Reviews

Jak uciec Houdiniemu by Kerri Maniscalco

nikolinaza's review against another edition

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4.0

Actual rating: 3.5

Akhirnya, setelah menunda selama dua tahun, aku melanjutkan membaca seri ini juga. Bukan karena malas, lebih karena aku tidak tahu kapan bisa beli sekuelnya lagi, plus ada beberapa review kurang mengenakkan mengenai seri ketiga Stalking Jack the Ripper ini. Kebetulan CtD sudah terbeli dan belakangan ini aku pengin baca sesuatu yang dark and gloomy, so here we go.

Setelah petualangan melawan 'Drakula' di sebuah akademi forensik di Rumania, petualangan Audrey Rose dan Thomas beralih menuju Amerika. Kali ini, mereka ditemani oleh paman Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth, paman Audrey Rose yang juga merupakan mentor mereka serta satu chaperone, Mrs. Harvey. Keempatnya akan menghabiskan tujuh hari perjalanan ke belahan dunia lain di atas RMS Etruria yang mewah, lengkap dengan suguhan hiburan yang meriah dan spektakuler oleh Moonlight Carnival. Akan tetapi, satu per satu mayat mulai muncul, dan di tengah-tengah situasi yang semakin berbahaya, Audrey Rose bingung siapa yang harus dipilihnya: Thomas Cresswell, partnernya yang penuh kharisma dan setia, atau Mephistopheles, sang pemimpin sirkus yang penuh rahasia dan tidak sepenuhnya baik.

Sedikit banyak, aspek karnaval dan sirkus di dalam Escaping from Houdini ini mengingatkanku pada Caraval, meski diksi yang dipakai Kerri Maniscalco tidak terlalu flowery, plus ada unsur forensik di dalamnya. Aku suka nuansa misterius dan gotik yang disuguhkan oleh tokoh Mephistopheles dan juga Moonlight Carnival. Mereka berhasil menambahkan suspense dalam cerita dengan sangat baik, terlebih sang pemimpin yang juga tidak kalah karismatik dari Thomas Cresswell.

Tetapi, entah kenapa aku merasa buku ini tidak se-'penuh' dua buku sebelumnya. Audrey Rose, Thomas, dan Dr. Jonathan Wadsworth bekerja saaaaangat lambat. Penyelidikan mereka pun seolah menemui jalan buntu, padahal ada dua klu besar yang bisa mereka periksa dan amati. Mereka pun kelihatan enggak secerdas biasanya. Rasanya, Kerri Maniscalco sengaja memanjang-manjangkan waktu supaya ada tempat untuk cinta segitiga antara Audrey Rose, Thomas, dan Mephistopheles. Bukannya aku tidak suka, tetapi kalau para tokoh mengalokasikan waktu mereka untuk terus menyelidiki, aku yakin tidak perlu menunggu sampai hari ketujuh untuk menangkap siapa pelakunya.

Belum lagi, di sini Audrey Rose kelihatan agak lemah dari biasanya. Dia jadi mudah termakan emosi, mudah terprovokasi, terlebih oleh Mephistopheles. Plus, dia juga makin plin-plan. Entah berapa kali dia bilang kalau keluar bersama pria tanpa didampingi chaperone itu scandalous, tetapi dia berulangkali menyelinap keluar malam-malam demi menemui Mephistopheles yang rada-rada gaje itu.

But thankfully, at least this book wasn't boring. Aku cuma berpikir buku ini akan jauh lebih enjoyable kalau tokoh-tokohnya tidak OOT seperti di buku ini.

Semoga Capturing the Devil bisa jadi lebih baik dibanding ini.

bigtiddygothgf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

GUYS I JUST CANNOT STAND LOVE TRIANGLES BE LOYAL OR GET OUT

the vibe of this book was really great tho 

rtc! maybe!

mariasaracco's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

calloe's review against another edition

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3.0

*3.5

avadawson08's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? No

3.0

Justice for Thomas Cresswell he deserved more of a presence and for Audrey Rose to not get her feelings in a twist. 
I’m usually not against love triangles since they add a little something to the plot, and I liked Mephistopheles as a character a lot, but by book 3 I’m too invested in Cresswell and Wadsworth’s friendship/ relationship for it.

mad_rdr's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark

3.0

ay_angie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Okay, so I was really enjoying it and felt the writing was better than the past two. I was all on board with the setting (no pun intended), the crimes, the love triangle ruse. However, once Audrey rose begins to think she has feelings for Mephisto and kisses him. I don’t know who that woman is. I wish she gave a more empowered love speech back to Thomas. Definitely wished for more Cresswell presence. I also felt the ending was a little off with him leaving like that and then coming back with all the love and she’s not even saying anything back, looking at him like :D
Anyways, I’m very intrigued in what the last book can hold.

emw_920's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

3.0

yogamom32's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

roseday's review against another edition

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4.0

It was good, though it was the worst in the series yet. The middle of the book was kind boring and slow. I did not like the ringmaster part in the book at all. The book was still very good but could be better. I hope that this book was an outlier in the series and the next book is better.