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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
The main characters got more annoying but the mystery got better.
Not only that, I love the gothic setting with paranormal aesthetics along with the family drama and of course, the slow-burn perfection.
Not only that, I love the gothic setting with paranormal aesthetics along with the family drama and of course, the slow-burn perfection.
Silent in the Sanctuary
4 Stars
Returning home to Belmont Abbey, Lady Julia Grey finds her ancestral home inundated with friends and family including the one man she thought never to see again, the inscrutable Nicholas Brisbane. Amid Christmas preparations and parlor games, a killer lurks and when one of the guests is found bludgeoned in the sanctuary, Julia and Nicholas resume their unlikely partnership in order to uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again...
Raybourn’s writing style is very engaging and the details of Victorian society merge smoothly into the storyline. Nevertheless, the pacing is problematic with an excess of exposition and the actual mystery only beginning halfway through the book.
The murder plot develops slowly with several intriguing twists and turns. Unfortunately, the climax is rather tepid and the resolution somewhat unsatisfying -.
Julia and Nicholas’s attraction continues to smolder and there are one or two passionate embraces, but once again their romance is lacking in detail. Although Nicholas and Julia are both appealing characters, his tendency toward condescension blinds him to her insights while she has a unfortunate habit of jumping to conclusions, usually the wrong ones, which inevitable leads her into trouble.
The majority of the secondary cast is comprised of Julia’s charmingly eccentric family members, loyal yet opinionated servants and a number of intriguing house-guests. Each and every character from Julia's overindulgent father, curmudgeonly aunt and appallingly dressed brother to the shy and awkward cousin, insolent maid, and less than pious country curate contributes to the warm and intimate yet also somewhat insidious atmosphere of the story.
On a final note, the change in narrators took some getting used to, especially since I’d recently listened to Jennifer Van Dyck’s narration of Richelle Mead’s Dark Swan series, which is in a completely different genre. That said, the narration is well-done overall and Van Dyck's male voices are exceptional although her female voices are too snooty for my tastes.
4 Stars
Returning home to Belmont Abbey, Lady Julia Grey finds her ancestral home inundated with friends and family including the one man she thought never to see again, the inscrutable Nicholas Brisbane. Amid Christmas preparations and parlor games, a killer lurks and when one of the guests is found bludgeoned in the sanctuary, Julia and Nicholas resume their unlikely partnership in order to uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again...
Raybourn’s writing style is very engaging and the details of Victorian society merge smoothly into the storyline. Nevertheless, the pacing is problematic with an excess of exposition and the actual mystery only beginning halfway through the book.
The murder plot develops slowly with several intriguing twists and turns. Unfortunately, the climax is rather tepid and the resolution somewhat unsatisfying -
Spoiler
Emma and Lucy not only get away with their crimes but benefit from them as wellJulia and Nicholas’s attraction continues to smolder and there are one or two passionate embraces, but once again their romance is lacking in detail. Although Nicholas and Julia are both appealing characters, his tendency toward condescension blinds him to her insights while she has a unfortunate habit of jumping to conclusions, usually the wrong ones, which inevitable leads her into trouble.
The majority of the secondary cast is comprised of Julia’s charmingly eccentric family members, loyal yet opinionated servants and a number of intriguing house-guests. Each and every character from Julia's overindulgent father, curmudgeonly aunt and appallingly dressed brother to the shy and awkward cousin, insolent maid, and less than pious country curate contributes to the warm and intimate yet also somewhat insidious atmosphere of the story.
On a final note, the change in narrators took some getting used to, especially since I’d recently listened to Jennifer Van Dyck’s narration of Richelle Mead’s Dark Swan series, which is in a completely different genre. That said, the narration is well-done overall and Van Dyck's male voices are exceptional although her female voices are too snooty for my tastes.
Silent in the Sanctuary is much better paced than the previous Lady Julia Grey book. The story, a sort-of locked-room mystery, is engaging and has a lot of potential suspects that are equally as likely to be the murderer.
Brisbane isn't as annoying and jack-of-all-trades this time, so I'm finally warming up to him.
I read a spoiler in someone's review of the fourth book for the next book, but I thought it occurred in this book, so now I'm dying to read the next one too.
Brisbane isn't as annoying and jack-of-all-trades this time, so I'm finally warming up to him.
I read a spoiler in someone's review of the fourth book for the next book, but I thought it occurred in this book, so now I'm dying to read the next one too.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think I'm enjoying Lady Julia a tad more than Lady Emily at the moment. There's something delicious about Raybourn's writing, and this was just as good as the first, with twists, turns and scandal a plenty.
Well written and an easy read. Perfect for a beach read or a relaxing vacation read.
Im just not certain this series is for me, the mystery part is so over shadowed by the romance plot which in and of itself is tedious (because Julia is pretty useless and Brisbane is just mean). Julia is much less annoying in this one, she actually has a brain for around half the book. But Brisbane is the same old unnecessarily secretive, man-handling lad he was in the first. Which is odd because the author made it seem like he was really in love with her at the end of the last book and then just ignores that particular plot line in the book.
mysterious
relaxing
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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes