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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
*3.25 stars
This was interesting, I had no clue it had a supernatural aspect to it (which is my fault not reading the back of the cover again since 2014). I'm not the biggest fan of supernatural but have to say that especially the conclusion of the book was worked out very well.
The setting was very well done and apparently very loosely based on real life events that have pretty much been forgotten since it happened at the same time as jack the ripper.
(also my mistake, I thought the book was about jack the ripper but wasnt.)
The characters were interesting and listening to the audiobook definitely helped visualise the dialects which was very well done.
why after all this praise then only 3.25 stars? well it didn't feel like something very special? I feel like I will forget this book fairly soon and it was a pretty long audiobook.
So I enjoyed the book but also not that much and I've been getting annoyed by my own book ratings, having the feeling I need to rate the book a certain amount because it wasn't bad, lately I've been trying to keep in mind how the book makes me feel because that's important too.
This was interesting, I had no clue it had a supernatural aspect to it (which is my fault not reading the back of the cover again since 2014). I'm not the biggest fan of supernatural but have to say that especially the conclusion of the book was worked out very well.
The setting was very well done and apparently very loosely based on real life events that have pretty much been forgotten since it happened at the same time as jack the ripper.
(also my mistake, I thought the book was about jack the ripper but wasnt.)
The characters were interesting and listening to the audiobook definitely helped visualise the dialects which was very well done.
why after all this praise then only 3.25 stars? well it didn't feel like something very special? I feel like I will forget this book fairly soon and it was a pretty long audiobook.
So I enjoyed the book but also not that much and I've been getting annoyed by my own book ratings, having the feeling I need to rate the book a certain amount because it wasn't bad, lately I've been trying to keep in mind how the book makes me feel because that's important too.
The plot wasn't that great but the writing makes up for all its flaws.
Give it a try if you love this genre. It's perfect for people who enjoy reality-based Victorian murder miseries that are also blessed with a dark and blood-chilling paranormal twist!
Give it a try if you love this genre. It's perfect for people who enjoy reality-based Victorian murder miseries that are also blessed with a dark and blood-chilling paranormal twist!
Jack the Ripper as only Pinborough can write it: by focusing on a copycat killer and adding a supernatural element.
Actual rating: 1.5 stars
This book was really frustrating. The characterization wasn't stellar, and I think this would have actually benefited from lengthening the story to give it room to breath. As it was, the characters fell extremely flat in favor of the plot momentum.
Also, that ending? Not stellar. Especially Dr. Bond's final response, big yikes.
My biggest issue with this book, however, is the introduction and character of Aaron Kosminski. Quick history lesson: Kosminski was a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He was one of the legitimate suspects for the Jack the Ripper murders.
He didn't have to be in this book. He added actually nothing to this book. He narrated a few chapters but outside of those chapters I swear he said maybe ten lines of dialogue. Maybe. Additionally, the fact that he was Jewish is completely ignored for the convenience of the story. This novel says he was from the Pale of Settlement, which was essentially a large collection of small villages made up of mostly Jews, who the Poles and Russians pushed out of their own towns. By being so heavily isolated and surrounded by only other Jews, I think it extremely unlikely that Kosminski would have such a deep understanding of the Christian Polish superstitious monsters - he would be much more preoccupied by dybbuks or the evil eye. (Side note: the way the monster is built, it could totally be a dybbuk and I would have been WAY more down for it.)
Towards the end of the book they're joined by a (weird) priest. (Whose name I don't think we ever learn actually? I have no clue what that man's name is omg.) To convince Dr. Bond to keep chumming around with Priest man, Kosminski spouts something about trios and "the father, the son, and the holy ghost." So I'm going to stop you right there with a big old
N O.
Absolutely not.
Why the hell would a Jewish man cite Christian/Catholic scripture? What stake does he have in it? You literally have a priest in the room, have him say it. There is nothing about threes being important in ANYWAY Judaism as far as I am aware, so it doesn't really make sense for Kosminski to goad on the three regardless.
It would have been better for this story to have a rando who knew about the supernatural monster or even a different Ripper suspect, if you're really interested in that. (Which I don't know why she was. The question of Kosminski being Jack literally never came up on the page.)
I'm trying to be tame so I can articulate my issues, but I'm legit kind of mad.
This book was really frustrating. The characterization wasn't stellar, and I think this would have actually benefited from lengthening the story to give it room to breath. As it was, the characters fell extremely flat in favor of the plot momentum.
Also, that ending? Not stellar. Especially Dr. Bond's final response, big yikes.
Spoiler
Catch killer, his hostage dies anyway. They had to dismember the body the same way the serial killer did in order to hide their own shenanigans. Dr. Bond "breaths a sigh of relief" after DISMEMBERING AN INNOCENT DEAD WOMAN and can finally sleep. Okay, bud.My biggest issue with this book, however, is the introduction and character of Aaron Kosminski. Quick history lesson: Kosminski was a Jewish immigrant from Poland. He was one of the legitimate suspects for the Jack the Ripper murders.
He didn't have to be in this book. He added actually nothing to this book. He narrated a few chapters but outside of those chapters I swear he said maybe ten lines of dialogue. Maybe. Additionally, the fact that he was Jewish is completely ignored for the convenience of the story. This novel says he was from the Pale of Settlement, which was essentially a large collection of small villages made up of mostly Jews, who the Poles and Russians pushed out of their own towns. By being so heavily isolated and surrounded by only other Jews, I think it extremely unlikely that Kosminski would have such a deep understanding of the Christian Polish superstitious monsters - he would be much more preoccupied by dybbuks or the evil eye. (Side note: the way the monster is built, it could totally be a dybbuk and I would have been WAY more down for it.)
Towards the end of the book they're joined by a (weird) priest. (Whose name I don't think we ever learn actually? I have no clue what that man's name is omg.) To convince Dr. Bond to keep chumming around with Priest man, Kosminski spouts something about trios and "the father, the son, and the holy ghost." So I'm going to stop you right there with a big old
N O.
Absolutely not.
Why the hell would a Jewish man cite Christian/Catholic scripture? What stake does he have in it? You literally have a priest in the room, have him say it. There is nothing about threes being important in ANYWAY Judaism as far as I am aware, so it doesn't really make sense for Kosminski to goad on the three regardless.
It would have been better for this story to have a rando who knew about the supernatural monster or even a different Ripper suspect, if you're really interested in that. (Which I don't know why she was. The question of Kosminski being Jack literally never came up on the page.)
I'm trying to be tame so I can articulate my issues, but I'm legit kind of mad.
What a fantastic novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I often read books relating to Jack the Ripper but this was a book with a difference, focusing instead on the torso murders happening at the same time. The characters were well-written and didn't feel like they were an insult to those real people they were based on. The supernatural aspects were interesting and I really did find this book hard to put down.
An excellent book for fans of the history of Jack the Ripper, Victorian London, or paranormal thrillers. This story takes quite a few of the people who's names come up in connection with the Jack the Ripper case, whether police or suspect, and throws them all together into a story that keeps the reader interested and involved throughout.
