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hematthews's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
diana_raquel's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a brilliant idea, conceived and executed by a clever young woman, must be claimed by a man.”
Unsurprisingly, Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors of all time. And although I love the Regency Era, I'm always a little reticent regarding retellings/inspired books of Jane Austen's work. More times than not, I find that they lack something. And, unfortunately, this retelling is no exception.
As a mystery crime story, this book is really good. The story is well-structured, the characters are well-written, and although I was able to predict some plot points, I never found the identity of the killer and their motivations, so that revelation was interesting to me. As a mystery crime story, this is a 4.5 to me.
However, I was expecting more. I was expecting more sarcasm and irony. The thing about Austen was that she was able to write stories that poked fun and criticized society's rules in a subtle way. And I don't think that this was achieved here. Yes, we see Elizabeth struggle to overcome society's rules, although, I wasn't amused by it. Where is the subtle irony? Where's the poking fun? Other writers of the Regency Era have criticized society's rules and the position of women in said society, but the thing about Austen is that this criticism is very subtle and amusing. And we don't have this in this book.
At the same time, we also have very little interaction between Elizabeth and Darcy. The message of the original book is that first impressions aren't everything. And throughout the interactions between Elizabeth and Darcy, we learn that Darcy is proud because he's a product of society and Elizabeth can be quite judgemental because, again, she is also a product of a society that excluded women. We love the book because of the interactions between Elizabeth and Darcy. In this book, there is more interaction between Elizabeth and Wickham than with Darcy. I know that this is supposed to be a mystery crime story and not a romance, but, I think that the book would benefit from a little more interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth.
So, I would prefer that this was marketed to me as an "inspired book" than a "retelling", but I cannot deny that this is a good narrative. Just don't try to sell it to me as a retelling.
Unsurprisingly, Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors of all time. And although I love the Regency Era, I'm always a little reticent regarding retellings/inspired books of Jane Austen's work. More times than not, I find that they lack something. And, unfortunately, this retelling is no exception.
As a mystery crime story, this book is really good. The story is well-structured, the characters are well-written, and although I was able to predict some plot points, I never found the identity of the killer and their motivations, so that revelation was interesting to me. As a mystery crime story, this is a 4.5 to me.
However, I was expecting more. I was expecting more sarcasm and irony. The thing about Austen was that she was able to write stories that poked fun and criticized society's rules in a subtle way. And I don't think that this was achieved here. Yes, we see Elizabeth struggle to overcome society's rules, although, I wasn't amused by it. Where is the subtle irony? Where's the poking fun? Other writers of the Regency Era have criticized society's rules and the position of women in said society, but the thing about Austen is that this criticism is very subtle and amusing. And we don't have this in this book.
At the same time, we also have very little interaction between Elizabeth and Darcy. The message of the original book is that first impressions aren't everything. And throughout the interactions between Elizabeth and Darcy, we learn that Darcy is proud because he's a product of society and Elizabeth can be quite judgemental because, again, she is also a product of a society that excluded women. We love the book because of the interactions between Elizabeth and Darcy. In this book, there is more interaction between Elizabeth and Wickham than with Darcy. I know that this is supposed to be a mystery crime story and not a romance, but, I think that the book would benefit from a little more interaction between Darcy and Elizabeth.
So, I would prefer that this was marketed to me as an "inspired book" than a "retelling", but I cannot deny that this is a good narrative. Just don't try to sell it to me as a retelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gore and Torture
Minor: Stalking
thebookpaiges's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
whewtaewoon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
Pride and Premeditation is a deadly take on the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. All your favorite characters re-imagined. Check it out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Death, Sexism, Blood, and Stalking
gabriellakaoru's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Kidnapping, Death, and Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
robin_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Such a comfort to know (more or less) what is coming and still get interesting twists and a murder mystery. It's fast-paced and takes liberties in Regency-era London but that doesn't take away from the story at all.
All in all, for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, this is a delightful read.
All in all, for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, this is a delightful read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Gun violence and Kidnapping
Minor: Racism
summerspence's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, and Classism
debussy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This didn't work for me as well as its sister book in the series. Historical accuracy aside, Elizabeth as barrister-in-training up against Mr. Darcy for the same case (Mr. Bingley is accused of murder) is all fine and well, but I never quite connected to this version of Elizabeth. She is the book's sole focus, with any attention paid to secondary characters like Jane and Lydia completely forgotten. Mr. Darcy doesn't become a character of note until too late as well, making the romance a shoehorned afterthought amidst the mystery so when it does appear it feels out of place and unconvincing. I couldn't get into it, and as the mystery became more convoluted I wasn't sure it could be said that I found the mystery itself very interesting. The whole book is kind of a miss for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
sapphicsoilscientist's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A very fun retelling of a classic with enough twists and turns to keep things fresh. It did feel more like 1880ish than 1812ish, but it was otherwise quite good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking
Obviously there is a murder, but there are two other deaths as well. There is a small scene where two characters are locked in a dark closet and one complains of claustrophobia, and there is a scene where Lizzy is being followed. The sexual harassment is implied (man of the house towards maids) but readers will be glad to know the business with Lydia is avoided entirely.lilworm's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Gun violence
Minor: Rape and Sexual harassment