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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I love this series! Many thanks to Kimmie for recommending it last year.
3.5 another fun book in the series. this one sort of dragged on a bit, and there was an introduction into a bunch of characters that confused me, but still being enjoyable.
I think it's odd that when I finish these books (Jackaby and Beastly Bones), I realize how light they are. Really, there's not much depth to the whole thing, and I don't feel intensely drawn to Abbigail or her problems at all. And yet, when I look back at them, I think of them with fondness. I think it's the world that I like so much - the idea of a Sherlock Holmes-type character with paranormal abilities in a world where dragons, goblins and shapechangers are real is very appealing. I kind of wish someone else would take the same world and characters and do ... more with them. Ah well. I'll probably read the next in the series.
13 Jul 2021
1. Paranormal detective and assistant investigate a serial murder slash archeological theft.
2. This was a really good book. I'm a little disgruntled at how it follows the completely nonsensical insta-connection from the last book but the relationship was explored better in this one so yay? Also, I really, really liked the mystery and the solution. It was one of those mysteries where things were properly set up to where you COULD figure out what was happening but you didn't till almost the end. (At least that's how it was for me.) I love those.
2. There's also a surprising amount of heart in this book- things about Jenny, about the owner of the farm, and Nellie. All of them have their own stories and agendas, and they don't feel like offshoots of the main characters' problems. Even when there was no heart, per se, the supporting characters were great. it could just be my passion for academics having arguments about pointless stuff but I don't think so.
4. The weakest bit, as before, was whatever surrounds the wannabe romance. It's not necessarily the romance itself- that was actually handled okay. There's a lot of uncertainty about life choices and hesitant advances and while it feels more like it should be in a YA novel it's not bad, exactly. But there's the whole bit which was eventually justified but really not set up well at all. A disappointing choice from an otherwise excellent book. Forced romance really does ruin everything.
1. Paranormal detective and assistant investigate a serial murder slash archeological theft.
2. This was a really good book. I'm a little disgruntled at how it follows the completely nonsensical insta-connection from the last book but the relationship was explored better in this one so yay? Also, I really, really liked the mystery and the solution. It was one of those mysteries where things were properly set up to where you COULD figure out what was happening but you didn't till almost the end. (At least that's how it was for me.) I love those.
2. There's also a surprising amount of heart in this book- things about Jenny, about the owner of the farm, and Nellie. All of them have their own stories and agendas, and they don't feel like offshoots of the main characters' problems. Even when there was no heart, per se, the supporting characters were great. it could just be my passion for academics having arguments about pointless stuff but I don't think so.
4. The weakest bit, as before, was whatever surrounds the wannabe romance. It's not necessarily the romance itself- that was actually handled okay. There's a lot of uncertainty about life choices and hesitant advances and while it feels more like it should be in a YA novel it's not bad, exactly. But there's the whole
Spoiler
"we can't tell our hunter ally that Charlie is a werewolf!"
I enjoyed this one every bit as much as the first! There was a lot more action in this one too, which made it fun and fast paced. I love the relationship between Jackaby and Abigail, and I especially love that it's staying platonic, because it's way more fun that way. So many authors go straight to the romantic tension between a man and a woman who spend a lot of time together, but from book one, I didn't want that. And I applaud William Ritter for keeping the spotlight on the cases, the many characters, and Jackaby and Abigail's quirky relationship rather than romance! On to book three!!
This is a fun and funny supernatural Holmesian series that I read the first of a few years ago now. Not sure why I didn’t pick up book two, which I bought right after reading book one, sooner. Glad I got back to it and excited to find the whole series is available on Hoopla.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This scratches the Doctor Who and Sherlock itch that I swear I constantly have.
I genuinely cannot wait to read more, and I really hope that Charlie continues to return in the future books.
It was a bit slow in the middle, but I CAN say that I was thoroughly surprised by what the monster ended up being. I love me a good mystery up until the reveal.
And as for the greater mystery, that’s just beginning to unfold…
I genuinely cannot wait to read more, and I really hope that Charlie continues to return in the future books.
It was a bit slow in the middle, but I CAN say that I was thoroughly surprised by what the monster ended up being. I love me a good mystery up until the reveal.
And as for the greater mystery, that’s just beginning to unfold…
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Jackaby and Abigail are some of my absolute favorite characters. So funny and great mysteries.
Just like Jackaby, I’d give Beastly Bones a 3.5! I even think I enjoyed this one slightly more than Jackaby! The world this series takes place in is so rich and interesting and the way that the characters play off of each other kept me turning pages! Even though the clues were well laid out from the beginning, I didn’t guess the twist for this book like I did in the first book! I think that’s why I enjoyed it more! I also really appreciate that there are no romantic feelings between the two main characters! I think that’s refreshing for a YA novel!
This is completely arbitrary and just my opinion, but I wish some time had passed between the first and second novels. If they had time to get to know each other better and do a few unimportant cases between books, I think it would have made the fact that this case had to do with paleontology more impactful. I think it would have also allowed for more time for their enemy to learn about their interests. As of the end of this book, Abigail Rook has only been working with Jackaby for a few weeks at most! I think if she’d been exchanging cordial letters in the time between books with the detective it also would’ve allowed the romance some time to better develop. That’s just my two cents though. There was one main plot issue that I’m a little confused about, but I’m hoping it will be clarified in the next books! Can’t wait to keep reading this series!
This is completely arbitrary and just my opinion, but I wish some time had passed between the first and second novels. If they had time to get to know each other better and do a few unimportant cases between books, I think it would have made the fact that this case had to do with paleontology more impactful. I think it would have also allowed for more time for their enemy to learn about their interests. As of the end of this book, Abigail Rook has only been working with Jackaby for a few weeks at most! I think if she’d been exchanging cordial letters in the time between books with the detective it also would’ve allowed the romance some time to better develop. That’s just my two cents though. There was one main plot issue that I’m a little confused about, but I’m hoping it will be clarified in the next books! Can’t wait to keep reading this series!