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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I am quite disillusioned with this sequel. :(
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fun mystery and if was fun being back in this world.
I kept punishing myself that it took me almost a week to get through the second book of the Jackaby series. But come one, books like these should be read in a day or two. They're meant for easy reading and not the boredom I got myself into... so that's why I stopped reading at page 221.
I really liked the first book and recommended it to everyone, but THIS...
1) I really loved Miss Rook and Jackaby in the first book. These characters were interesting and funny, but there is so much less about them in the second book. Ritter brings a bunch of new people that nobody cares about.
2) Where did all the jokes go? There were a few, but I can't even remember them now...
3) Half of the book is dedicated to dinosaur fossils. If I wanted to read about archaeology and dino's I'd choose a different book.
I'm not sure I'll be reading the third book anytime soon...
I really liked the first book and recommended it to everyone, but THIS...
1) I really loved Miss Rook and Jackaby in the first book. These characters were interesting and funny, but there is so much less about them in the second book. Ritter brings a bunch of new people that nobody cares about.
2) Where did all the jokes go? There were a few, but I can't even remember them now...
3) Half of the book is dedicated to dinosaur fossils. If I wanted to read about archaeology and dino's I'd choose a different book.
I'm not sure I'll be reading the third book anytime soon...
This sequel was just as fun and interesting as [b:Jackaby|20312462|Jackaby (Jackaby, #1)|William Ritter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410170969s/20312462.jpg|28147221]! Jackaby and Abigail continue their partnership through another investigation of murders, theft, and paranormal creatures. I didn't feel like the clues for the reader to solve the mystery along the way were quite as clear in this story as the first one. Additionally, this book did feel more like a part of series, since there were still unanswered questions at the end. With that being said, I'm hooked and will be impatiently waiting for the next installment.
As an English teacher, I also really appreciate the figurative language, allusions, and vocabulary that the author incorporates. I highlighted several examples to share with my students as I was reading, and I will definitely be adding the book to my classroom library.
*I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
As an English teacher, I also really appreciate the figurative language, allusions, and vocabulary that the author incorporates. I highlighted several examples to share with my students as I was reading, and I will definitely be adding the book to my classroom library.
*I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
I am really glad this was selected for book club again this year. I had enjoyed the first book enough (when we read it for book club last year) that I was happy to keep reading the series, but not so much that I was likely to pick it up and finish the series on my own. In my first review I even said "Although I enjoyed this well enough, it's not something I probably would have picked up on my own and I doubt I'll continue the series." And I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this more than the first book!
My chief criticism of the first book was that "I think it's just a bit silly/ridiculous for me." Okay, well Beastly Bones toned that down a bit. it's still on the silly/ridiculous side. But not excessively so. I found that it no longer clouded the positives I saw in Jackaby and I liked him so much more in this book. And I always liked Abigail Rook - that perhaps increased as we get to see her in her element - both as a detective and an unofficial paleontologist. And the secondary characters were enjoyable too.
My second criticism of the first book was that I solved the mystery pretty much instantly. Which made Jackaby's inability to solve it frustrating. That was not the case this time. While the clues were there, I missed them completely. So the mystery was a lot more satisfying this time. And there was a lot of excitement at the end (as was true in the first book, but for me this was more so).
My final criticism was that the first book felt like it was trying to being steampunk-ish, which I don't tend to love. But that was not the case this time and I really had forgotten that was even a problem the first time around.
All in all, an improvement on the first book for sure! Will I commit to finishing the series now? Probably not - just because I have so many series that I'm already committed to that I enjoy a bit more. But I also wouldn't hesitate to continue for book club.
I do agree with my initial assessment that Nicola Barber is an excellent narrator and delivers the voices very well. I would definitely choose to continue this series in audio!
My chief criticism of the first book was that "I think it's just a bit silly/ridiculous for me." Okay, well Beastly Bones toned that down a bit. it's still on the silly/ridiculous side. But not excessively so. I found that it no longer clouded the positives I saw in Jackaby and I liked him so much more in this book. And I always liked Abigail Rook - that perhaps increased as we get to see her in her element - both as a detective and an unofficial paleontologist. And the secondary characters were enjoyable too.
