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liza_loo_who's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-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? Yes
4.0
adumundead's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
sashapasha's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
The good:
- The humor — the writing was very witty and imaginative and there were numerous occasions that I laughed out loud.
- The characters — Jackaby and Abigail were both well drawn, but Jackaby in particular was a great character. His many quirks and oddities and his strange mannerism meant that he was very easy to visualize and also thoroughly likable. I very much enjoyed his interactions with Abigail and his general craziness. An excellent addition to the numerous interpretations of Sherlock Holmes. Abigail, for her part, was slightly less impressive but quite relatable, and I appreciated the moments when she showed her independence and spirit. Charlie, on the other hand, was a thoroughly lackluster character. He wasn’t given much page time, so I didn’t get a sense of his personality (if he had one) and he came off as rather bland.
- Jackaby’s fabulous house — I genuinely want to live there. If Hogwarts isn’t open, then this might be one of my top picks.
- The frog — nearly died this was so funny.
- Douglas — absolutely loved Douglas and his backstory and how frustrated Jackaby was by the whole thing.
The bad:
- The romance —
The in-between:
- The mystery — it was not great and not terrible. I think this book excelled in Jackaby’s character, the humor, and the little details in the world building, but the mystery was not a particularly inspired. The culprit came as no surprise, partially because there were only so many named characters to choose from and it wasn’t the most complex of plots. I felt that the supernatural element to Jackaby’s sleuthing was a bit of a cop-out, a way around needing to think up real-world observations for him to make.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I would recommend it for the humor and for Jackaby.
The good:
- The humor — the writing was very witty and imaginative and there were numerous occasions that I laughed out loud.
- The characters — Jackaby and Abigail were both well drawn, but Jackaby in particular was a great character. His many quirks and oddities and his strange mannerism meant that he was very easy to visualize and also thoroughly likable. I very much enjoyed his interactions with Abigail and his general craziness. An excellent addition to the numerous interpretations of Sherlock Holmes. Abigail, for her part, was slightly less impressive but quite relatable, and I appreciated the moments when she showed her independence and spirit. Charlie, on the other hand, was a thoroughly lackluster character. He wasn’t given much page time, so I didn’t get a sense of his personality (if he had one) and he came off as rather bland.
- Jackaby’s fabulous house — I genuinely want to live there. If Hogwarts isn’t open, then this might be one of my top picks.
- The frog — nearly died this was so funny.
- Douglas — absolutely loved Douglas and his backstory and how frustrated Jackaby was by the whole thing.
The bad:
- The romance —
Spoiler
I’ve never been a fan of instalove and the sudden and inexplicable connection between Abigail and Charlie was not an exception. As mentioned above, I thought Charlie was a very flat character, and I didn’t understand why Abigail was drawn to him. I would have much preferred if she’d developed feelings for Jackaby, whose character practically leapt off the page. In fact, I did some sleuthing around 70% in to determine whether she and Jackaby were endgame later in the series and discovered that was not the case, which made me so upset I had to put the book down for a week. I really ship them. Alas.The in-between:
- The mystery — it was not great and not terrible. I think this book excelled in Jackaby’s character, the humor, and the little details in the world building, but the mystery was not a particularly inspired. The culprit came as no surprise, partially because there were only so many named characters to choose from and it wasn’t the most complex of plots. I felt that the supernatural element to Jackaby’s sleuthing was a bit of a cop-out, a way around needing to think up real-world observations for him to make.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. I would recommend it for the humor and for Jackaby.
When Jackaby had finished dictating and left the room, I wrote a second letter. It read: Please return Jackaby’s tuning fork. He’s getting even more obnoxious than usual. This I sent out with the morning’s post.
The courier arrived that evening.
Jackaby was pleasantly surprised to find that the letter had prevailed. “At least someone in that station house has some sense,” he remarked. “I scarcely believed the dunderheads would bother to read it at all, but look.”
