Reviews

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

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lefthandlou's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

annzly's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

honnari_hannya's review against another edition

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3.0

I'm not typically a fan of Sherlock adaptations but there is something about this that charmed me. Doyle is an intriguing character, and the urban historical fantasy set up was extremely well done without being overly explained. I do appreciate the way Addison incorporated interesting and relevant social conversations into several reveals (such as Doyle's and Crow's secrets) while also making them seem very period relevant—a skill that can be quite hard to master.

However, this was too close a Sherlock adaptation for me to really get much enjoyment beyond that. It meandered quite a bit through the various episodes of Sherlock's adventures and felt very procedural as a result. I wish it had focused a little harder on bringing in new material from the Jack the Ripper case, which is what it sounded like it was doing from the synopsis, but it felt mostly like an afterthought rather than the the plot point that could have truly elevated the stakes.