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dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Several missing working class girls. An ominous letter from a pastor to his nephew. A dead seamstress with a message stitched into her skin. These mysteries confound the the sharp and impatient Inspector Cutter, chatty Cambridge dropout Gideon Bliss, and intrepid young journalist (and bicyclist) Octavia Hillingdon. Paraic O'Donnell's beautiful descriptions draw you in and the twists keep you reading this blend of mystery, historical fiction, and the supernatural.
The novel is dark but can also be witty and amusing. The seventh chapter (the first of two exclusively told through Bliss's investigation notes, possibly to provide some distance between readers and the more disturbing aspects of the two victims examined there) was particularly fun with lines like "Cutter pronounced [this death certificate] unsatisfactory...remarking further that it might be put to an unmentionable sanitary purpose" and "NOTES RESUME FOLLOWING A BRIEF LAPSE OF CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE PART OF THE PRESENT OFFER." The cast is great, and I enjoy the three protagonists as well as several supporting characters such as Ada, Georgie, and Elf.I wasn't expecting Elf to be one of the main villains.
The book is not perfect. The pacing is OK. We get a prologue that opens on the final moments of Esther Tull (the seamstress), but then it takes a while for the other main characters to get to this aspect. I also found it odd that Octavia doesn't meet either Cutter or Bliss until right around the climax. A more minor quibble is that there are a lot of butterfly and moth imagery, but I have no idea what the meaning behind it is.
The novel is dark but can also be witty and amusing. The seventh chapter (the first of two exclusively told through Bliss's investigation notes, possibly to provide some distance between readers and the more disturbing aspects of the two victims examined there) was particularly fun with lines like "Cutter pronounced [this death certificate] unsatisfactory...remarking further that it might be put to an unmentionable sanitary purpose" and "NOTES RESUME FOLLOWING A BRIEF LAPSE OF CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE PART OF THE PRESENT OFFER." The cast is great, and I enjoy the three protagonists as well as several supporting characters such as Ada, Georgie, and Elf.
The book is not perfect. The pacing is OK. We get a prologue that opens on the final moments of Esther Tull (the seamstress), but then it takes a while for the other main characters to get to this aspect. I also found it odd that Octavia doesn't meet either Cutter or Bliss until right around the climax. A more minor quibble is that there are a lot of butterfly and moth imagery, but I have no idea what the meaning behind it is.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Classism
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Homophobia, Slavery, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ A combination of Victorian language, overly descriptive passages, and limited action makes the plot DRAG. This was a tough one to get through.
⁕ I stan the grumpy/sunshine trope that the two main characters fall into. The humorous moments between them broke up what would have been an otherwise monotonous read.. plus it was very Sherlock and Watson.
⁕ [spoiler] The answer to the "mystery" was explained away by vague, underdeveloped paranormal activity that was not at all built up to. It was nonsensical and completely unrewarding after slugging through the the first several hundred pages.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ A combination of Victorian language, overly descriptive passages, and limited action makes the plot DRAG. This was a tough one to get through.
⁕ I stan the grumpy/sunshine trope that the two main characters fall into. The humorous moments between them broke up what would have been an otherwise monotonous read.. plus it was very Sherlock and Watson.
⁕ [spoiler] The answer to the "mystery" was explained away by vague, underdeveloped paranormal activity that was not at all built up to. It was nonsensical and completely unrewarding after slugging through the the first several hundred pages.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Classism
Severe self-harm/body horror, violence against women, does not pass the bechdel test
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence
Moderate: Death, Murder