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A review by asreadbykat
Sense & Second-Degree Murder by Tirzah Price
4.0
True Rating: 3.75 Stars
Content/Trigger Warnings: Nongraphic mentions of drug addiction/drug abuse, mentions of animal testing (rats), brief mention of scientific study of hanged criminals
Thoughts
I read the first book in this series, "Pride and Premeditation," last year and found it an enjoyable read. It was a quick, cozy read using characters I love and imagining them in different scenarios. While it had its flaws, I enjoyed it enough to pick up "Sense & Second-Degree Murder" as soon as it was available in my local bookstore. I'm happy to say that not only did I enjoy this one just as much, I actually enjoyed it more and can definitely see the author's improvement.
The Good
The Plot's Center
While yes this is a murder mystery, the author is smart enough to keep the same heart of the story as the original novel: the relationship between Elinor and Marianne. Price even takes it a step further by showing their differences not in how they deal with their respective love interests or society, but by their interests in general. Sensible Elinor loves science and wants to seriously study chemistry, while passionate Marianne thrives on the danger and intrigue their father's detective work provided. These different interests work to show the gap in their relationship, and how that relationship grows with them as they learn how they (and their interests) can work together.
Romance Takes a Backseat
Going into this, I was fully prepared to read another novel of insta-love, which happens far too often in YA literature. I was VERY pleasantly surprised to find that not to be the case. Price instead keeps in with Jane Austen's original writing, but also making it more realistic. Austen fans will remember that in the S&S novel, Austen didn't spend a lot of time on the lead-up to the romances. The girls meet their love interests, time skip, and they're in love. Many romantic aspects people enjoy are actually found in the TV or film adaptations. Price takes the Austen approach by having some feeling come across in very little time, but stops short of "insta-love". I won't say too much more, except that it's nice to see an author keep to the spirit of the original while also making it more realistic.
The Characters
Just as in the first book, part of the fun in this is seeing how the author uses the characters. Fans of the original S&S novel will have fun trying to guess which characters will appear and what roles they'll play. And, even in the more predictable roles, it's fun to see just how those roles are played.
The Weak
The Mystery's Solution
This is really my biggest problem with the novel, and it's kind of a big one, so I did dock quite a few points. DO NOT read this book purely for the mystery. It starts off well and has some interesting points to it (some of which are explained in the Author's Note, which should definitely be read), but unfortunately it falls a little flat in the final delivery. I've read other YA novels (even middle grade ones) with more well-plotted mysteries so I'm not going to accept that as an excuse. If the mystery was just a side plot it wouldn't be so bad, but since it's the main plot driving the novel, I would have liked to see the mystery more fleshed out and the villains more capable.
TL;DR/b> A fun, enjoyable read for fans of Jane Austen, but not by anyone looking for a good, solid mystery.
Content/Trigger Warnings: Nongraphic mentions of drug addiction/drug abuse, mentions of animal testing (rats), brief mention of scientific study of hanged criminals
Thoughts
I read the first book in this series, "Pride and Premeditation," last year and found it an enjoyable read. It was a quick, cozy read using characters I love and imagining them in different scenarios. While it had its flaws, I enjoyed it enough to pick up "Sense & Second-Degree Murder" as soon as it was available in my local bookstore. I'm happy to say that not only did I enjoy this one just as much, I actually enjoyed it more and can definitely see the author's improvement.
The Good
The Plot's Center
While yes this is a murder mystery, the author is smart enough to keep the same heart of the story as the original novel: the relationship between Elinor and Marianne. Price even takes it a step further by showing their differences not in how they deal with their respective love interests or society, but by their interests in general. Sensible Elinor loves science and wants to seriously study chemistry, while passionate Marianne thrives on the danger and intrigue their father's detective work provided. These different interests work to show the gap in their relationship, and how that relationship grows with them as they learn how they (and their interests) can work together.
Romance Takes a Backseat
Going into this, I was fully prepared to read another novel of insta-love, which happens far too often in YA literature. I was VERY pleasantly surprised to find that not to be the case. Price instead keeps in with Jane Austen's original writing, but also making it more realistic. Austen fans will remember that in the S&S novel, Austen didn't spend a lot of time on the lead-up to the romances. The girls meet their love interests, time skip, and they're in love. Many romantic aspects people enjoy are actually found in the TV or film adaptations. Price takes the Austen approach by having some feeling come across in very little time, but stops short of "insta-love". I won't say too much more, except that it's nice to see an author keep to the spirit of the original while also making it more realistic.
The Characters
Just as in the first book, part of the fun in this is seeing how the author uses the characters. Fans of the original S&S novel will have fun trying to guess which characters will appear and what roles they'll play. And, even in the more predictable roles, it's fun to see just how those roles are played.
The Weak
The Mystery's Solution
This is really my biggest problem with the novel, and it's kind of a big one, so I did dock quite a few points. DO NOT read this book purely for the mystery. It starts off well and has some interesting points to it (some of which are explained in the Author's Note, which should definitely be read), but unfortunately it falls a little flat in the final delivery. I've read other YA novels (even middle grade ones) with more well-plotted mysteries so I'm not going to accept that as an excuse. If the mystery was just a side plot it wouldn't be so bad, but since it's the main plot driving the novel, I would have liked to see the mystery more fleshed out and the villains more capable.
TL;DR/b> A fun, enjoyable read for fans of Jane Austen, but not by anyone looking for a good, solid mystery.