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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This book was WILDLY entertaining. I lived for this book. I’ve reread it once or twice since the first time and it was still so much fun. The inventions, the agency itself was like something I dreamed of as a kid, the relationships between carver and everyone else were all interesting in their own ways. There was a significant amount of disbelief we do have to suspend during a book like this but it was easy to do.
If you want a quick fun ride with some mystery and action and a little love and the blissful confidence of someone who hasn’t grown up yet taking on the worlds most infamous serial killer, please read this.
If you want a quick fun ride with some mystery and action and a little love and the blissful confidence of someone who hasn’t grown up yet taking on the worlds most infamous serial killer, please read this.
Carver Young has lived at an orphanage all his life, and now he’s a teenager too old to be adopted. The orphanage’s headmistress has an event to set up older orphans with apprenticeships; newspaper reporters find a new writer, and a strange old man seems interested in Carver. Snooping around leads Carver to realize the old man is a retired detective, who wants to take Carver on as his replacement! This has always been Carver’s dream, so he does all he can to impress the old man. His first mission: to find his real father. But when the evidence seems to point to Carver’s father being Jack the Ripper, he’s not sure he wants to continue as a detective. This book is a quick and interesting read, but the ending got a little jumbled for me. I feel like the author knew this would happen, because a few pages after the “a-ha!” moment, he breaks everything down so the reader understands exactly what went down. If not for that, I would have liked this book much more. That being said, the ending is somewhat open for a sequel, and I would still read that.
This was really enjoyable! There isn't enough YA books featuring Jack the Ripper so this was a nice find. I would love to see another book with Carver, Delia and Finn.
A really fun mystery with tons of twists and cool gadgets and historical snippets!
Great take on the Jack the Ripper murders. This is centered around Carver Young, an orphan in NYC during the end of the 19th century. He is on the hunt to find his father, from whom he only has a letter to try and trace his identity. Simultaneously he is adopted by a former Pinkerton detective and drawn into the investigation of Ripper-like murders being committed in the city. This is a great fast-paced, historical thriller that will keep you turning the pages.
Fast paced, interesting take on a well known historical figure, jack the ripper. Main character 14 years old
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ripper was a fun read that went by very quickly, aided by the short chapters and bursts of actions. I liked that the story, while still fanciful in the name of being entertaining, at least alludes to moral ambiguity and the "abyss" of the (criminal and/or insane) human mind. I also think that Ripper is great historical fiction, and it seems to me that Stefan Petrucha really did enjoy doing the research for this novel, and worked accordingly to incorporate real life history that sometimes reads stranger, and more entertaining, than fiction itself.
3 to 4 stars. I enjoyed the characters and would like this to become a series, or at least a trilogy. I didn't much care for the "twist," but I understand why it was necessary. Very fun read overall.