Scan barcode
lara_oe29's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
withlovenour's review against another edition
4.0
This was definitely much longer than the first 2 books and for the first 200 pages the story dragged on a bit, but afterward it became a whirlwind of heightening tension; whether that be due to the rampaging murderer, Mephistopheles' constant flirting, Thomas' growing insecurities about their relationship or Audrey Rose embracing slight of hand and contemplating two diverging futures. So I can definitely say that whilst at the beginning I was making it through the story simply due to faith, I was soon plunged into a world at sea that again, I did not wish to end. I most certainly cannot wait for the grand finale to come.
asherz08's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
aoife_taylors_version2413's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mbro's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
c1aud55n's review
2.0
there were SO many things that bothered me about this book.
i REALLY loved audrey in the first two books especially SJTR and it’s really hard for me to REALLY love the protagonist of a series but b*tch really did a whole 180 on her personality.
i love how in HPD audrey mentions MULTIPLE TIMES she could recognize thomas’s handwriting as well as her own but when mephistopheles sends her that note on the first night she immediately assumed it was thomas’s even though the note hadn’t been signed. and that deal she striked up with mephistopheles was SO stupid. “oh you know what? i’ve known you for what two days at this point? but i’m down to lie TO THE MAN I WANT TO MARRY to get ONE letter that i truly have no business knowing about anyway” she completely patronized liza by going behind her back to get that ONE letter from houdini- TO HIS MOTHER?? and i know she didn’t know it was to his mother but still, messing with liza’s personal affairs? that was SO not ok of audrey. and then liza doesn’t even bat an eye when she finds out the letter WAS INDEED to his mother and not some secret lover in america. and once she’d gotten the letter she could’ve left so easily??
anyway- love triangles are SO over done at this point. honestly i don’t even mind them when they’re done WELL. but i really hoped one WOULDN’T happen. woopty doo guess what happened? audrey rose and thomas had an amazing relationship blossoming in the first two books and they even talked of getting married earlier in the third book AND LITERALLY HAVING CHILDREN, yet she can’t decide who she loves more? thomas, who she’s known for months at this point, who she can- idk actually trust? who’s been with her through her worst times while she hallucinated during HPD after seeing her mothers rotting corpse shocked with electricity and was (quite literally) by her side while she watched her brother commit suicide? OR a mysterious stranger she knows QUITE LITERALLY nothing about- does she know his name? no. has she seen his face? no. HAS SHE KNOWN HIM FOR MORE THAN ONE WEEK? NO! HAS HE PURPOSELY ORCHESTRATED VERY DRAMATIC SCENES TO VERY PURPOSEFULLY PUT A RIFT BETWEEN HER AND THOMAS? YES. YES!! in the first two books i got the impression that audrey and thomas were equals but in this book audrey proves that she doesn’t by CONTINUALLY lying to him when they’d VERY specifically discussed not doing that. and mephistopheles was like the WORSE version of thomas? i hated him from the beginning and the fact that he tricked audrey rose into believing that letter from houdini was to a secret lover and not his mom is disgusting (and i know he tried “justifying” it by saying their love would end in heartbreak wether he had interfered or not which is SO stupid ) and then knowing that he willingly held that fact from her she still wouldn’t answer thomas when he asked if she loved mephistopheles??
and one of my biggest problems with the plot was that in the first book ( and i believe it was also SLIGHTLY mentioned in HPD ) liza and her had a talk where they discussed they both preffered a fun adventure dAsHeD with romance which is exactly what i felt the first two books were and that’s what made me love them so much. but NO in this book it felt like i was reading a bunch of teenage drama while people were getting murdered in the background and in the first book it felt as if the romance was formed IN SPITE of the crimes while in EFH the MURDERS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE felt like a secondary plot.
also, that ending was so haphazard if seemed as if the only thing kerri maniscalco has been able to accomplish while writing this book (other than single-handedly making THE MOST infuriating love triangle i’ve ever had the displeasure of reading about) is to make an amazingly suspenseful ending- and than the epilogue completely killed the suspense.
