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karabeta's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
4.5
jro1116's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lucardus's review against another edition
4.0
Insgesamt bin ich ziemlich angetan, Goss' Schreibstil ist elegant und sie bringt durch einen Trick eine zusätzliche Note hinein, indem sie Kommentare der Protagonistinnen direkt im Text einbaut, d. h. es kann dann passieren, dass sich plötzlich eine Protagonistin darüber beschwert, dass Catherine (die offiziell als Autorin der Erzählung geführt wird) sich falsch oder unfair dargestellt fühlt oder es landet die eine oder andere spitze Bemerkung im Text. Die Protagonistinnen schauen quasi ihrer Autorenfreundin Catherine Moreau beim Schreiben über die Schulter. Das finde ich sehr gelungen und auflockernd. Man könnte meinen, es handelt sich hier nur um eine weibliche Variante der Liga der Außergewöhnlichen Gentlemen, aber dem ist nicht so. Die in den Romanen tatsächlich vorkommenden weiblichen Nebenfiguren werden hier zu Hauptfiguren, die in irgendeiner Form außerhalb der Gesellschaft stehen, aber gleichzeitig als Frauen in dieser Gesellschaft zurechtkommen müssen. Das umfasst auch profane Dinge wie das Zahlen von Rechnungen, was üblicherweise in Abenteuerromanen eher kein Thema ist. Kleidung spielt eine Rolle, gesellschaftliche Konventionen, und Goss lässt die eigentlich recht ausgelutschten Gestalten Holmes und Watson (die aus weiblicher Sicht dargestellt sind) durchaus als Hilfspersonal herumlaufen, ohne dass die Protagonistinnen durch deren Mitwirken in den Schatten gestellt werden.
Die einzige Schwäche des Romans und der Grund, warum ich nur 4 Sterne vergebe, ist aber, dass die Handlung insgesamt keine wirklichen Überraschungen bietet, hat man bereits diverse Abenteuer im viktorianischen London gelesen bzw. kennt sich in diesem Genre halbwegs aus. Der Showdown ist eher langwierig als spannend und endet auch mit einem allzu oft angewandten Kniff, den Autoren wie Simmons, Blaylock oder Powers dann doch besser hinkriegen. Mir wäre es fast lieber, Goss würde die Action komplett herausnehmen und diese, wie auch immer, umgehen oder im Hintergrund ablaufen lassen, denn ihre Frauenfiguren allein reichen völlig aus diese Geschichte zu tragen, auch wenn sie einmal einfach nur um den Tisch herumsitzen und Pläne schmieden.
Ich bin auf den zweiten Band gespannt, der die Progatonistinnen zunächst nach Wien führen wird und dann nach Budapest, wenn die Gerüchte stimmen.
Die einzige Schwäche des Romans und der Grund, warum ich nur 4 Sterne vergebe, ist aber, dass die Handlung insgesamt keine wirklichen Überraschungen bietet, hat man bereits diverse Abenteuer im viktorianischen London gelesen bzw. kennt sich in diesem Genre halbwegs aus. Der Showdown ist eher langwierig als spannend und endet auch mit einem allzu oft angewandten Kniff, den Autoren wie Simmons, Blaylock oder Powers dann doch besser hinkriegen. Mir wäre es fast lieber, Goss würde die Action komplett herausnehmen und diese, wie auch immer, umgehen oder im Hintergrund ablaufen lassen, denn ihre Frauenfiguren allein reichen völlig aus diese Geschichte zu tragen, auch wenn sie einmal einfach nur um den Tisch herumsitzen und Pläne schmieden.
Ich bin auf den zweiten Band gespannt, der die Progatonistinnen zunächst nach Wien führen wird und dann nach Budapest, wenn die Gerüchte stimmen.
timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't work for me. Basic idea good, but nah.
I like the idea of "what happened to the female monsters?" and I like the idea of bringing together the characters here.
But the book drags in a lot of places, and let my attention wander in others.
Such as the way at least characters can pick a lock in seconds with a hatpin. A moment with Google suggests that even Victorian locks required a rather more sophisticated toolkit.
Or why some of the characters are vastly strong simply because they have elongated joints. Or how one character's touch can create chemical burns but does nothing to her clothing. Or how a university student can turn into a Pratchettian Igor and stitch together a living creature out of spare parts.
Or how Mary can subsist without food and water. Especially food. She bustles around, frequently making sure others have food (and when she isn't, Mrs. Poole is), but Goss reminds us many times that Mary is still hungry. At one point starving Mary is given a tea cake, which would take about 12 seconds to eat. But she puts it in her pocket and gives it away later. (p.s. tea cakes are very crumbly and I don't see this working). Over the next 150 pages or so, Mary watches everyone else tucking into a full breakfast, but accepts only a piece of toast -- and we are not actually told that she eats it. Finally on page 397, Skeleton Mary has some cauliflower soup. Sheesh.
Diana has potential. She was actually interesting.
I didn't much care to for the frequent interjections from the present by the characters, and I applaud Goss for trying it. It does, however, tell us right away that nothing too bad is going to happen to anyone mentioned, even in a somewhat-dangerous city with some apparently nasty bad guys after them.
Renfield was never explained satisfactorily, and Hyde was very much a loose end. Is that required to take us into Volume 2?
I like the idea of "what happened to the female monsters?" and I like the idea of bringing together the characters here.
But the book drags in a lot of places, and let my attention wander in others.
Such as the way at least characters can pick a lock in seconds with a hatpin. A moment with Google suggests that even Victorian locks required a rather more sophisticated toolkit.
Or why some of the characters are vastly strong simply because they have elongated joints. Or how one character's touch can create chemical burns but does nothing to her clothing. Or how a university student can turn into a Pratchettian Igor and stitch together a living creature out of spare parts.
Or how Mary can subsist without food and water. Especially food. She bustles around, frequently making sure others have food (and when she isn't, Mrs. Poole is), but Goss reminds us many times that Mary is still hungry. At one point starving Mary is given a tea cake, which would take about 12 seconds to eat. But she puts it in her pocket and gives it away later. (p.s. tea cakes are very crumbly and I don't see this working). Over the next 150 pages or so, Mary watches everyone else tucking into a full breakfast, but accepts only a piece of toast -- and we are not actually told that she eats it. Finally on page 397, Skeleton Mary has some cauliflower soup. Sheesh.
Diana has potential. She was actually interesting.
I didn't much care to for the frequent interjections from the present by the characters, and I applaud Goss for trying it. It does, however, tell us right away that nothing too bad is going to happen to anyone mentioned, even in a somewhat-dangerous city with some apparently nasty bad guys after them.
Renfield was never explained satisfactorily, and Hyde was very much a loose end. Is that required to take us into Volume 2?
linwearcamenel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
amazingracerose's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
4.0
Kind of trophy take on stories. You already know with new wines on the women and their relationship with their fathers
earthier's review against another edition
1.0
The premise really pulled me in but the writing style made it really difficult for me to engage with the story from the opening pages. I'm not sure what it's called but it's similar to Rick Riordan's Red Pyramid series in the transcription or script style of dialogue writing with storytelling interspersed throughout. And additionally, the way the dialogue jumped around the story points putting them out of the order they occurred. I found myself reading pages to really grasp the plot. It's really unfortunate the author chose this style because it's what ultimately made me stop reading it. I really wish she just wrote a fluid story without what I guess I'll call "character commentary".
ryukslilapple's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.0
hannahhew's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
This was so fun and clever and I love these girls!
This was so fun and clever and I love these girls!