unimportant, and her bitterness and anger permeate the story in more ways than one. Lord Blackthorn is a little harder to understand, though his bumbling attempts at helping Effie are charming. He’s a bit of an enigma, and I wondered throughout the story if he was trying to help or hinder because his intentions seemed unclear.
Effie and Blackthorn are so different. He is naïve and eager, and he always seems optimistic. Effie is much more of a realist, and she is not as positive and optimistic. Their contrasting personalities complement each other well, and I like that both Effie and Lord Blackthorn grow and change as they learn more about themselves, their situations, the people around them, and each other.
I also liked the social commentary throughout the book. Fighting for causes you believe in, working together to demand change and fair working conditions, fighting social inequities, and more are woven through this seemingly simple tale. The story also has some major Cinderella vibes, which I enjoyed.
Thanks so much to Orbit Books for gifting me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
It took me a while to get invested in the characters, and at the beginning, I only had a mild interest in their journeys. Effie was interesting, and I liked that she wasn’t the typical historical romance heroine, but she was angry all of the time. Though I understood why, it didn’t make her the most likable protagonist when the story first began. Lord Blackthorn seemed vapid and too charming, and I didn’t love him either, nor did I like Effie’s love interest or his parents. However, as their characters become more fleshed out, I became more interested in their stories, especially Effie’s and Blackthorn’s.
Effie is relatable in many ways, especially in her anger and righteous indignation over the way she and other employees are treated. Effie often feels invisible and unimportant, and her bitterness and anger permeate the story in more ways than one. Lord Blackthorn is a little harder to understand, though his bumbling attempts at helping Effie are charming. He’s a bit of an enigma, and I wondered throughout the story if he was trying to help or hinder because his intentions seemed unclear.
Effie and Blackthorn are so different. He is naïve and eager, and he always seems optimistic. Effie is much more of a realist, and she is not as positive and optimistic. Their contrasting personalities complement each other well, and I like that both Effie and Lord Blackthorn grow and change as they learn more about themselves, their situations, the people around them, and each other.
I also liked the social commentary throughout the book. Fighting for causes you believe in, working together to demand change and fair working conditions, fighting social inequities, and more are woven through this seemingly simple tale. The story also has some major Cinderella vibes, which I enjoyed.
Thanks so much to Orbit Books for gifting me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
April 29, 2024
I really enjoyed this book but I liked it a little less than the first in the series
August 21, 2022
Once I read and adored Half A Soul more than a month ago, it was never in doubt that I was gonna pick up this sequel. And just like I hoped, this was an unputdownable fun read from beginning to end. I'm feeling so glad that I discovered this trilogy.
Just like the first book, the writing captured me immediately. We are so used to reading about the lords and dukes in historical fiction, so this was a nice change because our POV is a maid in a household where none of the servants are treated well. With the author's smart but funny writing, we get to see the plight of the people who work in such households and have no status, how their invisibility is considered their best quality, any wrongs done unto them have no consequences for the perpetrators but they are really powerless to do much about it. But the way this story progresses and makes a point for solidarity between the working class people and how their unity can be a big factor in them being able to change their circumstances, is written in a very meaningful way, and while it may seem a bit too hopeful and fantastical, the message conveys beautifully. I think it’s this ability of the author to comment on important social issues but still keep the whimsy and fun intact in the story is what has impressed me the most.
Now, how can I not talk about our lovely characters. Effie is a maid who is full of anger because what else does she have left when she is I’ll treated every single day. She doesn’t have much choice though because who wants to starve, but it doesn’t mean that she has no hope for a change. She too dreams of marrying her Prince Charming and is even okay with making a deal with a Fae to get her wish fulfilled. But what the author does with her story is give her the opportunity to see the truth behind the supposed Prince she wants to marry, realize what is it that she values in a partner and what she hopes her future will actually be. It’s a slow realization, and she stumbles a bit in between, repressing her anger at every turn when she is belittled or forgotten or not seen, until it all bubbles up and comes out in an explosive way. But what I loved about her character arc is that the author makes sure we understand that Effie’s anger and that of anyone else working in that household is justified, and while them being quiet about it is necessary for their job prospects, it doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do. They have every right to be angry at their dire circumstances and do something about it if possible, stand together with each other to demand better working conditions.