i REALLY loved audrey in the first two books especially SJTR and it’s really hard for me to REALLY love the protagonist of a series but b*tch really did a whole 180 on her personality.
i love how in HPD audrey mentions MULTIPLE TIMES she could recognize thomas’s handwriting as well as her own but when mephistopheles sends her that note on the first night she immediately assumed it was thomas’s even though the note hadn’t been signed. and that deal she striked up with mephistopheles was SO stupid. “oh you know what? i’ve known you for what two days at this point? but i’m down to lie TO THE MAN I WANT TO MARRY to get ONE letter that i truly have no business knowing about anyway” she completely patronized liza by going behind her back to get that ONE letter from houdini- TO HIS MOTHER?? and i know she didn’t know it was to his mother but still, messing with liza’s personal affairs? that was SO not ok of audrey. and then liza doesn’t even bat an eye when she finds out the letter WAS INDEED to his mother and not some secret lover in america. and once she’d gotten the letter she could’ve left so easily??
anyway- love triangles are SO over done at this point. honestly i don’t even mind them when they’re done WELL. but i really hoped one WOULDN’T happen. woopty doo guess what happened? audrey rose and thomas had an amazing relationship blossoming in the first two books and they even talked of getting married earlier in the third book AND LITERALLY HAVING CHILDREN, yet she can’t decide who she loves more? thomas, who she’s known for months at this point, who she can- idk actually trust? who’s been with her through her worst times while she hallucinated during HPD after seeing her mothers rotting corpse shocked with electricity and was (quite literally) by her side while she watched her brother commit suicide? OR a mysterious stranger she knows QUITE LITERALLY nothing about- does she know his name? no. has she seen his face? no. HAS SHE KNOWN HIM FOR MORE THAN ONE WEEK? NO! HAS HE PURPOSELY ORCHESTRATED VERY DRAMATIC SCENES TO VERY PURPOSEFULLY PUT A RIFT BETWEEN HER AND THOMAS? YES. YES!! in the first two books i got the impression that audrey and thomas were equals but in this book audrey proves that she doesn’t by CONTINUALLY lying to him when they’d VERY specifically discussed not doing that. and mephistopheles was like the WORSE version of thomas? i hated him from the beginning and the fact that he tricked audrey rose into believing that letter from houdini was to a secret lover and not his mom is disgusting (and i know he tried “justifying” it by saying their love would end in heartbreak wether he had interfered or not which is SO stupid ) and then knowing that he willingly held that fact from her she still wouldn’t answer thomas when he asked if she loved mephistopheles??
and one of my biggest problems with the plot was that in the first book ( and i believe it was also SLIGHTLY mentioned in HPD ) liza and her had a talk where they discussed they both preffered a fun adventure dAsHeD with romance which is exactly what i felt the first two books were and that’s what made me love them so much. but NO in this book it felt like i was reading a bunch of teenage drama while people were getting murdered in the background and in the first book it felt as if the romance was formed IN SPITE of the crimes while in EFH the MURDERS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE felt like a secondary plot.
also, that ending was so haphazard if seemed as if the only thing kerri maniscalco has been able to accomplish while writing this book (other than single-handedly making THE MOST infuriating love triangle i’ve ever had the displeasure of reading about) is to make an amazingly suspenseful ending- and than the epilogue completely killed the suspense.
whimsyfaerie's review
4.0
4★
⊱ no spice
౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹
→ ☆ "we women could be called creatures, if only the men who said such careless words accepted our claws were fearsome things when we decided to scratch."
oh my god, i missed audrey rose and thomas so much.
this book was thoroughly enjoyable! i read the previous books over a year ago and i truly didn’t realize how much i missed this series. that being said, i do have a couple minor complaints.
→ ☆ "sometimes we choose not to see things we know are true, simply because we wish to keep the fantasy of what could have been alive."
like always, i really enjoyed the mystery!! i took an educated guess on who the murderer was in the beginning of the book and i ended up being correct! everything about the plot was entertaining and captivating, but the pacing was a bit off for me. it felt too slow, especially towards the middle of the book. other than that, i have no complaints with the plot!
