Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
A refreshing change up to Sherlockian pastiche. A bit steampunk, but not a lot, great characters, very good writing, and a plot that moves along quite spiffily.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.
A Study in Silks is the first in a new series from Emma Jane Holloway. In this book we're introduced to the infamous Sherlock Holmes's neice, Evelina Cooper. She is attempting to get into Society highlife during an alternative steampunk/urban fantasy London Victorian period. Murder occurs, and she decides to try her hand at the whole detective gig.
I liked that this book sort of extends and pays homage to the original mysteries of Doyle's world. In this series, we're reintroduced to the characters as they are a bit older (wiser?) and mature. Eveline's character grows on you and her attraction to magic, while in the infant stages, has a lot of promise behind it.
The writing is a bit dry at times, which is common for books trying to tie into the past linguistics. But once you get beyond the oldish vocabulary and vernacular, there's a rich world full of interesting characters, magic, and intrigue.
This was a fun read and those who like their mystery with a bit of magic and steampunk will enjoy this series. Sherlockians who are purists, need not apply. Looking forward to the mischief and mystery that this series will offer in the future.
A Study in Silks is the first in a new series from Emma Jane Holloway. In this book we're introduced to the infamous Sherlock Holmes's neice, Evelina Cooper. She is attempting to get into Society highlife during an alternative steampunk/urban fantasy London Victorian period. Murder occurs, and she decides to try her hand at the whole detective gig.
I liked that this book sort of extends and pays homage to the original mysteries of Doyle's world. In this series, we're reintroduced to the characters as they are a bit older (wiser?) and mature. Eveline's character grows on you and her attraction to magic, while in the infant stages, has a lot of promise behind it.
The writing is a bit dry at times, which is common for books trying to tie into the past linguistics. But once you get beyond the oldish vocabulary and vernacular, there's a rich world full of interesting characters, magic, and intrigue.
This was a fun read and those who like their mystery with a bit of magic and steampunk will enjoy this series. Sherlockians who are purists, need not apply. Looking forward to the mischief and mystery that this series will offer in the future.
Not a terrible train- or beach-read, but I persisted more because I felt I had to finish than because I actually cared about what came next or was invested in the characters. Not until the end did the "Sherlock Holmes's niece" gimmick pay off, and I wish steampunk Mary Sue Evelina Cooper had been allowed to stand on her own merits without that dip into Sherlock Holmes popularity. The love triangle was dull, Evelina was a fairly flat heroine, and the actual writing style veered between faux-Victorian and just plain clumsy, but the ending was solid - wrapped up enough loose ends to be satisfying, but offered enough room for a sequel. The question is whether I'll bother to read that sequel or not.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Dragged a bit at some points - it probably could have been a bit shorter. Everything wrapped up fairly nicely at the end while still leaving enough unresolved conflict that I'll want to read the next book. The secondary characters were well developed, which is always a big plus.
Received from NetGalley.
Received from NetGalley.
It's another story about an obscure Holmes relative! No, really. I get that Sherlock Holmes is hot right now, and for good reason. There just seems to be a rather huge Holmes bandwagon. This is one of the more fun variants. We have Evelina Cooper, niece of Sherlock, as our protagonist in A STUDY IN SILKS. Sherlock does make some cameos, but he is not the focus of the story. No, here we have several POVs, which can be confusing sometimes, but offer an intriguing glimpse into the alternate reality the author has crafted. Steam rules England here, just as it did during the Industrial Revolution, but instead of just providing power, steam (and the barons that control it) gives immense political clout, and in order to preserve their monopolies of the stuff, magic (which could serve the same function) is essentially outlawed. But what does Evelina have? Magic, of course, and a fascination with the mechanical--and a way to fuse the two.
So we have not only a murder mystery to solve (a servant is murdered in Evelina's friend's rich household), but also keeping Evelina's magic a secret, and we also have a love triangle between the rich playboy who wants to be an engineer, and the circus knife-thrower who shares Evelina's past (and perhaps some of her magic). The author keeps the reader guessing about the whodunit, and tension is high as everyone tries to protect their secrets. The characterization leaves a little to be desired; not everyone has clear reasons behind their actions, and some of the "bad guys" just seem to be bad for bad guys' sake. The book is also quite long, and maybe could benefit from some judicious trimming. But the setting is nicely written, the mystery is solved, and the ending shows that there will be more to this series. I'm happy the next book will come out soon, so I can continue the story.
Received as a free digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.
So we have not only a murder mystery to solve (a servant is murdered in Evelina's friend's rich household), but also keeping Evelina's magic a secret, and we also have a love triangle between the rich playboy who wants to be an engineer, and the circus knife-thrower who shares Evelina's past (and perhaps some of her magic). The author keeps the reader guessing about the whodunit, and tension is high as everyone tries to protect their secrets. The characterization leaves a little to be desired; not everyone has clear reasons behind their actions, and some of the "bad guys" just seem to be bad for bad guys' sake. The book is also quite long, and maybe could benefit from some judicious trimming. But the setting is nicely written, the mystery is solved, and the ending shows that there will be more to this series. I'm happy the next book will come out soon, so I can continue the story.
Received as a free digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.
My goodness I never thought this book would end!! The storyline is a good idea and what not but it was just so freaking long that I finally gave in and skipped to the last 5 chapters. After reading almost the entire thing I was not as impressed as I figured I would be because of the length of the book. If this book was divided into two books and some of the storylines were a bit more flushed out I probably would've enjoyed it more.
The main character was good and the supporting characters were interesting but that's it about them. I'm just so over this book that I can't even write a proper review of it. I'm sorry.
The main character was good and the supporting characters were interesting but that's it about them. I'm just so over this book that I can't even write a proper review of it. I'm sorry.