But it’s definitely Lord Blackthorn who brings the fun to this story. This is a tangent but in most fanfics of MDZS (and The Untamed), Lan Jingyi is called the most un-Lan among the Lans and I think it’s perfect to say that Lord Blackthorn is equally un-Fae compared to how most Fae seem to be in this world. He is hopeful and optimistic and wants to learn and grow and be virtuous, and his cheer just lights up the pages here. Even Effie realizes that her anger dissipates when she is with him because he is one person who doesn’t treat her differently just because she is a maid, respects her for the hard work she puts in every day, and hopes she will get her wishes fulfilled. Yes, his help leads to some disasters but he is too endearing to be very angry at, and I know Effie will agree with me. Their developing friendship and more is just so lovely and we as readers will keep hoping as the story goes on that she’ll forget her Prince Charming, and look at Lord Blackthorn romantically because they are just so perfect together.
There’s also an interesting cast of characters, our feelings towards whom keep fluctuating as the story goes on and things are revealed. Lydia is a fellow maid and Effie’s no 1 cheerleader and I loved their friendship. We start of hating Lady Culver because of her extremely harsh treatment of the staff, but we also slowly get to see why she came to be that way - not that it elicits much sympathy towards her though coz she still takes out her frustrations on people who can’t talk back. Benedict is like the blandest Prince Charming and we can see why Effie might think he is sweet and charming but we learn along with her about his depth of character (or lack thereof). Mrs. Sedgwick and Mr. Allen are the housekeeper and butler, almost antagonistic towards each other but the way their character arcs develop is also a joy to discover.
What more can I say here. I feel like I’ve written the most boring review for one of the most endearing and whimsical and charming books I’ve read in recent times. The author’s take on the story of Cinderella, telling it from the pov of a working class person and giving us some hope about the power of solidarity - it’s a very entertaining story, but also full of heart and many things to think and ponder about. Here’s hoping I’ll get my copy of Longshadow from Orbit soon because I’m even more excited to read it now.
Just like the first book, the writing captured me immediately. We are so used to reading about the lords and dukes in historical fiction, so this was a nice change because our POV is a maid in a household where none of the servants are treated well. With the author's smart but funny writing, we get to see the plight of the people who work in such households and have no status, how their invisibility is considered their best quality, any wrongs done unto them have no consequences for the perpetrators but they are really powerless to do much about it. But the way this story progresses and makes a point for solidarity between the working class people and how their unity can be a big factor in them being able to change their circumstances, is written in a very meaningful way, and while it may seem a bit too hopeful and fantastical, the message conveys beautifully. I think it’s this ability of the author to comment on important social issues but still keep the whimsy and fun intact in the story is what has impressed me the most.
Now, how can I not talk about our lovely characters. Effie is a maid who is full of anger because what else does she have left when she is I’ll treated every single day. She doesn’t have much choice though because who wants to starve, but it doesn’t mean that she has no hope for a change. She too dreams of marrying her Prince Charming and is even okay with making a deal with a Fae to get her wish fulfilled. But what the author does with her story is give her the opportunity to see the truth behind the supposed Prince she wants to marry, realize what is it that she values in a partner and what she hopes her future will actually be. It’s a slow realization, and she stumbles a bit in between, repressing her anger at every turn when she is belittled or forgotten or not seen, until it all bubbles up and comes out in an explosive way. But what I loved about her character arc is that the author makes sure we understand that Effie’s anger and that of anyone else working in that household is justified, and while them being quiet about it is necessary for their job prospects, it doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do. They have every right to be angry at their dire circumstances and do something about it if possible, stand together with each other to demand better working conditions.
