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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This series went from good to weird to odd … I have no clue where this series went as a whole and I’m kinda disappointed in the turn it took after, what I thought was a great first book. Then the ending clearly indicates more to the story but I just have no clue what to expect out of anything more …
This was a fun series to listen to. Love the narrator too. They did a great job.
I feel like this series has kind of gone off the rails for me. I used to really enjoy these books, but I guess I was more into the snarky American girl goes to British boarding school and suddenly sees ghosts aspect of the books than I was into the actual investigation of ghosts part.
3.5 stars. Well the wait for this one was a long time coming. I wasn't sure if I could continue after the last book, but I ended up enjoying this one overall.
A few quick things - this book is hard to discuss without spoilers, so I've hidden a lot, just in case:
1) This book was less about solving ghost crimes - not as many ghost interactions as a whole, I think. But it was more personal, and focused on the aftermath of what happened at the end of book 2. How the characters cope, but also how it all connects to some other strange happening. There was more of a mystical look at the whole death and dying phenomenon. (That's vague, but I'll put more direct info in the spoiler).
2) Rory continues to be chatty, though she's more broken in this book, which is very much expected. She's not always the most observant and has some moments of being passive - or conversely doing impulsive things without thinking them through. But I still really like her. She is very much the youngest and the newest to these ghost seeing police. But she is learning, and keeps going forward during some very tough times. Rory also manages to mostly come out all right in the end, despite me wanting to yell at her a few times.
3) This book wasn't as emotionally wrecking as it could have been, but it's also not as emotionally satisfying as I'd hope it would be. Honestly, this would have been a 4 star read, except for this point. After a 2 year wait, I needed more.
4) This book introduces us to Sadie and Sid, who are very mysterious and intriguing characters who connect to the happenings I noted in the first point. Rory also spends more time with Thorpe, the MI5 overseer of Stephen's group, and I liked his inclusion. Of course Callum and Boo are around, though I wanted more of them. And we meet a new character, Freddie, who I hope is going to be a great addition to the mix.
5) This book doesn't end on a real cliffhanger, but it's definitely not the end of the series. Some things are set up for the future, and I don't see a lot of tie in to the original Ripper plot line. This book definitely widens the overall focus - a lot of the directional transition I sensed in The Madness Underneath, is made clear here. The Shadow Cabinet is a much more solid book than 2 was, and I found aspect of the plot surprising and engaging. This time, I didn't feel so much like I was waiting for Rory to catch up to where I was in the story. However, as I mentioned above, after a huge cliffhanger and a long wait, I wanted more emotional satisfaction from this one.
Love Triangle Factor: Hmmm. I'm going to go with LOW, but this one is tough.
Cliffhanger scale: Low/Medium. Set up for a future book. But this plot works itself out.
A few quick things - this book is hard to discuss without spoilers, so I've hidden a lot, just in case:
1) This book was less about solving ghost crimes - not as many ghost interactions as a whole, I think. But it was more personal, and focused on the aftermath of what happened at the end of book 2. How the characters cope, but also how it all connects to some other strange happening. There was more of a mystical look at the whole death and dying phenomenon. (That's vague, but I'll put more direct info in the spoiler).
Spoiler
If you've read the previous book, obviously, this is the aftermath of Stephen's death. But it also connects to what Rory's therapist Jane has been up to - why Jane tried to kidnap Rory. I read this book with my good friend, Heather, and we both thought the story had more of a comparison to The Secret History and The Diviners, with the way the plot develops. A focus on strange rituals and defeating death instead of a more straight forward crime/suspense and taking out bad ghosts.2) Rory continues to be chatty, though she's more broken in this book, which is very much expected. She's not always the most observant and has some moments of being passive - or conversely doing impulsive things without thinking them through. But I still really like her. She is very much the youngest and the newest to these ghost seeing police. But she is learning, and keeps going forward during some very tough times. Rory also manages to mostly come out all right in the end, despite me wanting to yell at her a few times.
