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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
dark
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:
Yes
Well written and a great string of murders to keep you coming back for more
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“what were miracles, but science that man didn’t yet understand? and didn’t that make it all the more miraculous that the secrets of the universe were out there, codes one might decipher if smart enough, tenacious enough?”
oof, i feel like such a bitch giving books ratings so much more than they average. hey, gotta keep the balance, huh?
okay, i really liked the concept of this book. i picked it up originally because i saw people compare it to stalking jack the ripper series which i LOVED (not initially, but it grew on me. if you have any good recs similar GIVE ME ASAP) but it was not as good, i'm sorry. it started off very promisingly with hazel, very similar to audrey rose, in her dedication to succeeding in the medical field when it was not typical for women to do so at the time, and i enjoyed that at first. the setting as well...i want to go to university in the us (columbia, please let me join) but the inner romantic in me mourns the fact that i won't be studying in the university of edinburgh. i mean come on!! it's basically grown up hogwarts.
anyway. i think that's pretty much it for what i liked which is kind of depressing, but that's life for you i guess. as for what i didn't like?
the plot
i liked the plot at first, with hazel slipping into the lessons and the fact that she got kicked out, causing her to make that wager. i just feel like beyond that, the plot was really lackluster, as if the author thought that the plot twist at the end would make up for it, which is obviously bs. i feel like so many scenes were so clearly put in as filler scenes, to fatten up the word count, but not adding anything real to the story. some bits also read like a wattpad fic im sorry, i'll talk more about the love story after but the part where jack just goes up to her and is like 'teach me how to ride a horse' CLASSIC fanfic-that-you-read-even-though-it's-not-that-good-but-you-don't-have-any-other-options-because-you-read-everything-else-and-so-you're-reading-the-last-dregs-of-fanfic-until-you-resort-to-writing-your-own. no.
the love story
i read someone's review of this, in which they said that the love story referenced in the title is not that of hazel and jack, but rather that of hazel and science, which i think is a very astute observation, and makes a lot of sense because hazelxjack was SO rushed! he barely appeared until later in the second half of the book, and it was insta-love which i hate with a BURNING passion. besides, their love story is so cringe; the amount of times i rolled my eyes reading this is actually criminal. it's a miracle i made it through the whole book! like take this quote (that he says to her in their first kiss, by the way) :
oof, i feel like such a bitch giving books ratings so much more than they average. hey, gotta keep the balance, huh?
okay, i really liked the concept of this book. i picked it up originally because i saw people compare it to stalking jack the ripper series which i LOVED (not initially, but it grew on me. if you have any good recs similar GIVE ME ASAP) but it was not as good, i'm sorry. it started off very promisingly with hazel, very similar to audrey rose, in her dedication to succeeding in the medical field when it was not typical for women to do so at the time, and i enjoyed that at first. the setting as well...i want to go to university in the us (columbia, please let me join) but the inner romantic in me mourns the fact that i won't be studying in the university of edinburgh. i mean come on!! it's basically grown up hogwarts.
anyway. i think that's pretty much it for what i liked which is kind of depressing, but that's life for you i guess. as for what i didn't like?
the plot
i liked the plot at first, with hazel slipping into the lessons and the fact that she got kicked out, causing her to make that wager. i just feel like beyond that, the plot was really lackluster, as if the author thought that the plot twist at the end would make up for it, which is obviously bs. i feel like so many scenes were so clearly put in as filler scenes, to fatten up the word count, but not adding anything real to the story. some bits also read like a wattpad fic im sorry, i'll talk more about the love story after but the part where jack just goes up to her and is like 'teach me how to ride a horse' CLASSIC fanfic-that-you-read-even-though-it's-not-that-good-but-you-don't-have-any-other-options-because-you-read-everything-else-and-so-you're-reading-the-last-dregs-of-fanfic-until-you-resort-to-writing-your-own. no.
the love story
i read someone's review of this, in which they said that the love story referenced in the title is not that of hazel and jack, but rather that of hazel and science, which i think is a very astute observation, and makes a lot of sense because hazelxjack was SO rushed! he barely appeared until later in the second half of the book, and it was insta-love which i hate with a BURNING passion. besides, their love story is so cringe; the amount of times i rolled my eyes reading this is actually criminal. it's a miracle i made it through the whole book! like take this quote (that he says to her in their first kiss, by the way) :
“someone should tell you you're beautiful every time the sun comes up. someone should tell you you're beautiful on wednesdays. and at teatime. someone should tell you you're beautiful on christmas day and christmas eve and the evening before christmas eve, and on easter. he should tell you on guy fawkes night and on new year's, and on the eighth of august, just because.”
like, that is at least a bit cringe in even the best of circumstances so in this?? nahhh.
the plot twist
and the twist wasn't even that good! or, i mean, i guess it was but it was so unoriginal. also, i absolutely hate it when authors add in a suprise mystical/magic element at the end of books, i feel so cheated because how the fuck was i supposed to guess that. i think the best plot twists are the ones where you're like oH MY GOD THAT MAKES SENSE HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT and leaves you astounded OR they are unexpected but like still feasible from what you know about the world (i.e. if it's (somewhat) historically accurate 1800s edinburgh where no one is using magic THEN NO ONE USES MAGIC AT THE END). also like, i feel like there was no set up for it. like it wasn't a surprise that (view spoiler)
anyway, a disappointing read, methinks.
>> 2 stars
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Classism
Maybe too young for me? I feel like I was 2/3rds of the way through the book and not much had happened. Just a bit too slow for me, especially in regards to the romance. Though the gothic atmosphere and body snatching was cool. Just wasn’t invested.
adventurous
dark
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
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
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