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ctiner7's review
4.0
Let me start this review by reminding you all that this is a YA/Middle Grade book. That being said, it was written so.
The book was pretty predictable in the beginning. I knew who the "bad guys" were before the characters in the book ever figured it out. Maybe a little bit before halfway through the book, things started getting better. The first half of the book was spent getting to know the characters and the story. All of the action starts happening after that.
The second half of the book was great. For all ages. It was full of action and suspense, and really ended well. I was impressed with the way that the author was able to keep the reader interested, even through the beginning part that wasn't as interesting. He did a good job of writing in a way that is easy to read and keep up with, but also had enough in it to keep you reading all the way to the end.
I would suggest this book to mainly middle grade and YA readers. It is a good read for an adult, but at times you may find it tedious because of the predictability. Younger readers likely won't be able to predict as much as quickly as a well-read adult.
The book was pretty predictable in the beginning. I knew who the "bad guys" were before the characters in the book ever figured it out. Maybe a little bit before halfway through the book, things started getting better. The first half of the book was spent getting to know the characters and the story. All of the action starts happening after that.
The second half of the book was great. For all ages. It was full of action and suspense, and really ended well. I was impressed with the way that the author was able to keep the reader interested, even through the beginning part that wasn't as interesting. He did a good job of writing in a way that is easy to read and keep up with, but also had enough in it to keep you reading all the way to the end.
I would suggest this book to mainly middle grade and YA readers. It is a good read for an adult, but at times you may find it tedious because of the predictability. Younger readers likely won't be able to predict as much as quickly as a well-read adult.
backlogbooks's review
3.0
May 16, 2019 – Finished Reading
May 8, 2019 – 30.0% "Been playing a game called “necromancy or science” and still don’t know which one for sure but my moneys on necromancy with at most a hint of science
Also man do I like some Victorian fantasy stuff... the tropes are Good"
Also man do I like some Victorian fantasy stuff... the tropes are Good"
April 20, 2019 – Shelved
April 20, 2019 – Started Reading
iceangel9's review
4.0
Think Frankenstein meets Jurrasic Park in Victorian London. This was a very enjoyable story. It was a little slow in parts, but the suspense kept building and kept you reading. A clock maker, a minister's daughter, a pickpocket, and a strange Professor team up to stop an evil industrialist/scientist who wants to "rule the world" - hear evil insane laugh here. A fun way to spend an afternoon.
garleighc's review
2.0
Book bored me, I'm sorry. Maybe because it was British. Nah, that's not very nice of me to say. It was just dry. Oh well.
graculus's review
3.0
This is one of those books I picked up on the strength of its blurb, given that it sounded somewhat like the Montmorency series and various other young adult stuff set in Victorian times.
The whole story of The Death Collector focusses on the British Museum whose Department of Unclassified Artefacts is something like a Victorian X Files, whose job it is to investigate the unexplainable. George Archer has been working at the museum for some time and is about to be recruited into that other Department, even though he has no idea what he's letting himself in for.
George's first mission involves some diaries, the last of which contains a mysterious secret - when the diaries are burned and George is only able to rescue a mere fragment, even that is enough to get him into trouble. And he's not alone, since the fragment was in his wallet and a child pickpocket was unlucky enough to choose George as his latest target.
It's an engaging enough story for anyone who likes Philip Pullman's similar books, though none of the characters in The Death Collector really stand up that well to scrutiny as three-dimensional characters. It's a standalone novel, however, at the moment so that isn't a major issue...
The whole story of The Death Collector focusses on the British Museum whose Department of Unclassified Artefacts is something like a Victorian X Files, whose job it is to investigate the unexplainable. George Archer has been working at the museum for some time and is about to be recruited into that other Department, even though he has no idea what he's letting himself in for.
George's first mission involves some diaries, the last of which contains a mysterious secret - when the diaries are burned and George is only able to rescue a mere fragment, even that is enough to get him into trouble. And he's not alone, since the fragment was in his wallet and a child pickpocket was unlucky enough to choose George as his latest target.
It's an engaging enough story for anyone who likes Philip Pullman's similar books, though none of the characters in The Death Collector really stand up that well to scrutiny as three-dimensional characters. It's a standalone novel, however, at the moment so that isn't a major issue...
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