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cactuspunk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Violence
meganlovesbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.5
hurrikanekathrina's review
3.0
7 out of 10
Genre: YA(?) Horror/Crime
Fav. Character: Thomas of course
Me, at the end of this book:
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Now seriously, that ending was so foreseeable. I pretty much suspected Nathaniel from the first third of the book. They way that it was repeatedly said how inheritly good and innocent he is, how he got angry when he found out that Audrey Rose was investigating the Ripper murders, the fact that every namely character was suspected but him... I deduced it was quite obvious (see what I did there?)
Apart from the (not so surprising) plot twist at the end, the plot of the book was rather dull. Not much happened, expect from murder victims popping up every few chapters and Audrey Rose pondering about who could be the murderer and visiting various places in old London to investigate. I was carried through mostly by the two main characters, Audrey Rose and Thomas, and their constant quarrels and banter. I enjoyed not only how Maniscalco wrote their dialogue, but the overall writing style of the book as well.
A big part of this book revolves around forensic medicine in the 19th century, which was by far my favorite part about this read. There are real pictures from that time interspersed here and there in the book, whether of autopsies or the real From Hell letter that Jack the Ripper wrote. For me, that really helped thicken the atmosphere of the book, although I at no point had the feeling that I was reading a horror novel (although this book was marked as one).
With our female main character aspiring to became a forensic doctor came the controversy of a young woman doing such unseemly things at that time. I loved how Audrey's fight to gain respect and equality was a constant element in the book without taking up too of the plot. Many YA books that try to express a feministic message, such as "women can do the same things as men" try to do so by depreciating any other female character that doesn't behave manly and emancipated. Meaning, if a female character wears a dress and prefers to chat about boys and makeup, she's immediately degraded as a dumb unemancipated goose. Luckily, that wasn't the case here, as Maniscalco seemed to understand that it is possible to be emancipated and still enjoy girl things, like dresses and gossip. After all, being emancipated does not mean behaving like a man.
Now, while I really enjoyed both main characters, I was at times annoyed by how similar Thomas was to Sherlock Holmes. While a Holmes-esque character is always interesting to read about, I wished the author would've taken a bit more effort to make Thomas more original. I mean, he is arrogant and emotionally detached, deduces everything about everyone by a mere glance (and then lectures them about simply being able to see what's there),his apartment is a messy jungle of papers, all kinds of odd instruments and specimen jars, but he dresses sharply and neatly... Come on. I'm no expert on Sir Author Conan Doyle's original Holmes, but I do see the BBC show and Thomas was basically the same character as Sherlock there. I couldn't help but think that Maniscalco based her male lead a bit too much on that popular character.
Also, I wished this book had delivered just a little bit more, plot-wise and in means of character devolpment, however I just found out that this is going to be a trilogy (surprise), so that explains the lack of exploited potential of some elements. I'm not sure how I feel about this not being a standalone. After all, they did find Jack the Ripper, and all conflicts were sucessfully solved in this installment, so I don't really see the need to drag this story out two more books. But hey, I like the characters, so as long as the plot delivers, I'll give the next book a try!
Genre: YA(?) Horror/Crime
Fav. Character: Thomas of course
Me, at the end of this book:
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Now seriously, that ending was so foreseeable. I pretty much suspected Nathaniel from the first third of the book. They way that it was repeatedly said how inheritly good and innocent he is, how he got angry when he found out that Audrey Rose was investigating the Ripper murders, the fact that every namely character was suspected but him... I deduced it was quite obvious (see what I did there?)
Apart from the (not so surprising) plot twist at the end, the plot of the book was rather dull. Not much happened, expect from murder victims popping up every few chapters and Audrey Rose pondering about who could be the murderer and visiting various places in old London to investigate. I was carried through mostly by the two main characters, Audrey Rose and Thomas, and their constant quarrels and banter. I enjoyed not only how Maniscalco wrote their dialogue, but the overall writing style of the book as well.
