Reviews with content warning for Violence - Jackaby

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The story was great, and the narration was a perfect fit. I've had this series recommended to me by a few people, but I think not enough—this is a really fun historical fantasy, and should be read by those who want a fantasy version of Sherlock Holmes. (Though to be fair, Jackaby isn't quite as astute as Holmes when it comes to seeing ordinary things.) More people need to read these books! I have the second one already queued up for my next audiobook listen.

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wheatlyre's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious relaxing sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I do feel like there's a lack of character development but it was ok.

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laurenevlyn's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I really wanted to like this more than I did, and I did like it, it just wasn’t as exciting as I expected. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it, and I love the interactions between Jackaby and the other characters (and Douglas is incredible of course).

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meb1073's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed this book. It was a lighthearted, fun, adventurous read. I found Jackaby, Jenny, and many of the other characters to have a lot of personality and be interesting. At times, it was even witty and funny.
Unfortunately, most of the plot of this book was unoriginal or surface level. Some may not find that to be bothersome, but it made the mystery aspect of the book too predictable. The culprit of the murders, for example, was

a member of the town's own police force

which is hardly surprising (especially since he was so rude to begin with). Many of the characters did things you would expect or have already seen-parts of the book reminded me of shows like Psych, Supernatural, and the like. The only unpredictable aspect was

Abigail liking Charlie

, but even that was rather unenjoyable for me. This would be a rarity where I would enjoy her

ending up with Jackaby

, as it made a lot more sense and they seemed to have a lot of chemistry. Like why would she want to

date someone that she knows is a shapeshifter, that could be dangerous?

Just because he's handsome?
If you're looking for an easy book with adventure, this book is just your type. I don't plan on reading the sequels, but it was fun nonetheless.

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martynelson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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paper_queen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Initial Response
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I CURRENTLY CANNOT BREATHE HELP.

High Lights
- Abigail is a fabulous main character. She's hilarious and witty and I just really loved her.
- JACKABY IS SO WONDERFUL I CANNOT BEGIN TO EVEN
- I loved pacing. The moments of action were fun and then the bits of dialogue had me laughing out loud
- Jackaby's apartment is the best. Just, yes.
- The ending was very satisfying for me and may I just say,

CHARLIE AND ABIGAIL ARE ADORABLE TOGETHER OKAY.

- The villain was also really chillingly written, which I liked. The ending was very exciting.

Low Lights
- It was quite gruesome at some points, which was upsetting.
- There was some language that I remember. Not very much, but still.
- Some of the parts were scary, such as

the ending

, the crime scenes, and such. But they definitely didn't take away from the story.

Favorite Quotes
“Maybe if you would bother reading a book once in a while instead of hurling them about every chance you get, you would have put the pieces together yourself by now.”

“Does this smell like paprika or gunpowder to you?”

“It wasn’t that I did not believe in ghosts; it was that I believed in them in the same noncommittal way that I believed in giant squids or lucky coins or Belgium. They were things that probably existed, but I had never given any occasion to really care one way or another.”

“I have ceased concerning myself with how things look to others, Abigail Rook. I suggest you do the same. In my experience, others are generally wrong.”

“That the battles are usually in her head does not lessen the bravery of it. The hardest ones always are.”

Conclusion
This book was absolutely fabulous. I have no words. None. If you haven't read this yet, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and READ IT. I will definitely be reading the second one...and the third...and all the short stories in between... :D Thank you so much, Deborah, for recommending this!! <3

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