Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I suppose I must give this book some credit, because I did read all 455 pages -- it had a certain more-ish quality, like Pringles. But, like Pringles, it leaves you feeling worse than when you began. It is a fantasy retelling of Sherlock Holmes, something I didn't really think would appeal to me, but because I enjoyed Witness for the Dead so much, I thought I would try it. Sadly, this book is very bad, and I think even dedicated ACD fans would agree. It retells a number of famous Sherlock Holmes stories, such as "A Study in Scarlet", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", and "The Sign of Four", in a world in which Holmes is an angel called Crow, and Watson is known as Doyle. There is no over-arcing plot: these each function as individual mysteries, involving Crow and Doyle. It is a scattered, loosely bound amalgamation of stuff, mostly not very good stuff.
The story is set in the 1890s in London, but the author, an American, has not successfully captured British idioms, or historical accurate language. This frustrated me, because it threw me out of the story ever time Doyle said, "I guess..." or a street was called a "block". If a story is set in modern Britain, there is quite a lot you can get away with as American English has become so ubiquitous, but if something is set in the 1890s, it needs to cleave much more closely to traditional British English. As the author was rewriting Sherlock Holmes stories, she could have transferred them to somewhere in the US, which would have helped her with this problem, if she could not manage to un-Americanise her language. I try not to be too picky, but there are some really egregious things, like a Devonshire butler saying, "Her father never spent a cent he didn't have to on those girls."
Other complaints, more serious ones, contain spoilers:
I don't understand what Addison's thinking was with Doyle's gender identity. My reading of the novel was that Doyle is a trans man, but at other times Addison suggests that Doyle is dressing as a man for practical reasons only, and at other times that Doyle has a non-binary gender identity. Doyle being ambivalent about his gender, or not having accessing to language to describe his relationship to gender, would make a lot of sense given the time period, but Addison doesn't explore Doyle's gender in any depth. This is an example of one of the many problems I have with the book as a whole: Addison throws in ideas but never really spends time exploring or understanding her characters. Her two novels that I have enjoyed, Witness for the Dead and The Goblin Emperor, are very much character-driven, so I am surprised that this book contains such little character development. Especially as this began as fan-fiction, and fan-fiction is usually explorative more than plot-driven, yet this book somehow manages to be neither plot-focused NOR character-driven.
The only hint of an over-arcing plot is the Jack-the-Ripper mystery. However, again, Addison manages to make this completely unsatisfying. If you are going to write about Jack-the-Ripper actually being caught, within a supernatural setting at that, you need to give the reader some kind of pay-off. Even though Doyle tracks Jack down, we never understand anything about Jack's motives, who or what he is, or where he comes from -- we might as well not have caught him at all. It's a completely wasted opportunity, and means the book has no catharsis.
There are some interesting ideas in here. The descriptions of angels is cool. There are some nice urban fantasy elements. But it's a complete mess, it's shoddily written, and it does Addison a disservice: her other work is so good and this lets her down. It shouldn't have been published.
The story is set in the 1890s in London, but the author, an American, has not successfully captured British idioms, or historical accurate language. This frustrated me, because it threw me out of the story ever time Doyle said, "I guess..." or a street was called a "block". If a story is set in modern Britain, there is quite a lot you can get away with as American English has become so ubiquitous, but if something is set in the 1890s, it needs to cleave much more closely to traditional British English. As the author was rewriting Sherlock Holmes stories, she could have transferred them to somewhere in the US, which would have helped her with this problem, if she could not manage to un-Americanise her language. I try not to be too picky, but there are some really egregious things, like a Devonshire butler saying, "Her father never spent a cent he didn't have to on those girls."
Other complaints, more serious ones, contain spoilers:
Spoiler
I don't understand what Addison's thinking was with Doyle's gender identity. My reading of the novel was that Doyle is a trans man, but at other times Addison suggests that Doyle is dressing as a man for practical reasons only, and at other times that Doyle has a non-binary gender identity. Doyle being ambivalent about his gender, or not having accessing to language to describe his relationship to gender, would make a lot of sense given the time period, but Addison doesn't explore Doyle's gender in any depth. This is an example of one of the many problems I have with the book as a whole: Addison throws in ideas but never really spends time exploring or understanding her characters. Her two novels that I have enjoyed, Witness for the Dead and The Goblin Emperor, are very much character-driven, so I am surprised that this book contains such little character development. Especially as this began as fan-fiction, and fan-fiction is usually explorative more than plot-driven, yet this book somehow manages to be neither plot-focused NOR character-driven.
The only hint of an over-arcing plot is the Jack-the-Ripper mystery. However, again, Addison manages to make this completely unsatisfying. If you are going to write about Jack-the-Ripper actually being caught, within a supernatural setting at that, you need to give the reader some kind of pay-off. Even though Doyle tracks Jack down, we never understand anything about Jack's motives, who or what he is, or where he comes from -- we might as well not have caught him at all. It's a completely wasted opportunity, and means the book has no catharsis.
There are some interesting ideas in here. The descriptions of angels is cool. There are some nice urban fantasy elements. But it's a complete mess, it's shoddily written, and it does Addison a disservice: her other work is so good and this lets her down. It shouldn't have been published.
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
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:
No
Just lovely.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Outing, Dysphoria
This was simply not as good as the goblin emperor and that is devastating
I didn't know "wingfic" was a thing. (For others who don't know, it's fan fiction where some or all of the characters have wings, for whatever reason). I am, however, a lifelong Holmes fan, and so was able to follow our heroes to this inventive little corner of the universe which I don't think I need to visit again.