He passed me the note as he exhumed his property from the wrapping. The processing officer had written just three words. I smiled as I read them. I completely understand.
guinevereisilliterate's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
joyreadsinnc's review against another edition
4.0
This is a pretty good read for a debut novel. It is obviously made to be a series and it will be interesting to see what the author does with the main characters in further books. I would have liked to see more character development in this novel and to learn more about the characters' past. Perhaps that will be included in following novels.
kaila2464's review against another edition
4.0
Its about a 3.5 stars. I was expecting to much i guess, nonetheless it was still enjoyable and i love Jackaby and Abigail so much. I found myself laughing at the very end about the tuning fork.
blurrypetals's review against another edition
5.0
This is the sort of book that would have absolutely been my shit if my mother had been able to read it aloud to my brother and I when we were children. As it stands, it's already kind of my shit and I'm 24, so I can't imagine just how much I would have adored this if I had been 12 and been able to read this book.
It's marked with a lot of the things I'm very much in love with in books: it's an urban fantasy about a quirky, snarky supernatural private detective and his adorable no nonsense assistant. It's also a historical fiction, which is something I've come to love within only the past 11 months. If that doesn't spell out something that belongs on the list of, "Things That Sound Like They're Up Sara Grossaint's Alley," then I don't know what does.
The only real reason I mention that I would have loved this when I was younger is that this does feel like something that's been a tiny bit neutered in order to make it suitable for all ages. With that said, though, it really is suitable for all ages. Kids would eat up the fun adventure, young adults would love the more mature themes of Abigail trying to grow up and prove herself, and adults would love the even more mature themes of both Abigail and Jackaby dealing with the bureaucracy of the police force as well as learning not to worry what the town thinks of them and their dealings with the supernatural. It reminds me a lot of Artemis Fowl in that I was pumped as hell about it when I was young, and as I grew older, I understood why I liked it so much, recognized its objectively great merits, but knew I would have a rough time enjoying it as much if I hadn't grown up reading it.
It was all incredibly fun and I'm very, very excited to see what Jackaby and Abigail get into next! Onward!
It's marked with a lot of the things I'm very much in love with in books: it's an urban fantasy about a quirky, snarky supernatural private detective and his adorable no nonsense assistant. It's also a historical fiction, which is something I've come to love within only the past 11 months. If that doesn't spell out something that belongs on the list of, "Things That Sound Like They're Up Sara Grossaint's Alley," then I don't know what does.
The only real reason I mention that I would have loved this when I was younger is that this does feel like something that's been a tiny bit neutered in order to make it suitable for all ages. With that said, though, it really is suitable for all ages. Kids would eat up the fun adventure, young adults would love the more mature themes of Abigail trying to grow up and prove herself, and adults would love the even more mature themes of both Abigail and Jackaby dealing with the bureaucracy of the police force as well as learning not to worry what the town thinks of them and their dealings with the supernatural. It reminds me a lot of Artemis Fowl in that I was pumped as hell about it when I was young, and as I grew older, I understood why I liked it so much, recognized its objectively great merits, but knew I would have a rough time enjoying it as much if I hadn't grown up reading it.
It was all incredibly fun and I'm very, very excited to see what Jackaby and Abigail get into next! Onward!
ellipsiscool's review against another edition
4.0
Super fun and light reading.
Abigail Rook ends up in 1895 New England and gets more than she bargained for when he is hired "on a trial basis" by Jackaby, a detective of unexplained phenomena. So begins a case involving a mysterious metal-shoed murderer, a banshee, and more than a little hilarity.
As a young adult book, this is absolutely fantastic. It is wonderful for teens who are tired of the sappy romantic, love triangle crap that is so prolific in the genre. "Jackaby" is action packed and worthwhile.
Abigail Rook ends up in 1895 New England and gets more than she bargained for when he is hired "on a trial basis" by Jackaby, a detective of unexplained phenomena. So begins a case involving a mysterious metal-shoed murderer, a banshee, and more than a little hilarity.
As a young adult book, this is absolutely fantastic. It is wonderful for teens who are tired of the sappy romantic, love triangle crap that is so prolific in the genre. "Jackaby" is action packed and worthwhile.
general_riegan's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Cute story and a fun concept, but the delivery was wanting and the plot was painfully predictable.
Most of the characters were pretty 2D as well. I wish the book had chapters from Jackaby’s point of view as I would’ve loved to have seen the world through his eyes.
Most of the characters were pretty 2D as well. I wish the book had chapters from Jackaby’s point of view as I would’ve loved to have seen the world through his eyes.