My second criticism of the first book was that I solved the mystery pretty much instantly. Which made Jackaby's inability to solve it frustrating. That was not the case this time. While the clues were there, I missed them completely. So the mystery was a lot more satisfying this time. And there was a lot of excitement at the end (as was true in the first book, but for me this was more so).
My final criticism was that the first book felt like it was trying to being steampunk-ish, which I don't tend to love. But that was not the case this time and I really had forgotten that was even a problem the first time around.
All in all, an improvement on the first book for sure! Will I commit to finishing the series now? Probably not - just because I have so many series that I'm already committed to that I enjoy a bit more. But I also wouldn't hesitate to continue for book club.
I do agree with my initial assessment that Nicola Barber is an excellent narrator and delivers the voices very well. I would definitely choose to continue this series in audio!
Jackaby was a random read for me that I found myself enjoying more than expected. The characters are entertaining and full of lovable quirks, and the mystery is full of twists. When the librarian told me this was coming out, I put it on hold, and was thrilled when it arrived. In addition to a stunning cover, this book was again full of humor and heart with a crazy mystery and a lot of death. I’ve seen this described as a cross between Doctor Who and Sherlock, and those comparisons are especially applicable when dealing with the characters.
Jackaby is set up as the Sherlock of the story, but he reminds me more of the Eleventh Doctor (in my head he is played by Matt Smith) with a brilliant mind combined with almost childish glee. Abigail is again the one telling the story, and I enjoyed her storytelling. She has a strong balance of strength and vulnerability that made me appreciate her even more. The conversations between the two of them are hysterical but also often surprisingly insightful. I did feel as if there were fewer scenes with the two of them in this book, but I loved each one they had. The fewer scenes with Jackaby and Abigail probably were a result of the introduction of several new secondary characters, however, I fell in love with so many of them that I cannot really complain. Nellie is the intrepid, sassy reporter reminiscent of the real-life Nellie Bly; Hank Hudson is the giant with a heart who exists in some shades of gray; and Charlie makes a return as the lovable, steadfast policeman.
The mystery of Beastly Bones is likely crazier than its predecessor. There are many deaths (a few that really broke my heart), giant bones, a bitter pair of archaeology rivals, a possible vampire, a hunter of unusual beasts, and an unstable ghost. All of these things seem like they would be impossible to tie together, but somehow it works. I also loved the fact that some of these elements seem to tie-in to what promises to be a mystery that could play out over multiple books. The ending of this book certainly promises that there are secrets left to be discovered.
While these books are not absolute favorites for me, I do find them to be fun, hilarious, twisty stories with characters I cannot wait to reunite with. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of Jenny as she was one of my favorites in Jackaby, but it seems like her story will be much more central to the next book. One of my favorite parts of this book though was the reveal near the end which raised some interesting morality questions that I would love to discuss more but don’t want to spoil anyone on. I would definitely recommend these books out if you’re a fan of Sherlock or Doctor Who and looking for a quick, entertaining read.
Jackaby is set up as the Sherlock of the story, but he reminds me more of the Eleventh Doctor (in my head he is played by Matt Smith) with a brilliant mind combined with almost childish glee. Abigail is again the one telling the story, and I enjoyed her storytelling. She has a strong balance of strength and vulnerability that made me appreciate her even more. The conversations between the two of them are hysterical but also often surprisingly insightful. I did feel as if there were fewer scenes with the two of them in this book, but I loved each one they had. The fewer scenes with Jackaby and Abigail probably were a result of the introduction of several new secondary characters, however, I fell in love with so many of them that I cannot really complain. Nellie is the intrepid, sassy reporter reminiscent of the real-life Nellie Bly; Hank Hudson is the giant with a heart who exists in some shades of gray; and Charlie makes a return as the lovable, steadfast policeman.
