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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
A supernatural world mixed with Holmesian Britain was a very interesting twist. I would have enjoyed it more if there had been more development of the supernatural world and more original story lines. Retelling Sherlock Holmes was great in the beginning, but I would have liked the novel to have moved on with new stories. Great potential, just slightly missed it for me.
This was quite entertaining, and I definitely recommend it to lovers of Sherlock variations. I quite liked Doyle’s character, and the fantasy elements added some interesting twists to the familiar stories.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’ve seen a couple of reviews with some valid points of criticism I'm not going to lie, however, I simply could not put the book down. I do have to admit I (also) felt a little queerbaited until around the 50% mark bc the author's note says this started as a sherlock holmes wing fic which is an inherently queer thing to write and with scenes like this:
“Its why they talk about a wife being the angel of the house, just as your…colleagues are angels of public buildings.”
“That never made sense to me. But–should I be doing those things for you? Is that–”
“Good God, no!”
Or
“I laughed, as he intended, and a ripple of satisfaction went through his feathers.”
Or
“Doyle, are you still mad at me?”
“Yes.” (...)
“If…” He broke off. I was halfway down the casualty lists when he blurted, “If you have sexual congress with me, will you stop being mad?”
Tea went everywhere. (...) “WHAT?”
there were more scenes but you get the gist. i feel like i wasn’t entirely wrong for expecting a little Sherlock/Watson romance here. I was able to eventually put my romance dreams to bed to enjoy the queer-platonic friendship Doyle and Crow had going on but just be warned this book doesn't actually have any queer romance in it lol
This is a first-person account from Dr. Doyle and i think its nice that she adjusted the language to that. It very much reads like someone from the 1880s wrote this. As a non-native speaker i did have to look up some words but it was fun.
I’m also pretty sure I’ve never actually read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories i never even watched the bbc series only some movies lol so idk how serious you want to take my opinion on how good of a fic it is. (edit: thats a lie actually i just looked it up and my goodreads says i read a study in scarlet in 2018 that explains why some names and characters sounded so familiar lol) I did recognize some of the cases and names though. anyway, im pretty sure this is still rather canon divergent, especially with the whole jack the ripper plot in there.
The Jack the Ripper plot was honestly the thing that connected everything else going on. Otherwise it would have just been a collection of sherlock cases with some supernatural elements mixed in.
Talking about the supernatural elements, i kind of wish she had elaborated more on some aspects. There were so many different species that it obviously wasn't feasible to give the lore to all of them, but maybe at least a little bit more of those that were involved in the cases. And especially more about Hellhounds. Like wtf is a “fetch” you know? how exactly do you become one, and why are people so afraid of them? do hellhounds hunt “bad” people? is that why people are afraid of them and why are they put in cages? Are they always put in cages or just when they fill out the registration too late? its all hinted at but nothing is actually explained and idk if i made the right conclusions. Tell me moooore!!
Also, how do you become a hemophage?? I can guess the difference between a hemophage and a vampire from like context clues, but how do you end up being one?? Do they need blood to survive like a vampire, or can they also survive on a normal human diet?? and is animal blood from a butcher enough?? also wth is a necrophage?? Again, i can guess but do they feed on dead people?? does it have to be a human corpse? how do you become one?? like give me something! it doesnt even have to be a lot just a few explaining sentences. but this was a little maddening if im being honest.
in the narrative, Doyle only ever exchanged knowing glances with someone and then moved on like, wait! explain it to me plss
even with more common mythological creatures like werewolves and vampires its useful to establish which aspects of their lore you’re following. can your vampire walk around in sunlight or not? can your werewolves shift at will or only during the full moon? and personally never even heard of a hemophage or a necrophage before. Also not really about humans turning into hellhounds tbh so just give me something to work with.
but despite being confused at times (maybe not confused i just had questions about some of the characters i could still follow the story) i truly could not put the book down and loved it.