"Well," I said when our visitor was gone, "I guess you're stuck with me." "I think you've got that backward, too," Crow said, and smiled like sunrise after the nightmare-dark.
Addison's novel is instantly familiar and strange. The best way I can describe it is like walking on a swaying tightrope. On one side you'll find classic Holmes stories and relationships; the other side is an urban fantasy where angels, vampires and hell-hounds walk the streets of perhaps late 1800's or early 1900's London. The mashup is exhilarating. It's also disorienting, but that's part of the charm.
The story follows Dr. Doyle, an empathetic medic injured during the war (read: Watson) and Crow, an eclectic angel who is fascinated with crime and assists Scotland Yard in solving them (read: Sherlock). The characters are not exactly who you think they are and there's a very satisfying reveal about halfway through related to that.
The novel throws the pair together early in, then takes them through a few alternate versions of classic Holmes mysteries (The Speckled Band, The Hound of the Baskervilles) while they also navigate a slower burn mystery. There's a serial killer on the loose, one dubbed Jack the Ripper in the press. If the novel had focused more on that conflict, it would have been stronger for it. As it is, the resolution there feels a little like an afterthought.
Above all else, this is a journey inside the head of the compassionate Dr. Doyle, a charming character with a big heart. You won't regret the time you spend with the doctor or Crow. 4/5.
Addison's novel is instantly familiar and strange. The best way I can describe it is like walking on a swaying tightrope. On one side you'll find classic Holmes stories and relationships; the other side is an urban fantasy where angels, vampires and hell-hounds walk the streets of perhaps late 1800's or early 1900's London. The mashup is exhilarating. It's also disorienting, but that's part of the charm.
The story follows Dr. Doyle, an empathetic medic injured during the war (read: Watson) and Crow, an eclectic angel who is fascinated with crime and assists Scotland Yard in solving them (read: Sherlock). The characters are not exactly who you think they are and there's a very satisfying reveal about halfway through related to that.
The novel throws the pair together early in, then takes them through a few alternate versions of classic Holmes mysteries (The Speckled Band, The Hound of the Baskervilles) while they also navigate a slower burn mystery. There's a serial killer on the loose, one dubbed Jack the Ripper in the press. If the novel had focused more on that conflict, it would have been stronger for it. As it is, the resolution there feels a little like an afterthought.
Above all else, this is a journey inside the head of the compassionate Dr. Doyle, a charming character with a big heart. You won't regret the time you spend with the doctor or Crow. 4/5.
When I got this book I hadn't known it started at Shelock Holmes wingfic, fanfic but it was pretty quickly obvious. There is nothing wrong with that. There is some absolutely amazing fanfic out there. This took the Holmesian ideal and dropped it into an alternative history filled with the paranormal.
Crow is obviously Sherlock and Doyle (wink wink) is Watson (only much more intelligent than he is sometimes portrayed). In this world angels are nothing but nearly mindless automatons until a) they are named b) have a place to be an angel OF (for example the Angel of the Met) Crow is different. He considers himself the Angel of London, a concept so broad his fellow angels consider him if not a Fallen angel (he isn't, they are very destructive and their mere touch can kill), then at least a problem.
Doyle was in the war in the Middle East and he was touched by a Fallen leaving him with a very lame leg (not the thing for me to be reading, having destroyed my knee this year) and with a very large paranormal issue.
The story opens with them becoming roommates and opens very open ended with the idea there could be more (I would welcome that). We are in Doyle's pov through this. It is in actuality a series of novellas and short stories strung together with the Jack the Ripper case going through them all. Crow loves solving mysteries and has an uneasy relationship with the police (Lestrade is in this and retains his name).
This was such a fun read. I love the characterization of the Angels and Crow in particular. Doyle is great too. He has a secret or two that are slowly revealed. One of which I felt should have been brought up earlier since it seems a little dishonest to hide it so long (though in this time period it would have to have been hidden as anything remotely LGBT would have been illegal)
I romped straight through this and came out the other side wanting more.
Crow is obviously Sherlock and Doyle (wink wink) is Watson (only much more intelligent than he is sometimes portrayed). In this world angels are nothing but nearly mindless automatons until a) they are named b) have a place to be an angel OF (for example the Angel of the Met) Crow is different. He considers himself the Angel of London, a concept so broad his fellow angels consider him if not a Fallen angel (he isn't, they are very destructive and their mere touch can kill), then at least a problem.
Doyle was in the war in the Middle East and he was touched by a Fallen leaving him with a very lame leg (not the thing for me to be reading, having destroyed my knee this year) and with a very large paranormal issue.
The story opens with them becoming roommates and opens very open ended with the idea there could be more (I would welcome that). We are in Doyle's pov through this. It is in actuality a series of novellas and short stories strung together with the Jack the Ripper case going through them all. Crow loves solving mysteries and has an uneasy relationship with the police (Lestrade is in this and retains his name).
This was such a fun read. I love the characterization of the Angels and Crow in particular. Doyle is great too. He has a secret or two that are slowly revealed. One of which I felt should have been brought up earlier since it seems a little dishonest to hide it so long (though in this time period it would have to have been hidden as anything remotely LGBT would have been illegal)
I romped straight through this and came out the other side wanting more.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. I had not read anything by the author previously but I had heard very positive things and this was a great entry point to her writing. I loved the twist on the Sherlock stories and the "usual" characters were well portrayed with enough familiarity but enough difference that it felt unique and interesting. I would be very interested in learning more about this world and it's twist on London, particularly the angel and other supernatural communities. Really, that was the most interesting part! It's a fun read and well done.
I received an advance copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received an advance copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.