The mystery of Beastly Bones is likely crazier than its predecessor. There are many deaths (a few that really broke my heart), giant bones, a bitter pair of archaeology rivals, a possible vampire, a hunter of unusual beasts, and an unstable ghost. All of these things seem like they would be impossible to tie together, but somehow it works. I also loved the fact that some of these elements seem to tie-in to what promises to be a mystery that could play out over multiple books. The ending of this book certainly promises that there are secrets left to be discovered.
While these books are not absolute favorites for me, I do find them to be fun, hilarious, twisty stories with characters I cannot wait to reunite with. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of Jenny as she was one of my favorites in Jackaby, but it seems like her story will be much more central to the next book. One of my favorite parts of this book though was the reveal near the end which raised some interesting morality questions that I would love to discuss more but don’t want to spoil anyone on. I would definitely recommend these books out if you’re a fan of Sherlock or Doctor Who and looking for a quick, entertaining read.
Beastly Bones is an entirely forgettable, predictable detective story. Sure there's some supernatural creatures thrown in there to try to distinguish it from every other average mystery, but honestly, the random other-worldly beings got tiresome and eye-roll worthy. The characters are flat, and the "romance" has quite possibly the dullest love interest of all time. And the number of times Abigail refers to Jackaby as "my employer" is ridiculous.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As with the first book in the series, Beastly Bones is just a delight. Nothing wildly deep, but sometimes that's okay. I liked how this one set up the main mystery/plot of book 3 (Ghostly Echoes) without taking away from it's main plot. I love the characters in this series and will be sad when it is over.
FYI: I review on personal vibes, not writing style or literary things.
FYI: I review on personal vibes, not writing style or literary things.
3.5 ⭐
The story was good but it took a long time to become really interesting in my opinion. It's the second volume in the series so it mostly sets up new plot points for the following books, but the investigation was still enjoyable to read. I really missed Jenny is this book so I'm really happy that she'll be one of the focus in the third instalment, but the new characters introduced in this book were really nice too
The story was good but it took a long time to become really interesting in my opinion. It's the second volume in the series so it mostly sets up new plot points for the following books, but the investigation was still enjoyable to read. I really missed Jenny is this book so I'm really happy that she'll be one of the focus in the third instalment, but the new characters introduced in this book were really nice too
*Review also posted at Briar Rose Reads
Far from suffering "second book syndrome," BEASTLY BONES was, I thought, superior in nearly every way to its predecessor.
JACKABY was a fun book, but suffered a bit from lack of originality. It read like a mashup of "Sherlock" and "Doctor Who," with just enough likable characters and original concepts to keep it afloat. BEASTLY BONES takes flight from where JACKABY left off, advancing the world-building and the characterization of existing characters, and introducing several fascinating new players and supernatural beasties.
Characters and events that seem unrelated all tie back together in the end, culminating in a suspenseful, explosive finale that I did not see coming. And have no fear--the lovable character from JACKABY who seemed to have been Put On A Bus at the end is present and accounted for here. This book takes place in his new home.
Unlike many second books of trilogies, BEASTLY BONES refuses to end on a maddening, scream-inducing cliffhanger. It ties up the storyline in a satisfying way, while also effectively setting up the villain and story of the third book.
Far from suffering "second book syndrome," BEASTLY BONES was, I thought, superior in nearly every way to its predecessor.
JACKABY was a fun book, but suffered a bit from lack of originality. It read like a mashup of "Sherlock" and "Doctor Who," with just enough likable characters and original concepts to keep it afloat. BEASTLY BONES takes flight from where JACKABY left off, advancing the world-building and the characterization of existing characters, and introducing several fascinating new players and supernatural beasties.
Characters and events that seem unrelated all tie back together in the end, culminating in a suspenseful, explosive finale that I did not see coming. And have no fear--the lovable character from JACKABY who seemed to have been Put On A Bus at the end is present and accounted for here. This book takes place in his new home.
Unlike many second books of trilogies, BEASTLY BONES refuses to end on a maddening, scream-inducing cliffhanger. It ties up the storyline in a satisfying way, while also effectively setting up the villain and story of the third book.