3) This book wasn't as emotionally wrecking as it could have been, but it's also not as emotionally satisfying as I'd hope it would be. Honestly, this would have been a 4 star read, except for this point. After a 2 year wait, I needed more.
Spoiler
This all centers on Stephen who we know died at the end of the last book. He does return eventually, through a series of events that connect to Jane. I'm very hesitant of ghost-human relationships and coming back to life, but MJ handled it pretty well considering the state things were left at the end of the last book. HOWEVER, I wanted more between Rory and Stephen, after the promising moment we got at the end of the last book. There's some obvious longing, and some acknowledgement of feelings. But they've seemed to have stalled again - Stephen letting duty get in the way. Also, Jerome shows up again, and though I don't think Rory will go back to him - she acknowledges that what she feels for Stephen is stronger/more real - Jerome got in the way a bit in the end of this. It also looks like Jerome will continue to be part of Rory's life. I just think he's more of a safe choice, but not an overly exciting one, and I hope she doesn't get confused and backtrack. Stephen is one of my favorite love interests! MJ better give us something amazing in book 4.4) This book introduces us to Sadie and Sid, who are very mysterious and intriguing characters who connect to the happenings I noted in the first point. Rory also spends more time with Thorpe, the MI5 overseer of Stephen's group, and I liked his inclusion. Of course Callum and Boo are around, though I wanted more of them. And we meet a new character, Freddie, who I hope is going to be a great addition to the mix.
Spoiler
I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Stephen better in this book as well. He is keeping some secrets, and we also get a better sense of his character overall. The way the book was set up, allowed for that and I'm so glad that MJ (and Rory) took advantage of that5) This book doesn't end on a real cliffhanger, but it's definitely not the end of the series. Some things are set up for the future, and I don't see a lot of tie in to the original Ripper plot line. This book definitely widens the overall focus - a lot of the directional transition I sensed in The Madness Underneath, is made clear here. The Shadow Cabinet is a much more solid book than 2 was, and I found aspect of the plot surprising and engaging. This time, I didn't feel so much like I was waiting for Rory to catch up to where I was in the story. However, as I mentioned above, after a huge cliffhanger and a long wait, I wanted more emotional satisfaction from this one.
Love Triangle Factor: Hmmm. I'm going to go with LOW, but this one is tough.
Spoiler
I'd say this series has more of a transition. Decoy Boy Jerome who fades, while the real love interest Stephen (whom I've been eying since he appeared in book one) grows. I was worried this book was going to muddle all that, but I'm hoping Rory is going to stand firm in where she's headed. I've never felt like Jerome was any real choice, and even from the beginning, we never actually saw any kissing scenes between them described. The first well described kiss is between Stephen and Rory at the end of book 2. That always stands out as important though. But time will tell, though hopefully not another two year wait!Cliffhanger scale: Low/Medium. Set up for a future book. But this plot works itself out.
An engrossing continuation of the Shades of London series, this one picks up right after the events in the second book transpire and keeps going. I've seen some reviews claim that it's a bit of a slog, and while it's not the fastest-paced book in the world, it kept my attention until the end, which not all books can do - I read it in a week - for me, a full-time 40-hour/week worker, that's pretty good these days.
Is it as good as book #1? No, I don't think so. But I liked it more than #2, and I'll definitely buy #4.
Is it as good as book #1? No, I don't think so. But I liked it more than #2, and I'll definitely buy #4.
3.5 stars. I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this book. It's entirely possible I should have reread the first two books in the series before diving into this one, because there were a lot of details I was a little fuzzy on. That said, it did feel to me like this was padded out. I think I'll have to wait until the final book comes out to give an overall assessment, but I kind of feel like Johnson had enough of a plot for one 500 page book, and her publisher persuaded her to split it into two 350+ page books.
There was a lot of scurrying around all over London without very much reward, Rory talked an awful lot about her hair, and there was an awful lot of the book where I didn't really care what happened to Stephen. I KNOW, I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON. Doesn't make it any less true.
Essentially, it was good but not great. And not what I really expected from this series.
