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ghostlyweeds's review against another edition
2.0
My thoughts on this book feel very scattered and unformed. I’m pretty sure I’ve already decided to give this book another read through but to include the audiobook as well to give me more from the characters. I thought the beginning was a strong start but then I felt that I kept lagging behind. I can appreciate seeing the different characters and learning of their history and individual stories that will converge at some point but I could never get to a point of full investment with a character before the next chapter would be someone else once again.
Maybe at the end I got to the point of being like “hmmm, there is something good here and I’m just not getting it”. So until I give this another read through I am going to withhold an official review and rating.
//edited on 6/2/23
…after thinking on this for a few days I have decided that I’m not going to give this book a reread. While I believe I might have gleaned something more from the characters if I would have followed along with an audiobook, I don’t think it’s going to be a book that absolutely shakes the foundation of my reality and I don’t feel an interest in continuing the series. It was a good book and the characters were just fine but ultimately I think what hindered my enjoyment of this book was the length of it and yet never having enough time to fully bond with a character before I’m moving onto another.
2.5 ⭐️
Maybe at the end I got to the point of being like “hmmm, there is something good here and I’m just not getting it”. So until I give this another read through I am going to withhold an official review and rating.
//edited on 6/2/23
…after thinking on this for a few days I have decided that I’m not going to give this book a reread. While I believe I might have gleaned something more from the characters if I would have followed along with an audiobook, I don’t think it’s going to be a book that absolutely shakes the foundation of my reality and I don’t feel an interest in continuing the series. It was a good book and the characters were just fine but ultimately I think what hindered my enjoyment of this book was the length of it and yet never having enough time to fully bond with a character before I’m moving onto another.
2.5 ⭐️
annashiv's review against another edition
5.0
This was a thrilling read with mystery, romance, and murder. The best part is it all takes place in the roaring 20's and thanks to brilliant descriptions and settings, it really feels like it. The author is incredibly amazing at setting moods and atmospheres and describing just about everything. There were a few descriptors that struck me as strange and threw me for a minute or two. They were just weird, but other than that, it was quite good. Having finished it, some of the characters or their plot lines seemed a little unnecessary but I understand they may be set up for the next book. I'm fine with that, but the last forty pages were a little tedious because I could really tell it was trying to convince me to buy the next book, which I'm unsure I will do. As enjoyable as it was, I like how it ended and don't know that the second book would hold up to it. I was satisfied. I don't need to know what is coming next. I would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries, the 1920's, and the paranormal. It certainly does all those things well.
kaffefrank's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cyndqls's review against another edition
4.0
i'm an easy person to please: i see 1920s new york city and i pick the book up.
this was fun, though my biggest complaint is that it is shockingly long. i mean, i had a good time! the vibes were great! the characters were interesting! the plot was intriguing! but holy SHIT what do you mean this is almost 600 pages
this was fun, though my biggest complaint is that it is shockingly long. i mean, i had a good time! the vibes were great! the characters were interesting! the plot was intriguing! but holy SHIT what do you mean this is almost 600 pages
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
5.0
This book attention grabbing from start to finish. It was EXTREMELY well written and the whole story flowed easily from character to character. I normally get bored with mindless details and 'skin read' at times to get past them but this book was never overly explain-y and was just an easy but very interesting read. Loved the 20s slang also. Haha. Would 7393849495% recommend!
Slight spoilers!
The only thing I found weird about the book was that 2 characters were givin a hard time for being an interracial couple - which is totally understandable giving that it was the 20s! But! A different character was a someone open gay man, and yet his friends excepted this no problem? Being gay was definitely just as stigmatized as being two different races in the 20s
Slight spoilers!
The only thing I found weird about the book was that 2 characters were givin a hard time for being an interracial couple - which is totally understandable giving that it was the 20s! But! A different character was a someone open gay man, and yet his friends excepted this no problem? Being gay was definitely just as stigmatized as being two different races in the 20s
ashbrasch's review against another edition
5.0
I devoured this book. Literally couldn't put it down. SO excited that this is a series.
bewitchedandbewildered's review against another edition
5.0
This book is huge!!! I loved the time period it was written in along with all the characters. I cant wait for the second book to come out because this was amazing.
lisaliest's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The beginning was slow and I was a little bit confused with the many characters. But I appreciate now the time we got for knowing the characters. I was a little bit annoyed with Evie, but it’s just my adult-Brain that has sometimes no patience with dramatic teenagers and her constant hunger for attention 😅. I appreciate that she acted her age, it felt very authentic.