This book has a LOT of potential.
First off, the writing style was very good and I was able to read the entire book without feeling bored or awkward. (Although there was one exception to this- the author used the word “said” for EVERY SINGLE dialogue in the book. Which bothered me. A lot.) But overall, good on that front.
Additionally, the world building, with the angels and demons and hemophages and hell hounds was really cool. I only wish we could’ve seen more of the interesting creatures and species (as well as better definitions to what they are) rather than having the plot move along leaving the reader confused. Like what was up with the angels? How does one become fallen exactly? Can we learn more about their “creator”? How is Crow just…. Different? ALSO HOW DO FALLENS’ CLAWS JUST TURN PEOPLE INTO HELL HOUNDS?
My main problem though, was with the plot. As someone who has read and watched many tv shows/books about Sherlock Holmes, I know how his adventures go. So when I realized, a few dozen pages into the book, that this was literally (in some cases word for word) the Sherlock Holmes plot (Including Moriarty, The hound of the Baskervilles, and the double pill cabbie, and more) I was stunned. Like there must be some way to sue the author. It’s literally the same plot!!!! With a slight magical twist!!!!
So although this book was good, I feel that it missed a couple editing phases (after which, it could have become much, much better).
First off, the writing style was very good and I was able to read the entire book without feeling bored or awkward. (Although there was one exception to this- the author used the word “said” for EVERY SINGLE dialogue in the book. Which bothered me. A lot.) But overall, good on that front.
Additionally, the world building, with the angels and demons and hemophages and hell hounds was really cool. I only wish we could’ve seen more of the interesting creatures and species (as well as better definitions to what they are) rather than having the plot move along leaving the reader confused. Like what was up with the angels? How does one become fallen exactly? Can we learn more about their “creator”? How is Crow just…. Different? ALSO HOW DO FALLENS’ CLAWS JUST TURN PEOPLE INTO HELL HOUNDS?
My main problem though, was with the plot. As someone who has read and watched many tv shows/books about Sherlock Holmes, I know how his adventures go. So when I realized, a few dozen pages into the book, that this was literally (in some cases word for word) the Sherlock Holmes plot (Including Moriarty, The hound of the Baskervilles, and the double pill cabbie, and more) I was stunned. Like there must be some way to sue the author. It’s literally the same plot!!!! With a slight magical twist!!!!
So although this book was good, I feel that it missed a couple editing phases (after which, it could have become much, much better).
adventurous
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
It was an incredibly interesting take on Sherlock Holmes with characters that were endearing and surprising in a well thought out AU but it was spoiled by a weak ending. Spoilers below
Skipping Reichenbach fall weakened the story incredibly especially when, as an angel who couldn't fly, there were so many strong paths forward. Additionally- randomly tracking the killer one day, while possibly realistic, isnt at all interesting. It left me wondering why I had spent so much time caring about that storyline.
It was annoying because it was so good right up til the end
Skipping Reichenbach fall weakened the story incredibly especially when, as an angel who couldn't fly, there were so many strong paths forward. Additionally- randomly tracking the killer one day, while possibly realistic, isnt at all interesting. It left me wondering why I had spent so much time caring about that storyline.
It was annoying because it was so good right up til the end
An interesting new take on the classic Holmes characters, but for a 450 page book I’d expected it to be more than just 9 of Doyle’s short stories strung together with slightly different characters. Enjoyable, but certainly nothing new and the mysteries fell flat.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This is literally a mashup of Sherlock Holmes, the show Supernatural (with much less tough bro nonsense), the Parasol Protectorate series, and the Jack the Ripper murders, and according to the author it started as a fanfic. I found the main characters very endearing and though the book was a bit episodic, I didn't even mind because it was fun to see what twists the author was offering on familiar Sherlock Holmes tales, and where familiar character names would pop up next. Not perfect, but this was fun to read and I appreciate the diversion from heavy real life and books with heavier topic I've been reading.