The Pennyroyal Ledger

I went into *The Pennyroyal Ledger* expecting another dreary Victorian pastiche, but Jimi Farris knocked me sideways with a story that’s as brutal as it is beautiful. Katrin Hess is the kind of protagonist you don’t just root for—you *ache* for. Her resilience isn’t pretty; it’s messy, desperate, and entirely human. Virtual Voice’s narration elevates the experience even further, using a synthetic tone that somehow feels more *real* than most human narrators. It’s jarring at first, but by the halfway mark, it’s impossible to imagine the story being told any other way. The pacing is relentless, which is both a strength and a flaw—there were moments I wished for a breath, a pause, something to let the weight of the moment sink in. But then again, Katrin never gets a moment to stop either, so why should we? Critically, I’ll say the ending felt rushed. Farris builds such a dense, atmospheric world that a cleaner, more deliberate conclusion would’ve done the story justice. Still, the final act lingers like the aftertaste of cheap gin—lingering, unsettling, and impossible to forget. If you’re after a historical fiction that doesn’t romanticize the past but instead drags you through its filth and fire, this is your book. Just don’t expect to sleep easy afterward.