The vibes of this book are emaculate. I love the twenties. And the writing was very good, as was the German translation.
The vibes of this book are emaculate. I love the twenties. And the writing was very good, as was the German translation.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I am finished! After at least a year of trying and trying again to read this book, giving up, I finally picked up the book again, and I went through it. And Dear Lord, it was a mighty trip of epicness, a trip that doesn't only lead to supernatural things, but also to love and romance. It was a fantastic book. And it is now one of my favourite books.
Evie was a wonderful character, I really loved her and how she went through life. At times I was shaking my head at the girl, for all the things she did, but she mostly meant them well, mostly meant them to help out the other people in her life. I loved the way she dressed (she described us her clothes and all that plenty of times), I loved the way she just burst through life head-first, without a care in the world. She was a great friend, a great niece and she is truly amazing. Her gift, and what that does, is fantastic and I really enjoyed reading about it. Though, I also feared for her. Such a gift, it might lead to bad things, it might lead to her getting in it too far, too much. We have seen it happen in this book once, and it was only thanks to the others that she was able to pull out. I don't want to think about it happening when she is alone.
I also loved the way she spoke, it was at times confusing, and at times I had to look up on Google to see what they meant, or what certain stuff was, but after 100 pages I just got into it all and I didn't need to look up much. I could recognize or vaguely pinpoint what she meant and that was enough for me.
Then we have Sam, I am still not entirely sure what I have to think of him. He is kind, but he is also a thief and often will only think of himself and his life, and not always caring about the rest. But, he was absolutely sweet towards Evie (and he really cared about her, tried to protect her many a times), and I also loved their banter. They really make a fine pair. I just was laughing quite hard at it all. One would start and the other would bounce back words. :) Of course, like all the other characters he also has something that he wants to find out, he also has a past that troubles him, that haunts him. I won't say much else, but I hope for Sam that he will be able to find out, will be able to find that person. And I hope it won't cost him his life.
Jericho, a mysterious character who I didn't particularly like until the middle part of the book. He was rude, lost in his books (not always a good thing), but slowly, as his past is unfolded, I saw another Jericho. I saw a guy who is trying to protect himself, a guy who worries about the future, whose past was pretty crappy and filled with danger. Danger that still might haunt him later on. I was almost tearing up when we learn about his past and all that happened, all that made him the person he is now.
Will, he was a great character, but I think at times he was just a bit too much, too strict, too bossy. Of course, he has to be, with a niece like Evie, but I wish that he would treat her more kindly at times. Though, I can also see why he is so angry at times. As the book progresses we find out more and more about him, about the Diviners, about what he knows. And slowly you start to see why he is acting the way he is around Evie at times.
At first I also didn't think he would be a believer. He did have the museum, and he did give lectures. But I felt like he was just faking it, like he was just pretending, that he didn't have any believe in the occult. Later though...
Memphis, an interesting character, though his was the POV I cared about the least. Don't get me wrong, again he was an interesting character, but I just wanted to know more about Evie. I did like to find out more about Memphis, about what he did and what happened in his past. He really cares about his little brother and it was great to see them try to get through things.
Isaiah, I didn't particularly like the kid. He was annoying, obnoxious and clearly didn't understand that he had to keep quiet over certain stuff. It was just so frustrating. His brother did his best to keep him safe, and he ruined so much with him not being able to keep secrets.
Theta and also Henry, two of my favourite characters, they definitely deserve more time in the book. I really loved both of them, they were fun characters, though I felt so terribly sorry for Theta, when we finally found out what had happened to her, why she ran away to New York. Poor thing. :(
Mabel, meh, I am sure she has a greater purpose but mostly through the book she was complaining or just acting like her parents. She felt kind of cardboard like, not a real character like Evie or the others. She was also one of the few characters that didn't have a bad past or some big secret.
