A review by catearca
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

4.0

A brilliant novel about a lady detective running around mid 17th century London, accompanied by a cast of amazing and lovable characters.
The writing was great too, it took me a little to get used to it, but once I did it was just perfect for the book, it helped set the mood and was so immersive with its crude and colorful descriptions of the city and its characters.
Bridie was an amazing main character, but it's true that the book was very much helped by the rest of the cast, Cora, the seven-foot maid, Ruby, the ghost boxer, and the antagonists too. It was an amazing read.
The medical and anatomical aspects were also very interesting, the book explored medicine in Victorian London, when they were still trying to understand how the human body worked.
would recommend for people looking for: found family aspects, moody ambiance and immersive descriptions, a laugh from time to time, magical realism in Victorian London, doctors and scholars that are way too into the human body, and characters so vivid and peculiar you can't help but like.