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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
4.5 stars
First, I want to start my review with thanks to the lovely Shauna ( @b00kstorebabe) for thinking of me when this ARC came into her store. I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this before the release date.
Based on the previous books in the series, I had high hopes for this book. I was right to have those hopes. This book was fantastic!
Here’s why:
Every moment, every word of this book, had me by the heart. I loved it to pieces. So, if you like a good mystery, Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Who, I think you’ll love it as much as I did!
First, I want to start my review with thanks to the lovely Shauna ( @b00kstorebabe) for thinking of me when this ARC came into her store. I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this before the release date.
Based on the previous books in the series, I had high hopes for this book. I was right to have those hopes. This book was fantastic!
Here’s why:
-I have read many detective novels, and with all of them one main character takes on the “Sherlock” mantel and the other “Watson”. This wasn’t the case with Abigail and Jackaby. Although, Abigail is clearly Jackaby’s assistant, she is a brave and intelligent detective in her own right. Ritter never makes her downgrades her intelligence to uplift Jackaby’s. Jackaby sees the supernatural phenomena, and she notices the traditional connections that he misses. They fill in each other weak spots and make a fine partnership.
-Readers of the other books will also be glad to hear that neither Jackaby, nor Abigail lose their dry, gallows humor. They are snarky to the max. It’s glorious to read, especially when the plot and mood grows darker.
-Like Stiefvater and Schwab, Ritter creates a great atmosphere with his writing. He doesn’t tell you a character is scared, he sends a shiver down your spine. He makes the reader feel the story, rather than just read it.
-Although the plot has many moving parts, I never found it hard to follow. For other readers, I think it could definitely be a one-sitting book (I just happen to be a very slow reader.)
-I constantly impressed with Ritter’s ability to write a compelling, action-packed story on the surface, while addressing deeper themes like prejudice, mental illness and even gender issues that most adult fiction authors balk at. I feel that in this aspect especially, this book is another example of YA lit at it’s best.
-This last one may be a tad spoiler-y. But, as the title suggests, this book deals with the afterlife, and I just want to say how pleased I am that Ritter’s tone through those parts was respectful to all the belief systems mentioned. I have read some books that come across mocking, so this was refreshing for me.
Every moment, every word of this book, had me by the heart. I loved it to pieces. So, if you like a good mystery, Sherlock Holmes or Doctor Who, I think you’ll love it as much as I did!
I really enjoyed this plot so much!! Getting to know more about Jenny was the best and I loved seeing old faces again! I also loved getting to know more about Jackabys past and how he became a seer. Overall the plot was outstanding and I cannot wait for the final installment of this series!
**An ARC *SNEAK PEEK* of about 60 pages was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
When I requested this on Netgalley, it was listed as a full galley, but by the time I was approved, it was a sneak peek, which was disappointing.
BUT this has made me incredibly psyched to read the full book in August - judging from what I've read, I think I'll like this much more than [b:Beastly Bones|24001095|Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)|William Ritter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425592816s/24001095.jpg|43601150]. The writing feels a little rough in the lead-in, but that's to be expected, so hopefully the published book will be a little more coherent for those first couple pages. But I am so pumped!
ETA May 2016
**An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Yesssssss
3.5 stars.
Honestly, this is so ambitious. And I can't say that it didn't work, I would be holding off judgement till the last book in any case, but I personally would have appreciated a slightly lower-key case. I loved the first half of the book, and the character development throughout, but the last half was a bit muddled and less enjoyable for me. Still good though! Definitely will be checking out the finished product this fall.
ETA June 2019
Liked this better upon re-reading the finished product!
When I requested this on Netgalley, it was listed as a full galley, but by the time I was approved, it was a sneak peek, which was disappointing.
BUT this has made me incredibly psyched to read the full book in August - judging from what I've read, I think I'll like this much more than [b:Beastly Bones|24001095|Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)|William Ritter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1425592816s/24001095.jpg|43601150]. The writing feels a little rough in the lead-in, but that's to be expected, so hopefully the published book will be a little more coherent for those first couple pages. But I am so pumped!
