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thepaperbackplanner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Premise: Sherlock and Watson discover a mystery, but then Sherlock is locked up and Watson has to solve the case. Also, Watson is built like a brick shithouse. Also, there’s some supernatural stuff. While I did have a good time trying to figure out what the heck was going on on this dang ship, I unfortunately didn’t love the story overall. I was glad to see the perspective switched between the Watson character and a woman rather than having a male narrator throughout, but I felt that she and many of the characters adhered a bit too closely to established tropes. I also was not a huge fan of how Turton wrote some characters interacting with other characters who were part of marginalized communities. Like, I know it’s the 1600s and shit is bad for a lot of folks, but you’re in control of the story and dialogue, my guy. On the other hand, I did enjoy the ending a little bit more with this book than the previous one. I did some Googling and I may be in the minority there, but I personally was relatively satisfied by the way the mystery resolved. Overall, if you’re super into, like, boats and history and mysteries and stuff, you’ll probably like this a little more than I did.
vickyfred's review against another edition
4.0
What a ride. Twists and turns galore. So many suspects with plausible motive, I wouldn’t have been surprised if it were them but the real culprit was a surprise up until it was actually revealed. Fun setting, ladies looking out for one another, a forbidden romance, and a twist ending I didn’t see coming. A little bit of a kumbaya moment at the end but overall an enjoyable read.
thebookstackattack's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cfairwea's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
dreaminthepages's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This was my second Stuart Turton read and it was definitely entertaining and adventurous.
I loved the characters although have to admit listening to this in audiobook form meant sometimes i'd get confused between the characters...their names sounded similar in my head but it was certainly a full cast of characters. However some of them felt like extras or just thrown in there with no real purpose even who was meant to be one of the main characters, Samuel Phipps, really did not do much but in the end the author just threw in that he was Krisha's brother - that revelation did not sit very well with me. Also Sander's character did not add much but I suppose allowed for some red herrings in the story.
Speaking of which, a bit too many red herrings that in places I had no idea what was going on and it was sort of all over the place. I also disliked how rushed the ending parts felt like ho conveniently Arent and Sara were able to deduce everything from very little at all..or at least very little that was revealed to the reader which just left me feeling bamboozled. It also felt like many knots were tied in the story but then it just suddenly like magic became unravelled! The motives of everything that happened were a little weak too.
I will say that I did enjoy the setting of the story on a ship on the seas in the 1600s. It was very well done and described.
The audiobook was surprisingly very good and glad I listened to this as my first fiction audiobook (have only ever listened to non-fiction/ memoirs). However it is one that helps if you can concentrate a little more on due to all the clues etc and I listened to this mostly when driving to and from work so had to rewind a few times!
Overall I did enjoy reading thi this time of year and will definitely check out more of Stuart Turtons future books!
This was my second Stuart Turton read and it was definitely entertaining and adventurous.
I loved the characters although have to admit listening to this in audiobook form meant sometimes i'd get confused between the characters...their names sounded similar in my head but it was certainly a full cast of characters. However some of them felt like extras or just thrown in there with no real purpose even who was meant to be one of the main characters, Samuel Phipps, really did not do much but in the end the author just threw in that he was Krisha's brother - that revelation did not sit very well with me. Also Sander's character did not add much but I suppose allowed for some red herrings in the story.
Speaking of which, a bit too many red herrings that in places I had no idea what was going on and it was sort of all over the place. I also disliked how rushed the ending parts felt like ho conveniently Arent and Sara were able to deduce everything from very little at all..or at least very little that was revealed to the reader which just left me feeling bamboozled. It also felt like many knots were tied in the story but then it just suddenly like magic became unravelled! The motives of everything that happened were a little weak too.
I will say that I did enjoy the setting of the story on a ship on the seas in the 1600s. It was very well done and described.
The audiobook was surprisingly very good and glad I listened to this as my first fiction audiobook (have only ever listened to non-fiction/ memoirs). However it is one that helps if you can concentrate a little more on due to all the clues etc and I listened to this mostly when driving to and from work so had to rewind a few times!
Overall I did enjoy reading thi this time of year and will definitely check out more of Stuart Turtons future books!
helenh1975's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nicholeigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
stepriot's review against another edition
2.0
It might be good if it had been edited down. It repeats information too often and meanders so much all suspense is lost. I don't normally mind a slow burn but this one just doesn't carry it off.