Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

5 reviews

eleek0609's review

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adventurous 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? Yes

4.75

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wilybooklover's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

2.0

I would’ve liked Veronica’s characterisation as bold and before her time if she also didn’t feel so disdainful of and superior to other women and anything she perceives as feminine. As it was, it came across as Not Like Other Girls style internalised misogyny and combined with the caricatural portrayal of almost every other woman but Veronica it really ruined my enjoyment of the book. 

Also, exactly how many skills is Stoker supposed to have before it strains my credulity? He’s a natural historian and taxidermist, a tracker and hunter, a former expedition leader, a former magician/knife-thrower in a circus, a surgeon who served in the Navy... all of which he is apparently exemplary at. 
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nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I found the pages and pages of witty dialogue, though enjoyable at first, they became incredibly tedious. I found myself skimming the majority of the end until the twist/revelation around the 70% mark. From there, the story gets interesting! But all the meandering side plots before then really weighed the story down, in my opinion
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hazelgirl21's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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genny's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-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

3.75

This book is tagged as mystery/historical fiction which had me expecting a classic, slow-paced "whodunnit", but this was much more of an Adventure with a capital A. It feels like a classic quest story. Angèle Masters as the audiobook narrator is a perfect fit. It's just a good (ludicrous, often unrealistic) time!

The highlight, of course, is the budding relationship between Veronica and Stoker. I love them! I like that they have actual jobs separate from their "investigators" shtick. They go through so many classic tropes
- forced proximity, there's only one bed, hurt and comfort, fake marriage, "pretend we're kissing so the police don't look too closely"
...and yet I can't get enough of them! They have real chemistry so the tropey-ness doesn't feel corny. I like that Veronica admits to herself that she finds Stoker attractive, but it's still a very slow burn. I look forward to seeing their friendship (and eventual romance, I expect) develop throughout the series.

The "big reveal" made me raise an eyebrow because it was outlandish and cliché, and was resolved too neatly for all the political implications that they talked about. I'm hoping that consequences will pop up in the next book/s because I wasn't satisfied with that. I was into the characters way more than I was into the plot. A Perilous Undertaking better deliver on the actual mystery! Give me some good ol' sleuthing, come on!
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