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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
"I was a young girl growing up in a world run by old men. I'd pick and choose my battles wisely."
James Patterson, I could kiss the ground thoust walk upon to thank you for publishing such a kick-ass, wonderful book. But Kerri Maniscalsco I could build a shrine in thine honor for WRITING such a kick-ass wonderful book.
In 19th century London, a series of horrific murders takes the Whitechapel district by storm. Enter Audrey Rose Wadsworth, a young girl of only 17 that challenges what it means to be proper with her morbid interest in death and the macabre. Using her training under her uncle, the forensics scientist, and the help of her friend Thomas, together they unearth the secrets of Audrey Rose's family, and the real mystery of who Jack the Ripper is.
I just recently watched the Buzzfeed Unsolved video on Jack the Ripper, because I felt it would prepare me for the book and I'm so glad I did because one of the things I enjoyed a lot about the book were the real life events that were explained and made part of the plot in such an interesting and creative way. For example, the police officer that gave up his job after being unable to solve the case... While Blackburn's fate was never went into detail about, it ties in rather neatly and it's a treat for people that know about the case more fully! Of course, there's also all the neat little photos and sources scattered throughout the chapters. I love illustrations and visual aids in books because I think they add a little something to the experience, and I think it was especially useful in this case because there's many times where the full extent of a description, such as the scene with the ailment that looked much like leprosy, is only really comprehended with use of a visual aid.
And since we're on the topic of artistic liberties, I adored Maniscalsco's style of writing! The way she wrote, I don't know if many people noticed this but there were a lot of instances that added to the suspense of the novel and it was all due to her style of choice. Audrey Rose would notice something in a photo for example, something chilling, and then she'd point it out to someone without mentioning internally what it was to herself (and the readers!) -– which honestly makes sense, as technically in her universe, she's talking to herself, not to us –– and so the effect is that you're sitting on the edge of your seat (or, for me the end of my bed, chewing on my fingernails) waiting to find out what the heck is going on!
Similarly, the way the book was written in general was fabulous. The horror element wasn't gory by being over the top, but instead it felt as though every sentence carried its own weight. I remember salivating in particular over a phrase similar to something about the factories blowing smoke into the air like a man with a cigar, or something. I'm just sayin' the writing was fabulous; as a writer, it was incredibly inspiring. The imagery of 19th century London felt so vivid, it was almost like watching a TV show; I could practically smell the industry rising between the cobalt and stone. It's obvious to me a lot of research went into this, and though I can't confirm whether it's all accurate or not, it sure feels that way.
In terms of characters: Audrey Rose in general though, was a lovely protagonist. She embodied everything I love in female characters. Strength of character, but with her fair share of self-doubt, and a broad, clever mind! On a similar note, I also think the way the Jack the Ripper story was handled was so good because of like, the notes of feminism that counteracted the obvious woman-hating root of the murders themselves. The novel is remarkably self-aware of potential critiques and fights against all of them wonderfully. But anyways, Audrey Rose: I simply loved everything about her, and to me it felt like the addition of her being partially indian and bicultural was natural and every moment she'd mention it only added to her character. To me, it in no way felt contrived. I was so pleasantly surprised by that! The rest of the cast was just as intriguing. They all had their little quirks I enjoyed, from Uncle's madness, to Thomas' charming flirtation, to her brother's little oddness with grooming his hair. I hope we'll get to see little cameos of them in the next book.
The mystery itself was FUCKING AMAZING! I obviously love the concept already, but I have to give the author major props for coming up with a scenario I really wish had been the truth. It's like, 900 times more epic than anything that could have happened in real life. Although, admittedly, I'd guessed the murderer early on the book.
The only thing I didn't completely enjoy was the resolution of the book when the murderer is revealed. I feel like, as with most books, it was a tad hurried, like everything happening so quickly. But, it was a good resolution nonetheless.
And a wonderful, wonderful book! I can't wait to read the second one and see what happens next with Audrey Rose and Thomas (whose romance by the way nearly made me die of shippy overload!!). DEF, DEF RECOMMEND for fans of mystery and horror and strong female characters.
"Lo siento si no es la review más útil del mundo, simplemente mi granito de arena"
3 estrellas CON MATICES.
1. Hay algunos errores de escritura, o quizá soy yo, pero como que faltan algunas palabras en algunas frases (en plan una conjunción). O cosas como "se me hace agua la boca" en vez de la boca agua. No entiendo como esas cosas pueden pasar la verdad, NO ES MUY MUY MUY HABITUAL A LO LARGO DEL LIBRO, pero cuando pasaba yo lo notaba un montón.
2. El plot me llamaba mucho la atención, (QUIZÁ SPOILER) el ship con Thomas me encanta la verdad (FIN DEL POSIBLE SPOILER), pero a mi el setting del S XIX me ha puesto de los nervios un poco... Está todo correcto desde luego, hasta donde yo entiendo claro, simplemente me enerva cuando hay ese punto de "no preocupes a esa delicada y bonita cabecita vacia tuya con cosas de hombres"
3 estrellas CON MATICES.
1. Hay algunos errores de escritura, o quizá soy yo, pero como que faltan algunas palabras en algunas frases (en plan una conjunción). O cosas como "se me hace agua la boca" en vez de la boca agua. No entiendo como esas cosas pueden pasar la verdad, NO ES MUY MUY MUY HABITUAL A LO LARGO DEL LIBRO, pero cuando pasaba yo lo notaba un montón.
2. El plot me llamaba mucho la atención, (QUIZÁ SPOILER) el ship con Thomas me encanta la verdad (FIN DEL POSIBLE SPOILER), pero a mi el setting del S XIX me ha puesto de los nervios un poco... Está todo correcto desde luego, hasta donde yo entiendo claro, simplemente me enerva cuando hay ese punto de "no preocupes a esa delicada y bonita cabecita vacia tuya con cosas de hombres"
DNF - this just wasn't for me. I just couldn't get into it.
Lo leí en 2021 y puedo decirles que solo hay dos protagonistas masculinos que leí en ese tiempo de los que sigo igual de enamorada y esos son Thomas Cresswell y Roth (mis esposos).
I assumed there would be a theory on who the ripper was, but I didn't like this one. I do think the story about Jack the ripper is horribly fascinating though.
I absolutely loved this historical novel, which I haven’t read much of lately unless it’s heavy on fantasy. But having loved Keri’s Kingdom of the Wicked series, I decided to try this. I’m glad I did. It was very different but just as exciting to read. I love a good murder mystery, and Keri pulls it off in both realistic and fantastical settings.
If it wasn’t obvious from the title, this is based on Jack the Ripper with some historical liberties for the story. Audry Rose is a young woman close to coming of age in Victorian London, But rather than make a name for herself in polite society, she assists her uncle with postmortems against her father’s wishes.
What I liked…
I just loved the characters. They all bring something different to the story and treat Audry very differently so we can see who is overprotective of her and who is happy to let her do her own thing.
I love how she incorporated some historical accuracies into the story.
What I didn’t like…
Nothing worth mentioning.
Final thoughts...
It was one of the best YA books I’ve read in a good while and was an interesting Jack the Ripper story for sure. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series and following Audry and Thomas’ journey.
If it wasn’t obvious from the title, this is based on Jack the Ripper with some historical liberties for the story. Audry Rose is a young woman close to coming of age in Victorian London, But rather than make a name for herself in polite society, she assists her uncle with postmortems against her father’s wishes.
What I liked…
I just loved the characters. They all bring something different to the story and treat Audry very differently so we can see who is overprotective of her and who is happy to let her do her own thing.
I love how she incorporated some historical accuracies into the story.
What I didn’t like…
Nothing worth mentioning.
Final thoughts...
It was one of the best YA books I’ve read in a good while and was an interesting Jack the Ripper story for sure. I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series and following Audry and Thomas’ journey.
Honestly I didn’t know if I was going to like this going into it, but it was interesting from start to finish, I didn’t guess the end until the last few chapters and I really did not see the last few events happening at all. Maniscalco got me back into reading with Kingdom of the Wicked and her YA writing is amazing. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys historic fiction, horror and likes a strong FMC. 4/5 ⭐️’s
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No