ETA May 2016
**An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Yesssssss
3.5 stars.
Honestly, this is so ambitious. And I can't say that it didn't work, I would be holding off judgement till the last book in any case, but I personally would have appreciated a slightly lower-key case. I loved the first half of the book, and the character development throughout, but the last half was a bit muddled and less enjoyable for me. Still good though! Definitely will be checking out the finished product this fall.
ETA June 2019
Liked this better upon re-reading the finished product!
4.5
While it still doesn't quite hold the charm that Jackaby does, I still adored this book. The character's are once again amazingly fun to read about, as is the world that they inhabit. In this installment you see so much more of the world than in the previous two, and you're shown just how large it is.
I now can't wait to read the final book, despite the fact that this one came out only a few weeks ago.
While it still doesn't quite hold the charm that Jackaby does, I still adored this book. The character's are once again amazingly fun to read about, as is the world that they inhabit. In this installment you see so much more of the world than in the previous two, and you're shown just how large it is.
I now can't wait to read the final book, despite the fact that this one came out only a few weeks ago.
Three volumes into the series, the overarching plot is starting to take shape. The mysterious pale man who has been following Abigail finally steps out of the shadows, only to reveal that he is a small part of a much bigger plan. He also seems to know much more about Jackaby’s past than even his closest confidants. As they investigate Jenny’s murder, it becomes apparent that her death has some connection to the deeper mystery of New Fiddleham. While the action is less fast paced than in Jackaby or Beastly Bones, this makes room for important character development, as we finally learn how Jackaby came to be the Seer. read more
This series just keeps getting better! Which is highly unusual for me! And they're so easy to read and highly enjoyable! Ritter does a great job of keeping me turning those pages.
The Jackaby series overall does a fantastic job of mixing science, logic, and the supernatural. And while at first Jackaby seemed entirely too derivative of Sherlock Holmes for my taste, he has certainly grown into his own unique character through these books.
Ghostly Echoes is my favorite so far. Jenny Cavennaugh was just a side character for the first 2 books, but here we get to see her story and see her develop into what I think will be a main partnership. Each book has its own unique supernatural baddie to defeat. Jackaby had red caps and sirens. Beastly Bones had dragons and shape-shifters. Ghostly Echoes has ghosts, nixies, and the underworld! I'm a sucker for an underworld story.
Abigail, as the main character is my favorite, but Jenny has always been my second favorite so to see her back-story and watch her grow and develop into a multi-faceted person -- well, ghost -- was great! Also, Charlie makes another appearance and I swoon every time because he is just precious and his and Abigail's little love story is so darn cute!
I can't wait to read book 4!
The Jackaby series overall does a fantastic job of mixing science, logic, and the supernatural. And while at first Jackaby seemed entirely too derivative of Sherlock Holmes for my taste, he has certainly grown into his own unique character through these books.
Ghostly Echoes is my favorite so far. Jenny Cavennaugh was just a side character for the first 2 books, but here we get to see her story and see her develop into what I think will be a main partnership. Each book has its own unique supernatural baddie to defeat. Jackaby had red caps and sirens. Beastly Bones had dragons and shape-shifters. Ghostly Echoes has ghosts, nixies, and the underworld! I'm a sucker for an underworld story.
Abigail, as the main character is my favorite, but Jenny has always been my second favorite so to see her back-story and watch her grow and develop into a multi-faceted person -- well, ghost -- was great! Also, Charlie makes another appearance and I swoon every time because he is just precious and his and Abigail's little love story is so darn cute!
I can't wait to read book 4!
I quite enjoyed the first two books in this series, but this one has been too similar to get off the ground for me.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This was such a great mystery book! I'm sad it took me so long to finish it but I got through it! I'm happy that I learned a lot more about Jackaby but I hope in the last book I learn his real name!
I loved this one! The pace was even better, the mystery was even better. It's really rare a series gets better as it progresses, but that holds true for Jackaby!