A big part of this book revolves around forensic medicine in the 19th century, which was by far my favorite part about this read. There are real pictures from that time interspersed here and there in the book, whether of autopsies or the real From Hell letter that Jack the Ripper wrote. For me, that really helped thicken the atmosphere of the book, although I at no point had the feeling that I was reading a horror novel (although this book was marked as one).
With our female main character aspiring to became a forensic doctor came the controversy of a young woman doing such unseemly things at that time. I loved how Audrey's fight to gain respect and equality was a constant element in the book without taking up too of the plot. Many YA books that try to express a feministic message, such as "women can do the same things as men" try to do so by depreciating any other female character that doesn't behave manly and emancipated. Meaning, if a female character wears a dress and prefers to chat about boys and makeup, she's immediately degraded as a dumb unemancipated goose. Luckily, that wasn't the case here, as Maniscalco seemed to understand that it is possible to be emancipated and still enjoy girl things, like dresses and gossip. After all, being emancipated does not mean behaving like a man.
Now, while I really enjoyed both main characters, I was at times annoyed by how similar Thomas was to Sherlock Holmes. While a Holmes-esque character is always interesting to read about, I wished the author would've taken a bit more effort to make Thomas more original. I mean, he is arrogant and emotionally detached, deduces everything about everyone by a mere glance (and then lectures them about simply being able to see what's there),his apartment is a messy jungle of papers, all kinds of odd instruments and specimen jars, but he dresses sharply and neatly... Come on. I'm no expert on Sir Author Conan Doyle's original Holmes, but I do see the BBC show and Thomas was basically the same character as Sherlock there. I couldn't help but think that Maniscalco based her male lead a bit too much on that popular character.
Also, I wished this book had delivered just a little bit more, plot-wise and in means of character devolpment, however I just found out that this is going to be a trilogy (surprise), so that explains the lack of exploited potential of some elements. I'm not sure how I feel about this not being a standalone. After all, they did find Jack the Ripper, and all conflicts were sucessfully solved in this installment, so I don't really see the need to drag this story out two more books. But hey, I like the characters, so as long as the plot delivers, I'll give the next book a try!
leonis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
romantic_heart's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
4.0
I love Thomas and Audrey so much. The mystery aspect was nice and it was a reread for me so I knew all before going in the book. Excited for the next book and the new beginning of Thomas and Audrey
bakeddoughnut's review
3.0
3.5 stars
It had such a promising beginning however in the middle it kind of fizzled out and plateaued til the end of the book. I still enjoyed it despite it being a little bit predictable
It had such a promising beginning however in the middle it kind of fizzled out and plateaued til the end of the book. I still enjoyed it despite it being a little bit predictable
rosewriter13's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
mariabookreader's review against another edition
4.0
Me ha parecido un libro con una temática bastante inusual.
Ambientada en Londres en la época de Jack el Destripador, nuestra protagonista Audrey Rose es fuera de lo común.
Una señorita adelantada a su tiempo, que realmente piensa que puede hacer lo mismo que un hombre, incluso estudiar medicina forense, algo que le apasiona. Aunque sería todo un escandalo que se descubriese.
Entonces, su familia se ve envuelta en las sospechas de Jack el destripador y tiene que demostrar su inocencia.
Tiene su interés amoroso, que es como Sherlock, muy inteligente pero con la empatía social de una cucharilla.
Y aunque sospeche de el al principio, jamás hubiera esperado ese final.
Chapó!
Ambientada en Londres en la época de Jack el Destripador, nuestra protagonista Audrey Rose es fuera de lo común.
Una señorita adelantada a su tiempo, que realmente piensa que puede hacer lo mismo que un hombre, incluso estudiar medicina forense, algo que le apasiona. Aunque sería todo un escandalo que se descubriese.
Entonces, su familia se ve envuelta en las sospechas de Jack el destripador y tiene que demostrar su inocencia.
Tiene su interés amoroso, que es como Sherlock, muy inteligente pero con la empatía social de una cucharilla.
Y aunque sospeche de el al principio, jamás hubiera esperado ese final.
Chapó!