Velvet by Mary Hooper Review

"Velvet is a laundress in a Victorian steam laundry. With both her mother and father dead, she is an orphan and has to rely upon her own wits to make a living. The laundry's work is back-breaking and Velvet is desperate to create a better life for herself. Then Velvet is noticed by Madame Savoya, a famed medium, who asks Velvet to come to work for her. Velvet is dazzled at first by the young yet beautifully dressed and bejewelled Madame. But soon Velvet realises that Madame Savoya is not all that she says she is, and Velvet's very life is in danger ...A romantic and thrillingly exciting new novel from an acclaimed and much loved historical writer for teens."

Ugh! To tell you the truth, Velvet was fair. Not so good, but not so bad. Yes, there were some good parts. Yes, there were some bad parts. It's so-so. Okay.  

The cover of Velvet is nice. I love the background. 

Velvet isn't on my recommended list. The synopsis and cover were screaming 'Read this book. Read me. Please read me.' Velvet didn't reach my standards. However I did learn some things about 'psychics'. The secrets of psychics revealed by Velvet and some other characters were fascinating and amazing. Those secrets are quite clever and sad. It's sad how false psychics can play some cheap trips and get a lot of money from their rich clients. It's so sad.

Velvet was a short read. Velvet should only be read if one is really bored out of their minds. It took me about two hours to finish Velvet.

The good part...

The writing. Velvet was easily understood. I found it interesting that the author, Mary Hooper, used some seventeen/eighteen century terms. Those old fashion words mad Velvet seem more alive. It made Velvet real. I am there with Velvet in every part of her story. It was a strong element of Velvet.

Deception. The deception of the villains in Velvet was beautiful. It was surprising and shocking. I had to reread that entire chapter because I was so stunned by the deception and hidden traps. 

Charlie and George. Two brilliant characters, even though Charlie doesn't appear that often. George, crazier and more money hungry than Charlie. 

The private meetings of Madame's clients. The side subplots of the story. It's so interesting to read about the deception in it. 

The bad part...

The plot. It's not exactly anywhere near The Hunger Games or Grave Mercy, but it was still good. I felt that there wasn't enough twists and turns. The plot was sometimes slow and annoying. I felt that some of the events were a little too slow. I mean, the plot was just a little bit behind.

Velvet, the character. I was so disappointed in her. Velvet or Kitty was a bit slow. I typically wouldn't say blonde, but she is close to being called a dumb blonde. (She's not blonde though). Everything, the cheap tricks and the fake feelings, were obvious. She is so blind to not see it. I felt that Velvet mostly relied on luck and chance. It was by chance that she was born into the world of Velvet.

Rating: Three out of Five