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dangates's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There are some pretty cringeworthy moments with the protagonist whipping out one liners that would make an eighties action movie lead say “that’s a bit much”, but besides those this is an interesting concept with an intense and exciting plot.
asteroidbuckle's review
2.0
This book, for me, started off on shaky ground. Time travelers going back in time to when the Jack the Ripper crimes took place in London to try to find and bring back a rogue physicist from the 21st century before he changes history forever? Far-fetched.
It also didn't help that the heroine is an uber-feminist who chafes at the constraints put on women in Victorian society. And some of the quips made me roll my eyes - "Wait until you get the Internet," she says. Ugh.
The way the book is written also takes a bit of getting used to. It's very choppy, jumping from character to character. I didn't really get into it until about halfway through the book. And I think the author was trying too hard; some of her descriptions and metaphors are much too heavy. Frankly, if I had to read the phrase "singing in his blood" (or any variation on that theme) one more time, I was going to scream.
The story was just intriguing enough to make me continue, especially in the early part of the book when there were so many eye-rolling moments I sometimes wanted to quit. It picked up about halfway through the book; for me, the [b:saving grace|130916|The Saving Graces A Novel|Patricia Gaffney|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171995451s/130916.jpg|126092] was the character of Jonas Robb. He was a very complex character that finds himself (intimately) involved with the time travelers and in too deep, not understanding what's going on but compelled to help anyway.
Not a great book, but a decent read. But don't expect to get more from it than a little bit of distraction. It's not THAT good.
It also didn't help that the heroine is an uber-feminist who chafes at the constraints put on women in Victorian society. And some of the quips made me roll my eyes - "Wait until you get the Internet," she says. Ugh.
The way the book is written also takes a bit of getting used to. It's very choppy, jumping from character to character. I didn't really get into it until about halfway through the book. And I think the author was trying too hard; some of her descriptions and metaphors are much too heavy. Frankly, if I had to read the phrase "singing in his blood" (or any variation on that theme) one more time, I was going to scream.
The story was just intriguing enough to make me continue, especially in the early part of the book when there were so many eye-rolling moments I sometimes wanted to quit. It picked up about halfway through the book; for me, the [b:saving grace|130916|The Saving Graces A Novel|Patricia Gaffney|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171995451s/130916.jpg|126092] was the character of Jonas Robb. He was a very complex character that finds himself (intimately) involved with the time travelers and in too deep, not understanding what's going on but compelled to help anyway.
Not a great book, but a decent read. But don't expect to get more from it than a little bit of distraction. It's not THAT good.
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