A review by toggle_fow
The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The tagline of this book says This is not the book you are expecting. Which was true in my case. I picked it up blind simply because it is the only other book by the author of the flawless masterpiece The Goblin Emperor.*

However, if what you are expecting is the most strangely, incredibly faithful paranormal Sherlock Holmes adaptation ever, this book is exactly what you are expecting.

Things I don't like:

• Werewolves of any kind
• Vampires of any kind

Things this book has:

• TWO kinds of werewolves
• THREE kinds of vampires
• Angels

Angels I like, but I didn't expect it to make up for my profound hatred of werewolves and vampires. It didn't, but the ridiculously accurate Sherlock Holmes vibe did. For the unfaithful part, there's all the fantasy elements. Sherlock is a white-haired angel named Crow. Watson is actually named Doyle. (Ha ha.) There are other... things... also. The facts of this book are pretty off the wall.

But the vibe. The VIBE is pure Arthur Conan Doyle. Remember how lowkey the original Holmes stories are? This book is equally lowkey. Remember how genuinely nice but also kind of a persnickety weirdo the original Sherlock is? Same. Remember the understated yet extremely vital rapport between Holmes and Watson? Yes.

They literally solve a whole bunch of original Holmes mysteries (but with paranormal twists obviously) as several overarching plotlines slowly weave together in the background. There's a lot of meeting new clients at Baker Street, going on walks together, and arguing with Lestrade. Does this sound boring? IT'S NOT. Well, it might be, but only in the exact same way the original Holmes short stories are boring. If you like those and you like fantasy, you'll like this.

This world and the characters have, honestly, several sequels of this type left in them. I had a LOT of fun with this book and I hope there will be more eventually.

I was waffling between giving this four or five stars. To be honest, I think it's a 4.5, but the author's note where she says this book "began as a Sherlock wingfic" ALMOST killed me stone dead and I cannot in good conscience round up after that. Ms. Addison p l e a s e.

*The only other book by her that isn't an explicit gay romance novel with a lot of rape in it??? Because I guess that's what she writes under her real name?????? PRESERVE US, KATHERINE.