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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I received this as an ARC through Net Galley, and then bought the Kobo epub when my ARC expired....do with that objective as you may.
First, I love books series where the end of one book is the beginning of the subsequent book. This creates an incredible story continuity that is seamless to the reader.
Also, Ritter is a master at no nonsense writing. His straightforward style allows the reader to immediately respond to his carefully crafted points. Ritter wants to talk a bit religion and death? Abigal just asks Charon how Valhalla, Heaven, Tarturus, and Anwynn can exist in the same space. Excellent. That is exactly what I would have asked!
And any author that effortlessly melds Welsh, Greek, and North American mythos deserves your attention. Likewise, any author that goes to such lengths to respect world cultures knows a lot about the importance of tolerance and respect. This is especially evident in the character of Lydia Lee.
I strongly recommend this read to those who love mystery and twist endings. Also, developed characters and diverse world building.
Oh! And the duck pond? Explained!
My biggest criticism lies in the ending...a slight overused tactic seen in many books of late.
More reviews, and fun bookish photos @universalbookworm!
First, I love books series where the end of one book is the beginning of the subsequent book. This creates an incredible story continuity that is seamless to the reader.
Also, Ritter is a master at no nonsense writing. His straightforward style allows the reader to immediately respond to his carefully crafted points. Ritter wants to talk a bit religion and death? Abigal just asks Charon how Valhalla, Heaven, Tarturus, and Anwynn can exist in the same space. Excellent. That is exactly what I would have asked!
And any author that effortlessly melds Welsh, Greek, and North American mythos deserves your attention. Likewise, any author that goes to such lengths to respect world cultures knows a lot about the importance of tolerance and respect. This is especially evident in the character of Lydia Lee.
I strongly recommend this read to those who love mystery and twist endings. Also, developed characters and diverse world building.
Oh! And the duck pond? Explained!
My biggest criticism lies in the ending...a slight overused tactic seen in many books of late.
More reviews, and fun bookish photos @universalbookworm!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
While I was a little late in jumping on the Jackaby bandwagon, I was enamored by the first two books in this series, Jackaby and Beastly Bones. Well-written, fast-paced mysteries have been rendered nearly obsolete in the Young Adult genre, and this series successfully filled that void, garnering a great deal of attention in the process. Unfortunately, while reading Ghostly Echoes, I found that the novelty of the series had worn off, exposing a lackluster novel with a multitude of thematic issues and inexplicable character deviations.
The plot moved at a painfully glacial pace, leaving quite a bit to be desired. Out of sheer boredom, I skimmed large portions of the book with the hopes of coming across an unforeseen twist or cliffhanger. 90% of the novel could have been reasonably excluded, rendering it a novella at best. The mystery aspect of the novel was weak and stretched thin to accommodate the book's unnecessary length. Consequently, Ghostly Echoes struck me as a Young Adult paranormal novel masquerading as a mystery.
Furthermore, this plot was more ludicrous and tiresome than the last. Crucial events and phenomena were poorly explained (if at all), fueling my ongoing confusion and growing disinterest. Many scenes were disjointed, resembling a hodgepodge of unrelated occurrences that were randomly thrown together in an attempt to form something that resembles a cohesive story. The world building was adorned with an abundance of contradictory information and was unrealistic to a fault. Frustratingly few loose ends were tied up at the conclusion of the book. While this may have been a poorly-executed attempt to garner interest in the final book, I don't feel compelled to complete the series.
The inclusion of a pathetic romantic subplot similarly detracted from the whimsical, adventurous tone that prevailed in Jackaby and Beastly Bones. The poorly-developed romance was seemingly included as an afterthought, and its awkward execution and forcible insertion into serious or action-heavy scenes was cringeworthy.
I missed the humor that was prevalent in Ghostly Echoes' predecessors, particularly that of Jackaby. Gone was his childish persona, instead replaced by a much darker outlook on the world around him. Instead of being portrayed as an innovative detective, he repeatedly overlooked important details that Abigail, conversely, was able to readily identify. Similarly, with the exception of Jenny, there was minimal character development or growth. The entire host of major and minor characters remained relatively static. Several of the new characters who were introduced in this book appeared superfluous, serving no true purpose.
