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rsarnelli 's review for:
Silent in the Grave
by Deanna Raybourn
Since I've now caught up on Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell series, I figured I'd backtrack a bit to her debut in hopes I'd find the same magic.
Spoiler alert: I did not.
Granted, I didn't HATE this book. I just didn't love it as much as I hoped to, considering how much I love the Veronica Speedwell books. And honestly, my love for that series may have been part of the problem: I couldn't help comparing the story and characters, and this first Lady Julia Grey installment came up short.
I'll start with the good: I like the setting and Raybourn's writing, and I didn't mind the characters. I was iffy about Julia at first, but she grew on me throughout the book. She starts off a bit boring and gradually becomes a bit more...daring, I suppose. And I think she’ll become more compelling as the series goes on. I also liked some of the side characters (especially Julia's father), although I do think there were maybe too many side characters introduced here.
And that brings me to my main issue: this book is LONG (my Kindle version clocked in at 436 pages), and there's just SO MUCH going on. There are too many characters, too many plot points, and so many of the characters had their own secrets and whatnot. There's murder, affairs, betrayal, mysterious ailments, an openly lesbian sister, Gypsies, . And honestly, I probably missed something there. It's too much.
The mystery itself is interesting, but it took so long to get going. I figured out the identity of the murderer around...80%, I think (I really should start keeping notes of that sort), but I did not figure out the motive, so that was unexpected at least.
I was iffy about our hero/love interest, Nicholas Brisbane (he's another one with just too much going on), and I feel like his and Julia's burgeoning relationship was just...not developed very well.
I see a lot of reviews complaining about the modern sensibilities of many of the characters, particularly the Grey family. Honestly I just went along with it. Yes, they are probably portrayed as overly progressive and not true to the time period, but I didn't really care that much.
Overall I find myself a bit disappointed by this book. I can't help comparing this to the Veronica Speedwell books; maybe I would be more favorable toward this if I hadn't already read those, but maybe not. As it is, I'll probably try out the next book, but if that one's a dud I may just skip the rest of this series.
Spoiler alert: I did not.
Granted, I didn't HATE this book. I just didn't love it as much as I hoped to, considering how much I love the Veronica Speedwell books. And honestly, my love for that series may have been part of the problem: I couldn't help comparing the story and characters, and this first Lady Julia Grey installment came up short.
I'll start with the good: I like the setting and Raybourn's writing, and I didn't mind the characters. I was iffy about Julia at first, but she grew on me throughout the book. She starts off a bit boring and gradually becomes a bit more...daring, I suppose. And I think she’ll become more compelling as the series goes on. I also liked some of the side characters (especially Julia's father), although I do think there were maybe too many side characters introduced here.
And that brings me to my main issue: this book is LONG (my Kindle version clocked in at 436 pages), and there's just SO MUCH going on. There are too many characters, too many plot points, and so many of the characters had their own secrets and whatnot. There's murder, affairs, betrayal
Spoiler
(albeit from beyond the grave)Spoiler
psychics, and secret gay relationshipsThe mystery itself is interesting, but it took so long to get going. I figured out the identity of the murderer around...80%, I think (I really should start keeping notes of that sort), but I did not figure out the motive, so that was unexpected at least.
I was iffy about our hero/love interest, Nicholas Brisbane (he's another one with just too much going on), and I feel like his and Julia's burgeoning relationship was just...not developed very well.
I see a lot of reviews complaining about the modern sensibilities of many of the characters, particularly the Grey family. Honestly I just went along with it. Yes, they are probably portrayed as overly progressive and not true to the time period, but I didn't really care that much.
Overall I find myself a bit disappointed by this book. I can't help comparing this to the Veronica Speedwell books; maybe I would be more favorable toward this if I hadn't already read those, but maybe not. As it is, I'll probably try out the next book, but if that one's a dud I may just skip the rest of this series.