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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
dark
mysterious
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What really makes The House on Vesper Sands stand out is the incredible characters. I do think the plot kind of loses its way in the start of the last third or so of the book, but I think it makes its way back in the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A slow paced book filled with forgettable and underdeveloped characters, it breaks one of the cardinal rules of mystery novels by having a supernatural element. On top of that I found the primary detective repugnant and it was a slog getting through the parts of the book that involved him. It was like the author was trying to write Holmes but took away any and all of his charm.
Started out strong through the viewpoint of Esther Tull, but the mystery rather dragged on after that and never built up momentum for me. Victorian London is always a pleasure to read and the underlying Agatha Christie vibes were fun. I really liked when Inspector Cutter was present. Generally, the story lacked suspense and conviction (especially in regards to the supernatural elements/ also can't think of a more appropriate desciptor) that I anticipated after the initial introduction of Esther Tull.
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and humor and look forward to continuing the series.
The language was hard to follow and choppy. The story did not flow easily
Victorian gothic mystery with a touch of the supernatural, enjoyably eerie. A page-turning story, beautifully and poetically written too, suffused with a sense of mortality and grief - but also, sometimes, very funny. I loved the complementary characters of Gideon and Inspector Cutter.
Can't get into it and found myself not wanting to pick it up
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No