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tbgr_l57l's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars for [b:Stalking Jack the Ripper|28962906|Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #1)|Kerri Maniscalco|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1471010109s/28962906.jpg|47434536] by [a:Kerri Maniscalco|14584166|Kerri Maniscalco|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1463933725p2/14584166.jpg]!
“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper
This was honestly pretty fantastic! I have to point out right at this instant that everyone must give this book a shot. Stalking Jack the Ripper was simply unputdownable. The plot chosen was intriguing and utterly interesting. I loved how Kerri Maniscalco picked up the story of the infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Maniscalco has woven and crafted both reality and fiction in an insanely natural manner. Along with her easy going writing, with every chapter that passed, I wanted more.
The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this novel was the use of a somewhat predictable turn of events regarding the character portraying Jack the Ripper. Ofcourse, his identity was concealed until the very end, however, it wasn’t as much of a surprise as I was anticipating it would be. Not to brag, but I totally guessed who the killer was. I was right, ha! Other than my need to be more amazed and taken aback, I definitely would’ve rated the novel higher.
I absolutely loved the pictures provided and found them helpful in illustrating certain scenarios and locations, as well as the explanations and specifying of the historical backgrounds used. The author provided a somewhat debriefing on what she fictionalised compared to the real facts and scenarios based on historical preferences. This can be found before the ‘Acknowledgements’, at the very end of the novel.
I am not sure if a trigger warning was provided for Stalking Jack the Ripper, but I definitely think it should be as it might not be easy for others to read such a novel. The book includes animal and human torture/murder.
FANGIRL MOMENT!!!!!
> THOMAS CRESSWELL
> I NEED BOOK 2 (HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA, OH MY GOD)
> THOMAS. CRESSWELL.
> DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THE FACT THAT THOMAS IS SIMILAR TO THORNE OF THE LUNAR CHRONICLES?? AM I RIGHT OR WHAT
> THOMAS!
“Roses have both petals and thorns, my dark flower. You needn’t believe something weak because it appears delicate. Show the world your bravery.”
― Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper
This was honestly pretty fantastic! I have to point out right at this instant that everyone must give this book a shot. Stalking Jack the Ripper was simply unputdownable. The plot chosen was intriguing and utterly interesting. I loved how Kerri Maniscalco picked up the story of the infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper. Maniscalco has woven and crafted both reality and fiction in an insanely natural manner. Along with her easy going writing, with every chapter that passed, I wanted more.
The only thing that I didn’t enjoy about this novel was the use of a somewhat predictable turn of events regarding the character portraying Jack the Ripper. Ofcourse, his identity was concealed until the very end, however, it wasn’t as much of a surprise as I was anticipating it would be. Not to brag, but I totally guessed who the killer was. I was right, ha! Other than my need to be more amazed and taken aback, I definitely would’ve rated the novel higher.
I absolutely loved the pictures provided and found them helpful in illustrating certain scenarios and locations, as well as the explanations and specifying of the historical backgrounds used. The author provided a somewhat debriefing on what she fictionalised compared to the real facts and scenarios based on historical preferences. This can be found before the ‘Acknowledgements’, at the very end of the novel.
I am not sure if a trigger warning was provided for Stalking Jack the Ripper, but I definitely think it should be as it might not be easy for others to read such a novel. The book includes animal and human torture/murder.
FANGIRL MOMENT!!!!!
> THOMAS CRESSWELL
> I NEED BOOK 2 (HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA, OH MY GOD)
> THOMAS. CRESSWELL.
> DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THE FACT THAT THOMAS IS SIMILAR TO THORNE OF THE LUNAR CHRONICLES?? AM I RIGHT OR WHAT
> THOMAS!
dontstopreadin's review against another edition
2.0
I was told by many a people that our protagonist here is such a feminist. Uhm, no. She may be empowering to females, but she also engages in a lot of girl shaming/girl hate and that is so much not on the feminist agenda that I can't even consider her close to a feminist. This was also not very mystery feeling to me, the ending was super obvious and the pace was slow. I wouldn't have continued the series if I didn't have to read book two for the YA Booktube Awards.
Trigger warnings for: blood, gore, death
Rep for: meh
Trigger warnings for: blood, gore, death
Rep for: meh
reneerubiano's review against another edition
3.0
audrey rose: he doesn't love me
thomas: you are the only one that has my heart....if someone thinks I care for you, they must be very astute, indeed...your marvelous brain astounds me....
audrey rose: nah, he's just a flirt
thomas: you are the only one that has my heart....if someone thinks I care for you, they must be very astute, indeed...your marvelous brain astounds me....
audrey rose: nah, he's just a flirt
padmawhitehallow's review against another edition
5.0
Ok, I'm not used to read historical fiction, but this one was great. With the mystery and everything, it was nice to read.
It was a great experience, with it's twists and turns. This was the first novel where I tried to discover the murderer by my side, writing my theories while I found little pieces of information. I can't wait to read the next one.
I'd recommend to read this one, at least to have a good time!
It was a great experience, with it's twists and turns. This was the first novel where I tried to discover the murderer by my side, writing my theories while I found little pieces of information. I can't wait to read the next one.
I'd recommend to read this one, at least to have a good time!
bookdust's review against another edition
5.0
I can't believe I sat on this for so long. Soooooo goooooood.
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 against another edition
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