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A review by blurrypetals
Beastly Bones by William Ritter
3.0
My biggest disappointment with this book is very easily identified: not enough Jackaby in this Jackaby series book. I've never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories, but I don't think the good, memorable ones involve Sherlock disappearing or spending most of his time as nothing more than a background character.
I mean, the series is named after him. Where the hell was he at most of this book? I don't even just mean the moments he was separated from Abigail, but also just mentally? He felt like the quirky sidekick who would exposit at Abigail (and, by proxy, the reader) when needed, drop a funny one-liner once or twice, and then return to form at the very, very end of the book.
Probably it was because Jackaby was so out of sorts, but I also didn't feel very invested in the mystery at all. I did like the big reveal as to what was going on, but up until that point, I didn't really feel the imminent danger or the sense of adventure as I did in the first book.
Also, I don't mind Charlie (who, by the way, I can't fucking believe William Ritter named Charlie Barker; come the fuck on, that's a little too on the nose) but I felt like the romance plot was super forced, especially since I didn't feel like he and Abigail really hit it off in the first book either, this just came of as something Ritter was shoehorning in, trying to make his book seem cool and hip so the kids will think his book is cool. On top of me just not feeling the chemistry, I also just felt like this whole subplot was just drawing more time and attention away from R.F. goddamn Jackaby.
Anyway, I'm going to keep reading because these books are short but we'll see if I end up regretting that decision. We'll see. Onward!
I mean, the series is named after him. Where the hell was he at most of this book? I don't even just mean the moments he was separated from Abigail, but also just mentally? He felt like the quirky sidekick who would exposit at Abigail (and, by proxy, the reader) when needed, drop a funny one-liner once or twice, and then return to form at the very, very end of the book.
Probably it was because Jackaby was so out of sorts, but I also didn't feel very invested in the mystery at all. I did like the big reveal as to what was going on, but up until that point, I didn't really feel the imminent danger or the sense of adventure as I did in the first book.
Also, I don't mind Charlie (who, by the way, I can't fucking believe William Ritter named Charlie Barker; come the fuck on, that's a little too on the nose) but I felt like the romance plot was super forced, especially since I didn't feel like he and Abigail really hit it off in the first book either, this just came of as something Ritter was shoehorning in, trying to make his book seem cool and hip so the kids will think his book is cool. On top of me just not feeling the chemistry, I also just felt like this whole subplot was just drawing more time and attention away from R.F. goddamn Jackaby.
Anyway, I'm going to keep reading because these books are short but we'll see if I end up regretting that decision. We'll see. Onward!