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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Light and frothy, but fun, Victorian mystery with a strong Romance subplot. Good for a fast, not too demanding read.
Due to The Great Pause, I have been unable to concentrate enough to read much of anything. Oddly enough, even though this book had lots of elements that usually I annoy me, I quite enjoyed it.
It’s got that Elizabeth Peters’ dynamic of a Victorian male and female Solving a Mystery while fighting irritably with each other.
It’s got a Victorian female with an unconventional upbringing so she resonates with modern readers’ world views.
It’s got the irritable male who is kinda tall, dark, mysterious and kinda perfect who is a brilliant violinist (“who doesn’t play much any more”) and a brilliant prize fighter.
Also there is a cat.
So it’s all a bit daft and silly. The mystery wasn’t bad though, there are enough interesting characters, so I look forward to the next one.
It’s got that Elizabeth Peters’ dynamic of a Victorian male and female Solving a Mystery while fighting irritably with each other.
It’s got a Victorian female with an unconventional upbringing so she resonates with modern readers’ world views.
It’s got the irritable male who is kinda tall, dark, mysterious and kinda perfect who is a brilliant violinist (“who doesn’t play much any more”) and a brilliant prize fighter.
Also there is a cat.
So it’s all a bit daft and silly. The mystery wasn’t bad though, there are enough interesting characters, so I look forward to the next one.
Maybe 3.5? It was okay. The first half was very slow and a little boring at times but it gradually got better and I kept finding myself wanting to pick it up again. The mystery was unconventional, the heroine was likeable and I feel like the next book will be better.
I loved this one! I loved Julia and all the other characters. I also loved the mystery and the murder weapon was a first! Excellent start to the series and there is so much more left to tell. Beautiful and evocative writing, 500+ pages flew by.
On to book 2!
On to book 2!
This book was riddled with cliches and predictable characters, but the pace was so fast and the ridiculous turns kept topping each other that I gobbled it up. It was like a Jerry Springer episode, but more self important. I may read the sequel.
I knew from the very first line of this book that I was going to enjoy it. Lady Julia is witty and charming. I found myself chuckling out loud throughout the book at the things she would say and going along on her journey of self-discovery was entertaining.
Interesting. So I definitely didn't love this the way I do Veronica Speedwell and I'm failing to understand why this is classified as a romance really but I loved the murder mystery aspect. I also just really liked Lady Julia and she grows a lot throughout the book. Also, kinda love her dad. I'll fully admit I saw the last big twist coming and soon as it happened, I connected the dots on who the killer was but only like a chapter before which I have a feeling was when we should've just based on how we get the killer monologue
Wa wa wee wa this was an exciting romp through Victorian London where Julia Grey tries to discover her husband's killer with the help of a broody, half Scots half gypsy fixer. The only thing holding it back from 5 stars is the double stuft layers of sexual tension that don't really culminate to much. Still, I'm holding out hope for the second book and am already submitting a request to my library
My part of Japan has been buffeted by tons of typhoons this season. In anticipation of yet another worrying night I started Silent in the Grave and it was just the escapism I needed.
The good:
- World building is here and in spades as Raybourn builds out a corner of Victorian London for us. We don't see a wide swath but we are shown is well crafted and interesting.
- The writing grabbed me from the first line.
- This combination of world building and just-my-style writing made this the perfect escapist read. What, is that a typhoon howling outside? Sorry, I can't hear it, we're on the hunt for a killer!
- In my estimation it's a setting-heavy novel, and they are so rare!
- It's a very feminist tale at heart. Some people have gripped about it being unrealistic or too much for the times, but in our year of 2018 I will take whatever feminist escapism I can get, thank you.
- There are topics I've rarely seen broached in lighter historical fiction, like (happy!) lgbtqia+ folx and flattering depictions of the Romani.
- I didn't have a firm idea who the killer was... but then again, I never do.
The not-so-good:
- The espousing of feminist values will be too much for some. Likewise, historical sticklers will be shocked that a Lady had a conversation about xyz with her brother/servant/whomever.
- If you know a lot about the Victorian era some parts may feel over-explained.
- The plot has a bunch of moving parts and there are many characters to keep straight. It didn't bother me but it may irk some.
- If you're looking for a straight up mystery with lots of investigating you'll be disappointed. This is a bit more holistic. As I keep saying, it was fine by me but others may not care for it.
- Lady Grey doesn't always make the most logical decisions. In fact, she makes a bunch of poor ones, things you can see are wrong off the bat. A couple of them made me sigh but it was never enough to keep me away from the page.
If you're interested in this book the best advice I can give is to hunt down a sample of the first chapter. If you're smitten rock on, but if it leaves you wanting you may want to look elsewhere. Personally I can see the flaws but the world and escapism mixed with mystery made this the right book at the right time. I'll definitely be reading the next one on a long flight or during a period of exceptionally bad existential angst.
The good:
- World building is here and in spades as Raybourn builds out a corner of Victorian London for us. We don't see a wide swath but we are shown is well crafted and interesting.
- The writing grabbed me from the first line.
To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching on the floor.
- This combination of world building and just-my-style writing made this the perfect escapist read. What, is that a typhoon howling outside? Sorry, I can't hear it, we're on the hunt for a killer!
- In my estimation it's a setting-heavy novel, and they are so rare!
- It's a very feminist tale at heart. Some people have gripped about it being unrealistic or too much for the times, but in our year of 2018 I will take whatever feminist escapism I can get, thank you.
- There are topics I've rarely seen broached in lighter historical fiction, like (happy!) lgbtqia+ folx and flattering depictions of the Romani.
- I didn't have a firm idea who the killer was... but then again, I never do.
The not-so-good:
- The espousing of feminist values will be too much for some. Likewise, historical sticklers will be shocked that a Lady had a conversation about xyz with her brother/servant/whomever.
- If you know a lot about the Victorian era some parts may feel over-explained.
- The plot has a bunch of moving parts and there are many characters to keep straight. It didn't bother me but it may irk some.
- If you're looking for a straight up mystery with lots of investigating you'll be disappointed. This is a bit more holistic. As I keep saying, it was fine by me but others may not care for it.
- Lady Grey doesn't always make the most logical decisions. In fact, she makes a bunch of poor ones, things you can see are wrong off the bat. A couple of them made me sigh but it was never enough to keep me away from the page.
If you're interested in this book the best advice I can give is to hunt down a sample of the first chapter. If you're smitten rock on, but if it leaves you wanting you may want to look elsewhere. Personally I can see the flaws but the world and escapism mixed with mystery made this the right book at the right time. I'll definitely be reading the next one on a long flight or during a period of exceptionally bad existential angst.