Wasn't sure at first how I liked it but I came around to giving it 4 stars. I'm not a fan of love triangles and this was no exception but I liked the resolution thus far. The villain (or villains) are terrifying. Questions are still niggling at me. I liked the magic more than the steampunk but it worked ok together. She's kind of a terrible detective. Lol
A Study In Silks is so much more than a Holmes spinoff. The story blends the careful detail exposition that makes Arthur Conan Doyle fun to read, and references to Holmes canon that add depth for fans and don’t detract if readers miss them. (Halfway in, Uncle Sherlock returns from Bohemia, where there’s been something of a scandal.) The mystery involves artifacts from Heinrich Schliemann’s Troy dig, a crew of Chinese craftsmen working in secret, code-breaking, a gypsy knife-thrower, and all the mysterious notes and listening at doors that make Victorian novels so lovely.
I hesitate to call this steampunk, because that conjures images of watch parts glued to waistcoats, when what I mean is a Victorian London full of Jules Verne and Space 1888 science. Powerful steam barons run their districts by controlling access to essential energy, that lights and heats homes. Dozens of servants and clockwork appliances keep grand society homes running smoothly. Despite the scientific advances, Victorian mores reign. Evelina, and her heiress friend Imogen, are presented to the queen in preparation for their first London Season, and even while solving the murder, Evelina takes care not to be unchaperoned with any young gentlemen.
Read the long (Long!) review on my blog
I hesitate to call this steampunk, because that conjures images of watch parts glued to waistcoats, when what I mean is a Victorian London full of Jules Verne and Space 1888 science. Powerful steam barons run their districts by controlling access to essential energy, that lights and heats homes. Dozens of servants and clockwork appliances keep grand society homes running smoothly. Despite the scientific advances, Victorian mores reign. Evelina, and her heiress friend Imogen, are presented to the queen in preparation for their first London Season, and even while solving the murder, Evelina takes care not to be unchaperoned with any young gentlemen.
Read the long (Long!) review on my blog
So I finished A Study In Silks last night, and right off the bat, I am quite disappointed.
I loved the cover of this book, loved the idea of the book, but ultimately I found it confusing. Which I am sad about because I'm not a steampunk fan, but I picked this one up hoping it would help me transition into the genre.
Alas, it was not meant to be. I found the characters hard to grasp. I don't know if it was because it was told from multiple view points, but I didn't get a sense of WHO they were. Not a single one. And they all seemed really weak, like they couldn't stand behind their decisions - especially Tobias near the end.
I also felt like I had come in through the middle of the book and had missed all relationship building between the characters. And some "relationship building" throughout the book was needed. Two people falling in love within a week without barely speaking to each other? Come on.
Two big questions that still plague my mind:
How did Nick know where to find Evelina?
Is there really a point to having Sherlock Holmes in the story?
I really wanted to like this series, but I don't know if I will be continuing on with it or not.
I loved the cover of this book, loved the idea of the book, but ultimately I found it confusing. Which I am sad about because I'm not a steampunk fan, but I picked this one up hoping it would help me transition into the genre.
Alas, it was not meant to be. I found the characters hard to grasp. I don't know if it was because it was told from multiple view points, but I didn't get a sense of WHO they were. Not a single one. And they all seemed really weak, like they couldn't stand behind their decisions - especially Tobias near the end.
I also felt like I had come in through the middle of the book and had missed all relationship building between the characters. And some "relationship building" throughout the book was needed. Two people falling in love within a week without barely speaking to each other? Come on.
Two big questions that still plague my mind:
How did Nick know where to find Evelina?
Is there really a point to having Sherlock Holmes in the story?
I really wanted to like this series, but I don't know if I will be continuing on with it or not.
I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan (books, movies, TV shows), so I was excited to hear about a new series of books featuring his niece. Evelina Cooper is the daughter of Sherlock's sister, who eloped with someone from a lower social class and was disowned by the older Holmes. Evie is raised in the circus that her father grew up in before joining the military and earning a commission for bravery in the field. Eventually her Grandmama Holmes fetches Evie and sends her to a prestigious finishing school. She makes friends with Imogen Roth and they go to Imogren's home after graduation to participate in the social season. This London of 1888 is controlled by the Steam Barons. Each controls a district of the city where they provide the utilities. The barons prevent anyone else from developing other energy sources and they control all inventions and technology experimentation. They have even gone so far as to have magic outlawed and those accused are burned at the stake. When servants in Imogen's household are killed and Uncle Sherlock is brought in by one of the barons to investigate a related crime, the mystery begins to draw in Evie and her friends.
The world is brought to life through the descriptions of the steam-driven gadgets (including a gigantic squid), the colored globes on the gaslights that mark each baron's sphere of influence, and the interactions between the various characters from each of the social classes. The characters are well-developed - Evelina, Imogen and her family, Evie's friend Nick from the circus, the Steam Barons and their henchmen, the other members of the gentry, all have their quirks and individual strengths and weaknesses. There is also the intriguing combination of magic and mechanical constructs that several characters are developing.
There is something to appeal to different types of readers: magic, steampunk, love triangle, intrigue and mystery. I would recommend this to YA readers due to the adult relationships between some of the characters.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
The world is brought to life through the descriptions of the steam-driven gadgets (including a gigantic squid), the colored globes on the gaslights that mark each baron's sphere of influence, and the interactions between the various characters from each of the social classes. The characters are well-developed - Evelina, Imogen and her family, Evie's friend Nick from the circus, the Steam Barons and their henchmen, the other members of the gentry, all have their quirks and individual strengths and weaknesses. There is also the intriguing combination of magic and mechanical constructs that several characters are developing.
There is something to appeal to different types of readers: magic, steampunk, love triangle, intrigue and mystery. I would recommend this to YA readers due to the adult relationships between some of the characters.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.