Blind Bill, urgh, I never liked him and as we find out more and more about him, he just disgusted me. The ending part? I won't spoil anything, but I just wanted to erase him out of the damn story. I am sure he will have a huge role in the next one, and I am not particularly looking forward to it.
Olivia, aunt of Memphis and Isaiah, and dear Lord what a witch that woman is. Never listening to anything, keeping up strange rules, and acting like the devil is in everything. Religious is one thing, but this is overkill. Her actions throughout the book made me shake my head.
Well, I think I got the important characters all lined up.
The story was pretty awesome, there are some gruesome bits here and there, which made me want to just close the book at times (yes, I am pretty squeamish), but I went on. I just wanted to know who did the murders, what the connection was, how they could capture/defeat him. Everything is connected and the story unfolds and shows us more and more of its secrets. It was really great how this was done, not fast, as some books do, but slow and easy. Letting us know the characters, telling us what happened to each of them, setting the stage for a great thing.
Because seriously? Even though this book about a great evil murderer? There is more to it than that. At first you think it is mostly about that, but you will soon see there is another layer under that one. Something connected to this murderer story, something that will probably unleash a shit-storm in the next book. And you know what? After all the hinting to storms coming, I want to stand in that storm and let it go over me. I want to find out what happens, what is the storm? Is it really as bad as everyone is talking about? What does James have to do with it all?
There was just one tiny thing I didn't like about the book. The switching POV. At first it happened every chapter and that was ok, but later you could have like 3 or more POV switches in one chapter, which caused a lot of confusion. Especially with the huge cast we have in this book. If there were just 3 characters it would already be confusing, but with the amount we have here? It would have been nicer had it been a chapter POV switch (I don't care if the chapter is 1 page long).
The setting (New York/Manhattan) was delightful, I could just imagine myself there, dancing to jazzy music, laughing with my friends, finding a nice boy. Or when we are during the museum, I just could see myself walking through the halls, spotting all the various occult items.
Each part that we visited was so well told that it was magnificent, it truly made the book a trip to remember.
The ending was positutely creepy and it leaves me with many questions. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Several things happened near the ending, and I hope they all get solved/explained in the next book.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes, and once more, yes. This is positutely wonderful, special book and I think if you like Supernatural, New York, some historical stuff, that you will love this book. Don't be afraid because it is a bit big, just embrace it and walk with Evie and the other characters through their world.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Evie was a wonderful character, I really loved her and how she went through life. At times I was shaking my head at the girl, for all the things she did, but she mostly meant them well, mostly meant them to help out the other people in her life. I loved the way she dressed (she described us her clothes and all that plenty of times), I loved the way she just burst through life head-first, without a care in the world. She was a great friend, a great niece and she is truly amazing. Her gift, and what that does, is fantastic and I really enjoyed reading about it. Though, I also feared for her. Such a gift, it might lead to bad things, it might lead to her getting in it too far, too much. We have seen it happen in this book once, and it was only thanks to the others that she was able to pull out. I don't want to think about it happening when she is alone.
I also loved the way she spoke, it was at times confusing, and at times I had to look up on Google to see what they meant, or what certain stuff was, but after 100 pages I just got into it all and I didn't need to look up much. I could recognize or vaguely pinpoint what she meant and that was enough for me.
Then we have Sam, I am still not entirely sure what I have to think of him. He is kind, but he is also a thief and often will only think of himself and his life, and not always caring about the rest. But, he was absolutely sweet towards Evie (and he really cared about her, tried to protect her many a times), and I also loved their banter. They really make a fine pair. I just was laughing quite hard at it all. One would start and the other would bounce back words. :) Of course, like all the other characters he also has something that he wants to find out, he also has a past that troubles him, that haunts him. I won't say much else, but I hope for Sam that he will be able to find out, will be able to find that person. And I hope it won't cost him his life.
