The garden intrigue

Okay, so when I first read this years ago I remember putting together a fancast for the series, and I distinctly remember fancasting Tom Hiddleston for Augustus Whittlesby at the time. I had–have–an ENORMOUS crush on Hiddleston, and I knew I???d been ???saving??? him for my favorite male character in the series - and then I made him the face for Augustus.

And...I can totally see why. Quite apart from the fact that Augustus DOES share physical traits with Hiddleston (especially the curly blond hair), there???s something about Augustus???s characterization in this novel that just made him one of my absolute favorite male characters in the series, and which moves him to the top spot in this reread (which used to be occupied by Geoffrey). The way his story tackles the concept of constructing illusions, and then having those illusions fall apart, was something that I found wonderful to read about: whether that was his disillusionment in his job as a spy, or his feelings for Jane.

That???s also mirrored in Emma???s character development. While it???s easy to assume that her disillusionment already happened (and part of it did), there???s a lot that happens in the ???present??? of the timeline she and Augustus occupy, especially where it concerns how she deals with conflict. It was lovely rediscovering how she and Augustus deal with their respective crises, and come out the other side with a far better understanding of what love–true love–is actually about.

I???ve also noticed how, as of Blood Lily, the background historical events used in the plots tend to be a bit more rooted in history than they were in the first five books. This is an upgrade in my opinion; it makes things all the more interesting–and all the more dangerous–when you can see just how high the stakes are from the perspective of actual history.