There was a lot of scurrying around all over London without very much reward, Rory talked an awful lot about her hair, and there was an awful lot of the book where I didn't really care what happened to Stephen. I KNOW, I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON. Doesn't make it any less true.
Essentially, it was good but not great. And not what I really expected from this series.
A fitting third installment to an intriguing series. While there were some new characters that I could have done away with, I appreciate this book for a few different things that are spoilery in nature.
I appreciated the different roles of our cast of characters (both old and new) and the added general creepiness that came with them.
I know we don't have word on when the 4th book will come out, but I appreciated every page of this one.
I appreciated the different roles of our cast of characters (both old and new) and the added general creepiness that came with them.
I know we don't have word on when the 4th book will come out, but I appreciated every page of this one.
This was a really great series! I like the way it ended, lots of issues wrapped up, but leaving room for more. The character development was so good, I could picture each one and predict (you know, sort of) how they would react to situations. After reading Truly Devious and this series, Johnson is one of my new favorite authors!
Full review on The Life & Times of a Book Addict Blog.
Rating 3.5 out of 5.
The Shadow Cabinet is the third book the Shades of London series. I was very anxious to see how things would play out with this one.
***HUGE SPOILER BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE SECOND BOOK!!!***
I didn’t really like how the second book ended. Stephen dying really through me for a loop and I did not see it coming. I kept thinking, how could she end it like that?!?? So when The Shadow Cabinet begins, it basically picks up pretty much where the story ended in book two. Everyone is in the hospital with Stephen, mourning over his loss when Rory makes a desperate attempt to bring back him as a ghost. Not to mention Rory’s classmate is still missing and she is possibly in danger.
Because of everything that has happened to Rory, her and the team are secluded; more so Rory than anyone else. Callum and Boo attempt to go around town to see if what Rory did actually worked and Stephen became a ghost. Rory is not one to wait around wringing her hands, so naturally she goes out and tries to find some answers for herself. Which leads to some interesting and unexpected results.
The Shadow Cabinet starts off a little slow for me. Nothing major seemed to happen until almost halfway through the book. It wasn’t a struggle to get through the book though. I wanted to see how things resolved and find out the why behind them.
This wasn’t my favorite book out of the trio….The Madness Underneath is my favorite, but The Shadow Cabinet was still enjoyable. I am curious what exactly this mysterious groups needs from Rory and how major a part she will play in it. And what is up with those weird and creepy twins? I was curious, but never a big fan of stories involving ghosts and people seeing ghosts before, however Maureen Johnson has made me one. I am looking forward to her announcement of book four.
Rating 3.5 out of 5.
The Shadow Cabinet is the third book the Shades of London series. I was very anxious to see how things would play out with this one.
***HUGE SPOILER BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE SECOND BOOK!!!***
I didn’t really like how the second book ended. Stephen dying really through me for a loop and I did not see it coming. I kept thinking, how could she end it like that?!?? So when The Shadow Cabinet begins, it basically picks up pretty much where the story ended in book two. Everyone is in the hospital with Stephen, mourning over his loss when Rory makes a desperate attempt to bring back him as a ghost. Not to mention Rory’s classmate is still missing and she is possibly in danger.
Because of everything that has happened to Rory, her and the team are secluded; more so Rory than anyone else. Callum and Boo attempt to go around town to see if what Rory did actually worked and Stephen became a ghost. Rory is not one to wait around wringing her hands, so naturally she goes out and tries to find some answers for herself. Which leads to some interesting and unexpected results.
The Shadow Cabinet starts off a little slow for me. Nothing major seemed to happen until almost halfway through the book. It wasn’t a struggle to get through the book though. I wanted to see how things resolved and find out the why behind them.
This wasn’t my favorite book out of the trio….The Madness Underneath is my favorite, but The Shadow Cabinet was still enjoyable. I am curious what exactly this mysterious groups needs from Rory and how major a part she will play in it. And what is up with those weird and creepy twins? I was curious, but never a big fan of stories involving ghosts and people seeing ghosts before, however Maureen Johnson has made me one. I am looking forward to her announcement of book four.