Jericho, a mysterious character who I didn't particularly like until the middle part of the book. He was rude, lost in his books (not always a good thing), but slowly, as his past is unfolded, I saw another Jericho. I saw a guy who is trying to protect himself, a guy who worries about the future, whose past was pretty crappy and filled with danger. Danger that still might haunt him later on. I was almost tearing up when we learn about his past and all that happened, all that made him the person he is now.
Will, he was a great character, but I think at times he was just a bit too much, too strict, too bossy. Of course, he has to be, with a niece like Evie, but I wish that he would treat her more kindly at times. Though, I can also see why he is so angry at times. As the book progresses we find out more and more about him, about the Diviners, about what he knows. And slowly you start to see why he is acting the way he is around Evie at times.
At first I also didn't think he would be a believer. He did have the museum, and he did give lectures. But I felt like he was just faking it, like he was just pretending, that he didn't have any believe in the occult. Later though...
Memphis, an interesting character, though his was the POV I cared about the least. Don't get me wrong, again he was an interesting character, but I just wanted to know more about Evie. I did like to find out more about Memphis, about what he did and what happened in his past. He really cares about his little brother and it was great to see them try to get through things.
Isaiah, I didn't particularly like the kid. He was annoying, obnoxious and clearly didn't understand that he had to keep quiet over certain stuff. It was just so frustrating. His brother did his best to keep him safe, and he ruined so much with him not being able to keep secrets.
Theta and also Henry, two of my favourite characters, they definitely deserve more time in the book. I really loved both of them, they were fun characters, though I felt so terribly sorry for Theta, when we finally found out what had happened to her, why she ran away to New York. Poor thing. :(
Mabel, meh, I am sure she has a greater purpose but mostly through the book she was complaining or just acting like her parents. She felt kind of cardboard like, not a real character like Evie or the others. She was also one of the few characters that didn't have a bad past or some big secret.
Blind Bill, urgh, I never liked him and as we find out more and more about him, he just disgusted me. The ending part? I won't spoil anything, but I just wanted to erase him out of the damn story. I am sure he will have a huge role in the next one, and I am not particularly looking forward to it.
Olivia, aunt of Memphis and Isaiah, and dear Lord what a witch that woman is. Never listening to anything, keeping up strange rules, and acting like the devil is in everything. Religious is one thing, but this is overkill. Her actions throughout the book made me shake my head.
Well, I think I got the important characters all lined up.
The story was pretty awesome, there are some gruesome bits here and there, which made me want to just close the book at times (yes, I am pretty squeamish), but I went on. I just wanted to know who did the murders, what the connection was, how they could capture/defeat him. Everything is connected and the story unfolds and shows us more and more of its secrets. It was really great how this was done, not fast, as some books do, but slow and easy. Letting us know the characters, telling us what happened to each of them, setting the stage for a great thing.
Because seriously? Even though this book about a great evil murderer? There is more to it than that. At first you think it is mostly about that, but you will soon see there is another layer under that one. Something connected to this murderer story, something that will probably unleash a shit-storm in the next book. And you know what? After all the hinting to storms coming, I want to stand in that storm and let it go over me. I want to find out what happens, what is the storm? Is it really as bad as everyone is talking about? What does James have to do with it all?
There was just one tiny thing I didn't like about the book. The switching POV. At first it happened every chapter and that was ok, but later you could have like 3 or more POV switches in one chapter, which caused a lot of confusion. Especially with the huge cast we have in this book. If there were just 3 characters it would already be confusing, but with the amount we have here? It would have been nicer had it been a chapter POV switch (I don't care if the chapter is 1 page long).
The setting (New York/Manhattan) was delightful, I could just imagine myself there, dancing to jazzy music, laughing with my friends, finding a nice boy. Or when we are during the museum, I just could see myself walking through the halls, spotting all the various occult items.
Each part that we visited was so well told that it was magnificent, it truly made the book a trip to remember.
The ending was positutely creepy and it leaves me with many questions. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Several things happened near the ending, and I hope they all get solved/explained in the next book.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes, and once more, yes. This is positutely wonderful, special book and I think if you like Supernatural, New York, some historical stuff, that you will love this book. Don't be afraid because it is a bit big, just embrace it and walk with Evie and the other characters through their world.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/