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A review by bigtiddygothgf
Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
GUYS I JUST CANNOT STAND LOVE TRIANGLES BE LOYAL OR GET OUT
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this is the third book in the stalking jack the ripper series that follows audrey rose and thomas's deadly escapades on a cruise liner with a mysterious carnival. as fellow passengers start to be murdered and placed in tarot card positions audey rose goes undercover into the carnival troupe to deduce who is guilty.
....well
i'll start with the positives. i really liked the vibes of this book! it reminded me of a favorite series of mine, miss peregrine's home for peculiar children, with the carnival and tarot readings. this book also has my favorite murder plot in the series. the killings were so interesting and horrific, with the bodies being placed in positions mimicking different tarot cards. i thought that was so cool and added to the intensity and fear of the killer which added to my enjoyment and investment while reading.
now to the negatives. I HATED THE LOVE TRIANGLE. after reading the author's note i understand what she was trying to do. in her author's note, kerri maniscalo mentions how in undercover investigations the undercover agents can get caught up in their own fantasy and fall too deep into it, which was she tried to show with audrey rose. just because i understand it though, doesn't mean i like it. the choice to make audrey rose grow closer to the ringmaster of the carnival and pretend to like him to get information was a shit plan in the first place (THAT DIDN'T EVEN HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY MIND YOU) and completely threw away the romantic developments that have been worked on and strengthened in the last two books. i just also did not like audrey rose in this book at all, she seemed completely different and would say and do things that seemed out of character.
overall, liked the vibes and the murder, not so much anything else. it is unfortunately my least favorite book in this series. rip.
(ALSO HOUDINI HAS SO LITTLE STAGE TIME EVEN THOUGH HE IS IN THE TITLE WHICH IS SO FUNNY TO ME. HE WOULD BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE LMAOOOO)
____________
this is the third book in the stalking jack the ripper series that follows audrey rose and thomas's deadly escapades on a cruise liner with a mysterious carnival. as fellow passengers start to be murdered and placed in tarot card positions audey rose goes undercover into the carnival troupe to deduce who is guilty.
....well
i'll start with the positives. i really liked the vibes of this book! it reminded me of a favorite series of mine, miss peregrine's home for peculiar children, with the carnival and tarot readings. this book also has my favorite murder plot in the series. the killings were so interesting and horrific, with the bodies being placed in positions mimicking different tarot cards. i thought that was so cool and added to the intensity and fear of the killer which added to my enjoyment and investment while reading.
now to the negatives. I HATED THE LOVE TRIANGLE. after reading the author's note i understand what she was trying to do. in her author's note, kerri maniscalo mentions how in undercover investigations the undercover agents can get caught up in their own fantasy and fall too deep into it, which was she tried to show with audrey rose. just because i understand it though, doesn't mean i like it. the choice to make audrey rose grow closer to the ringmaster of the carnival and pretend to like him to get information was a shit plan in the first place (THAT DIDN'T EVEN HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY MIND YOU) and completely threw away the romantic developments that have been worked on and strengthened in the last two books. i just also did not like audrey rose in this book at all, she seemed completely different and would say and do things that seemed out of character.
overall, liked the vibes and the murder, not so much anything else. it is unfortunately my least favorite book in this series. rip.
(ALSO HOUDINI HAS SO LITTLE STAGE TIME EVEN THOUGH HE IS IN THE TITLE WHICH IS SO FUNNY TO ME. HE WOULD BE ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE LMAOOOO)