I was disappointed with Ghostly Echoes, to say the least. It lacked many of the elements that I had enjoyed in the first two installments, and the increasingly outlandish plots are riddled with far too many inconsistencies and unanswered questions to adequately capture my attention as a reader. To compound matters further, it lacked originality, merely sounding like a regurgitation of its two predecessors. Due to this novel's many prominent faults and shortcomings, I have no desire to continue on with the series and would have preferred that Jackaby remain a standalone novel.
The plot moved at a painfully glacial pace, leaving quite a bit to be desired. Out of sheer boredom, I skimmed large portions of the book with the hopes of coming across an unforeseen twist or cliffhanger. 90% of the novel could have been reasonably excluded, rendering it a novella at best. The mystery aspect of the novel was weak and stretched thin to accommodate the book's unnecessary length. Consequently, Ghostly Echoes struck me as a Young Adult paranormal novel masquerading as a mystery.
Furthermore, this plot was more ludicrous and tiresome than the last. Crucial events and phenomena were poorly explained (if at all), fueling my ongoing confusion and growing disinterest. Many scenes were disjointed, resembling a hodgepodge of unrelated occurrences that were randomly thrown together in an attempt to form something that resembles a cohesive story. The world building was adorned with an abundance of contradictory information and was unrealistic to a fault. Frustratingly few loose ends were tied up at the conclusion of the book. While this may have been a poorly-executed attempt to garner interest in the final book, I don't feel compelled to complete the series.
The inclusion of a pathetic romantic subplot similarly detracted from the whimsical, adventurous tone that prevailed in Jackaby and Beastly Bones. The poorly-developed romance was seemingly included as an afterthought, and its awkward execution and forcible insertion into serious or action-heavy scenes was cringeworthy.
I missed the humor that was prevalent in Ghostly Echoes' predecessors, particularly that of Jackaby. Gone was his childish persona, instead replaced by a much darker outlook on the world around him. Instead of being portrayed as an innovative detective, he repeatedly overlooked important details that Abigail, conversely, was able to readily identify. Similarly, with the exception of Jenny, there was minimal character development or growth. The entire host of major and minor characters remained relatively static. Several of the new characters who were introduced in this book appeared superfluous, serving no true purpose.
I was disappointed with Ghostly Echoes, to say the least. It lacked many of the elements that I had enjoyed in the first two installments, and the increasingly outlandish plots are riddled with far too many inconsistencies and unanswered questions to adequately capture my attention as a reader. To compound matters further, it lacked originality, merely sounding like a regurgitation of its two predecessors. Due to this novel's many prominent faults and shortcomings, I have no desire to continue on with the series and would have preferred that Jackaby remain a standalone novel.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was considerably less exciting to me, but good nonetheless. A lot of loose ends have been tied. It is definitely nice to know more about Jenny, and that the mystery surrounding her death has been unfolded. Her unfinished business may have come to a close, but her spirit is stronger than the pull to the other side.
However, Jackaby is becoming dull in comparison to the previous books. He seems to be spiraling and becoming less exciting, missing obvious points that even I caught onto this round. I also didn't really understand why Ritter put in Lydia Lee. She is superfluous to the story and honestly just felt like something Ritter put in just to show his opinion on a relevant political issue, and it fell flat for me.
Also, the typos in this book drove me mad. Honestly this book felt really rushed to begin with and I have a feeling it was pushed quickly in production to promote the series.
I still cannot wait for the next book, I just hope it gets back on track with what I liked so much from the first book!
However, Jackaby is becoming dull in comparison to the previous books. He seems to be spiraling and becoming less exciting, missing obvious points that even I caught onto this round. I also didn't really understand why Ritter put in Lydia Lee. She is superfluous to the story and honestly just felt like something Ritter put in just to show his opinion on a relevant political issue, and it fell flat for me.
Also, the typos in this book drove me mad. Honestly this book felt really rushed to begin with and I have a feeling it was pushed quickly in production to promote the series.
I still cannot wait for the next book, I just hope it gets back on track with what I liked so much from the first book!
I just love these books! Fun, mysterious and addicting!