But it’s definitely Lord Blackthorn who brings the fun to this story. This is a tangent but in most fanfics of MDZS (and The Untamed), Lan Jingyi is called the most un-Lan among the Lans and I think it’s perfect to say that Lord Blackthorn is equally un-Fae compared to how most Fae seem to be in this world. He is hopeful and optimistic and wants to learn and grow and be virtuous, and his cheer just lights up the pages here. Even Effie realizes that her anger dissipates when she is with him because he is one person who doesn’t treat her differently just because she is a maid, respects her for the hard work she puts in every day, and hopes she will get her wishes fulfilled. Yes, his help leads to some disasters but he is too endearing to be very angry at, and I know Effie will agree with me. Their developing friendship and more is just so lovely and we as readers will keep hoping as the story goes on that she’ll forget her Prince Charming, and look at Lord Blackthorn romantically because they are just so perfect together.
There’s also an interesting cast of characters, our feelings towards whom keep fluctuating as the story goes on and things are revealed. Lydia is a fellow maid and Effie’s no 1 cheerleader and I loved their friendship. We start of hating Lady Culver because of her extremely harsh treatment of the staff, but we also slowly get to see why she came to be that way - not that it elicits much sympathy towards her though coz she still takes out her frustrations on people who can’t talk back. Benedict is like the blandest Prince Charming and we can see why Effie might think he is sweet and charming but we learn along with her about his depth of character (or lack thereof). Mrs. Sedgwick and Mr. Allen are the housekeeper and butler, almost antagonistic towards each other but the way their character arcs develop is also a joy to discover.
What more can I say here. I feel like I’ve written the most boring review for one of the most endearing and whimsical and charming books I’ve read in recent times. The author’s take on the story of Cinderella, telling it from the pov of a working class person and giving us some hope about the power of solidarity - it’s a very entertaining story, but also full of heart and many things to think and ponder about. Here’s hoping I’ll get my copy of Longshadow from Orbit soon because I’m even more excited to read it now.
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September 22, 2021This book has been on my TBR ever since I read and enjoyed the first book in this series, HALF A SOUL, and I'm delighted to report that TEN THOUSAND STITCHES is even better than the first, from the impeccable historical details to the deft social critique and the clever reworking of beloved fairytale tropes.
Effie Reeves, put-upon housemaid, has just fallen resoundingly in love with her dreadful employer's kind younger brother - but her unrequited passion seems hopeless until she acquires, quite by surprise, an honest-to-goodness faerie godfather. Lord Blackthorn is disarmingly willing to help Effie masquerade as a real lady, but with little idea of how the human world works, he quickly starts causing more problems than he solves.
TEN THOUSAND STITCHES is my favourite kind of fairytale retelling, one that takes the original story as a jumping-off point to say something truly new and insightful. What if Cinderella was a real maid, not a highborn lady fallen on hard times? Could she really love a prince? Who would her true hero be? This story will give you all the laughs and heartwarming moments you want from a farcical magical Regency romp, but it also does a brilliant job of discussing how privilege tends to blind people to the hardships of those less fortunate. Highly recommended.
Effie Reeves, put-upon housemaid, has just fallen resoundingly in love with her dreadful employer's kind younger brother - but her unrequited passion seems hopeless until she acquires, quite by surprise, an honest-to-goodness faerie godfather. Lord Blackthorn is disarmingly willing to help Effie masquerade as a real lady, but with little idea of how the human world works, he quickly starts causing more problems than he solves.
TEN THOUSAND STITCHES is my favourite kind of fairytale retelling, one that takes the original story as a jumping-off point to say something truly new and insightful. What if Cinderella was a real maid, not a highborn lady fallen on hard times? Could she really love a prince? Who would her true hero be? This story will give you all the laughs and heartwarming moments you want from a farcical magical Regency romp, but it also does a brilliant job of discussing how privilege tends to blind people to the hardships of those less fortunate. Highly recommended.
October 31, 2023
I love how this series' books build on each other, but standalone because the main characters are new each time. Charming story, beautiful writing, with a touch of delightful absurdity.
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