Reviews

Der Fluch von Pendle Hill by Oscar de Muriel

literatureatheart's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

noirverse's review against another edition

3.0

The mystery was a little hard to follow with tons of people showing up at the right times when the plot demanded it, but the ending really made this book for me. I liked the fact that Frey and McGray's relationship was on the rocks and I can't wait to see if this will be explored more in the next book!

lisas_library_factory's review against another edition

5.0

Nachdem ich bereits nach dem ersten Teil der Reihe um das ungewöhnlich Detektiv-Duo Ian Frey und Adolphus "Nine-Nails" McGray begeistert war, bin ich nach dem Lesen des zweiten Teils nun endgültig "hooked".

Ich kann mit Fug und Recht behaupten, dass mich noch nie eine Buch-Serie so sehr in den Bann gezogen hat (außer vielleicht die Romanreihe von Elsa Dix), wie diese.

Mittlerweile bin ich sogar soweit, mir die Reihe auf Englisch zu besorgen, da ich glaube, dass mit der Übersetzung viel von dem sprachlichen Charme verloren geht.

Dieses Mal jagen Frey und McGray den Hexen von Pendle nach und begeben sich dabei auf bisher ungekannt gefährliches Terrain, auf dem beide um ihr Leben bangen müssen. Dass McGray Schwester Amy auf gewisse Art darin verwickelt ist, macht die Lage für ihren Bruder besonders prekär.

Mir hat besonders die Mischung aus Geschichte, viktorianischen Elementen, Verbrechen und dem Übernatürlichen sehr gut gelaufen. Der Humor, der dem Roman hier und da beigemischt wurde, hat das Buch darüber hinaus noch lesenswerter gemacht. Zwar spielt der Autor sehr stark mit dem Stereotypen des schottisch-englischen Gegensatzes, aber nicht so sehr, dass es unangenehm zu lesen wäre.

Und als grosser Schottland-Fan habe ich im Laufe der Zeit wohl einen "Soft-Spot" für den Rohling McGray entwickelt.

Die nächsten drei Bücher der Reihe sind bereits bestellt und ich freue mich schon jetzt auf die weitere Lektüre.

naomileigh's review against another edition

3.0

Full review on my blog

This was a quick read for me. I enjoyed reading more about the characters and overall enjoyed the book.

goldenassam's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.25

sunnyanni's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

rgoth's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

This book is the second installment in the series, and I had forgotten just how unlikeable the main character is. Generally, I don't mind an unlikeable protagonist and I often find them amusing, yet Frey's attitude makes him sound like a petulant child and the other main character "Nine Nails" isn't much better either, especially with the terms he uses to describe Frey. The dynamic between Nine Nails and Frey feels contrived and somewhat implausible, which is disappointing since the storyline is cleverly written.

The book is extremely well written and is a testament to the authors.writing skills, I really enjoyed his style and the mystery itself was well done, leaving me wanting to read more. Additionally, the incorporation of witchcraft elements were well done, striking a good balance between being intriguing but not too over the top. However, I just couldn't get past the incessant bickering between characters. 

joedacosta's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

ilsesbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

this_little_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

3.5

This series is like reading a Dickensian version of Mulder and Scully. In the late 1800s, strait-laced Inspector Frey is banished to Scotland to assist the ghost-hunting Detective McGray in a little known CID department dedicated to investigating cases suspected to have a paranormal cause. Although Frey is a bit of a pompous ass, there is some excellent Victorian-era sass in the odd-couple bickering between him and McGray, keeping these paranormal mysteries lighthearted.

I loved the first book in this series, and while this witchy follow up was still enjoyable, the pacing dropped off and the plot dragged a bit towards the middle before coming together at the end.