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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Well. I did have a lot of fun with the beginning of this book - there were a lot of interesting worldbuilding tidbits happening and I loved the friendship between Crow and Doyle. Crow in particular was a very interesting character and didn't rely at all on the Sherlock cliche of the early 2000s of 'I'm horrible to everyone but I'm a genius so it's ok'. I have some bare minimum Sherlock Holmes knowledge enough to recognize when famous stories were being retold in the novel, but I wasn't really there for the mysteries. As the story goes on, however, it seems to bring the mysteries much more into the foreground at the expense of the friendship vibes. And the writer clearly wants to get through a lot of these mysteries in a short amount of time, so they largely show up as little vignettes that assume you already know the answer and so they read more like meta commentary of the original story. Maybe this is more fun if you've read all the original stories but I mostly felt like the book was really dragging on longer than it needed to be with less of what I cared about in between. And then the ending just kind of happened? It was fine, I guess, mostly I was just trying to get to the end at that point.
Finally, just general warning for how this book talks about sex workers. It's pretty regressive and unpleasant even beyond the sensationalization of graphic murder. And I could see an argument being made that these are believable views that characters could have, but also there's specific influence of modernization on, say, discussion of Roma characters, so it felt unnecessary.
Finally, just general warning for how this book talks about sex workers. It's pretty regressive and unpleasant even beyond the sensationalization of graphic murder. And I could see an argument being made that these are believable views that characters could have, but also there's specific influence of modernization on, say, discussion of Roma characters, so it felt unnecessary.
Really enjoyed this story, and brilliant work by Imogen Church for narrating. Absolutely loved how fun she made it. I almost didn't stick with it because I wasn't interested in another Sherlock Holmes remake, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Katherine Addison writes fantastic fantasy.
no one told me this was sherlock wingfic!!!!!! that’s important information that i need to know before i commit to a book!! I read a third of it before i gave up because there’s actually no plot whatsoever!!! i have been tricked and disappointed.
Very good, which I expected after the amazing [b:The Goblin Emperor|17910048|The Goblin Emperor (The Goblin Emperor, #1)|Katherine Addison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373039517l/17910048._SX50_.jpg|24241248], plus hearing that it was basically Holmes and Watson, but Holmes is an angel, and it has Jack the Ripper. The book takes us through different versions of several Holmes canon stories, but through the lens of a much different world where angels and werewolves and vampires and hell hounds exist.
*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I was really intrigued by this book. Sherlock Holmes mixed with Supernatural and Jack the Ripper? It had great promise. The author really managed to capture Arthur Conan Doyle's writing style, which was both a blessing and a curse, since I was always a little detached to his actual writing. However, it added authenticity to the story. As for the plot, it read like Sherlock Holmes. Well, Sherlock Holmes fanfiction. In fact, there is an author's note at the back of the book stating that this is a 'wingfic.' Meaning Sherlock Holmes fanfiction where one character is an angel.
In that light, I would have preferred that Watson (Doyle) have been the angel. It would have been interesting to read an angel's perspective of the perplexing Sherlock Holmes. Instead, Dr. Doyle becomes roommates and companions with Crow, who refers to himself as the "Angel of London." The fact that Crow is an angel explains away all of Sherlock Holmes' oddities. His almost supernatural awareness of his surroundings, his attention to detail, his stand-offish nature. Weird in a human, but for an angel? The reader has no concept at the start what an angel should or shouldn't be like. Although Addison fills in some blanks, there is still so much left unsaid about the supernatural entities of her alternate England.
Angels and Fallen, werewolves and hellhounds, vampires and hemophages, necrophages and spiritualists- many non-human creatures are common place in Crow's London. Angels guard buildings and spaces. Fallen, never seen, are fallen angels whose touch is deadly. Werewolves function in military groups while vampires are permitted to live in hunts. Hellhounds (former humans touched by dark forces), hemophages (lesser than vampires but still human, they drink blood), and necrophages (never fully explained, but I assume have something to do with the dead) are face with impossible conundrums- it is illegal to be unregistered, but registering often means death or imprisonment. While being a spiritualist is an acceptable calling for a young lady, but an unregistered witch is a crime. This world that Addision builds is deeply complex and holds so much promise, but she only explain a little of it, and only when she is forced to.