→ ☆ "be cautious with who you give your heart to. and be even more wary of those who seek to steal it."
audrey rose wadsworth. she is such a talented, brilliant character. was she driving me a little mad with her interest towards a new character despite thomas cresswell standing right there? yes. and do i wish that she didn’t keep so much from him? absolutely. but she’s so strong and ambitious, yet kind and compassionate. she knows her worth and doesn’t let people push her around. i love reading about her so much!!
thomas cresswell deserves the world. he is absolutely one of my favorite male characters. he’s so genuine and respectful which is incredibly hard to find in most mmc’s. i love his personality so much, his determination and sarcasm. thomas deserves everlasting happiness <3
→ ☆ "you have my heart wholly, wadsworth. no matter what. the only way that will be taken is in death. and even then i will fight with every piece of me to hold your love near. now and forevermore.""
cressworth. they have my heart. while their relationship wasn’t as prominent in this book (something i wish we could’ve gotten more of), everything about them was still perfect. their chemistry and banter: immaculate. i love how respectful thomas is, how he’s constantly reassuring audrey rose that he will never stop her from following who/what she loves, but his love for her will never cease to exist. they are truly perfect and i hope someday i’ll find the thomas to my audrey rose.
since i’m on vacation right now, i don’t have my copy of capturing the devil with me, but i intend to start it when i get home!! i highly encourage everyone to read this series!
→ ☆ "i love you…more than all the stars in the universe. in this life and ever after. i love you."
⊱ no spice
౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹
→ ☆ "we women could be called creatures, if only the men who said such careless words accepted our claws were fearsome things when we decided to scratch."
oh my god, i missed audrey rose and thomas so much.
this book was thoroughly enjoyable! i read the previous books over a year ago and i truly didn’t realize how much i missed this series. that being said, i do have a couple minor complaints.
→ ☆ "sometimes we choose not to see things we know are true, simply because we wish to keep the fantasy of what could have been alive."
like always, i really enjoyed the mystery!! i took an educated guess on who the murderer was in the beginning of the book and i ended up being correct! everything about the plot was entertaining and captivating, but the pacing was a bit off for me. it felt too slow, especially towards the middle of the book. other than that, i have no complaints with the plot!
→ ☆ "be cautious with who you give your heart to. and be even more wary of those who seek to steal it."
audrey rose wadsworth. she is such a talented, brilliant character. was she driving me a little mad with her interest towards a new character despite thomas cresswell standing right there? yes. and do i wish that she didn’t keep so much from him? absolutely. but she’s so strong and ambitious, yet kind and compassionate. she knows her worth and doesn’t let people push her around. i love reading about her so much!!
thomas cresswell deserves the world. he is absolutely one of my favorite male characters. he’s so genuine and respectful which is incredibly hard to find in most mmc’s. i love his personality so much, his determination and sarcasm. thomas deserves everlasting happiness <3
→ ☆ "you have my heart wholly, wadsworth. no matter what. the only way that will be taken is in death. and even then i will fight with every piece of me to hold your love near. now and forevermore.""
cressworth. they have my heart. while their relationship wasn’t as prominent in this book (something i wish we could’ve gotten more of), everything about them was still perfect. their chemistry and banter: immaculate. i love how respectful thomas is, how he’s constantly reassuring audrey rose that he will never stop her from following who/what she loves, but his love for her will never cease to exist. they are truly perfect and i hope someday i’ll find the thomas to my audrey rose.
since i’m on vacation right now, i don’t have my copy of capturing the devil with me, but i intend to start it when i get home!! i highly encourage everyone to read this series!
→ ☆ "i love you…more than all the stars in the universe. in this life and ever after. i love you."
mickachoo's review against another edition
5.0
I've really loved all the books in this series but this one may be my favorite. I loved Mephisto, even though he was suspicious the entire time and the Moonlight Carnival was one of my favorite things because I have a love for circus and carnivals. I really loved seeing Audrey Rose come even more out of her strict Victorian shell throughout this book and discover more about herself away from what everyone was trying to tell her to be. Her stolen moments with Thomas were also a huge bonus.