Addison also makes surprisingly modern observations about sex and gender (and same sex romance). To go into more detail would be a spoiler, but it is something that comes completely out of the blue. Twice, in fact.
The plot follows Doyle's original tales quite closely, even some conversations I feel that are verbatim from either Sherlock, the BBC show, or Doyle's own writings (or again, Addison just writes in Doyle's voice). And yet the plot seems to fall flat. Much less of a mystery than it should be, the information is all kept inside Crow's head, where he rushes to explain the whodunit without any possibility of the reader following along. Or worse, the culprit will simply admit to everything upon being questioned. At the mere thought of suspicion, all of the story wraps in a neat bow. There are some reoccurring plot lines- Jack the Ripper, another mysterious serial killer, and the vampire Moriarty- but none of those threads ever come into fruition.
Final thoughts: 3.75 stars. Had potential, and I may even read the sequel if there is one, but ultimately falls flat.
I was really intrigued by this book. Sherlock Holmes mixed with Supernatural and Jack the Ripper? It had great promise. The author really managed to capture Arthur Conan Doyle's writing style, which was both a blessing and a curse, since I was always a little detached to his actual writing. However, it added authenticity to the story. As for the plot, it read like Sherlock Holmes. Well, Sherlock Holmes fanfiction. In fact, there is an author's note at the back of the book stating that this is a 'wingfic.' Meaning Sherlock Holmes fanfiction where one character is an angel.
In that light, I would have preferred that Watson (Doyle) have been the angel. It would have been interesting to read an angel's perspective of the perplexing Sherlock Holmes. Instead, Dr. Doyle becomes roommates and companions with Crow, who refers to himself as the "Angel of London." The fact that Crow is an angel explains away all of Sherlock Holmes' oddities. His almost supernatural awareness of his surroundings, his attention to detail, his stand-offish nature. Weird in a human, but for an angel? The reader has no concept at the start what an angel should or shouldn't be like. Although Addison fills in some blanks, there is still so much left unsaid about the supernatural entities of her alternate England.
Angels and Fallen, werewolves and hellhounds, vampires and hemophages, necrophages and spiritualists- many non-human creatures are common place in Crow's London. Angels guard buildings and spaces. Fallen, never seen, are fallen angels whose touch is deadly. Werewolves function in military groups while vampires are permitted to live in hunts. Hellhounds (former humans touched by dark forces), hemophages (lesser than vampires but still human, they drink blood), and necrophages (never fully explained, but I assume have something to do with the dead) are face with impossible conundrums- it is illegal to be unregistered, but registering often means death or imprisonment. While being a spiritualist is an acceptable calling for a young lady, but an unregistered witch is a crime. This world that Addision builds is deeply complex and holds so much promise, but she only explain a little of it, and only when she is forced to.
Addison also makes surprisingly modern observations about sex and gender (and same sex romance). To go into more detail would be a spoiler, but it is something that comes completely out of the blue. Twice, in fact.
The plot follows Doyle's original tales quite closely, even some conversations I feel that are verbatim from either Sherlock, the BBC show, or Doyle's own writings (or again, Addison just writes in Doyle's voice). And yet the plot seems to fall flat. Much less of a mystery than it should be, the information is all kept inside Crow's head, where he rushes to explain the whodunit without any possibility of the reader following along. Or worse, the culprit will simply admit to everything upon being questioned. At the mere thought of suspicion, all of the story wraps in a neat bow. There are some reoccurring plot lines- Jack the Ripper, another mysterious serial killer, and the vampire Moriarty- but none of those threads ever come into fruition.
Final thoughts: 3.75 stars. Had potential, and I may even read the sequel if there is one, but ultimately falls flat.
good fantasy worldbuilding and good Sherlock Holmes fanfic
This was pure fun from start to finish. I liked the melding of plot elements from the original stories and extra twists (plus Jack the Ripper), I liked the characters, and I liked the world of London inhabited by magic and angels and still recognizably London.
Also it makes so much more sense that Crow can't leave London than that Holmes won't!
Also it makes so much more sense that Crow can't leave London than that Holmes won't!
mysterious
slow-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:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated