A review by inuyasha
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

5.0

jan. botm pick

i fully expected to hate this book - i'm not a fan of british media, detective/cop oriented stories aren't usually my jam, and in the past few years i've favored minimalist prose that this book is the exact opposite of. BUT, it was the only fantasy option BOTM had for january, and i am if anything predictable. and i........... loved it so much ;; it crept up on me kinda slowly, i think the first 50 or so pages had me wary and then it was a struggle to call it a night and put it down. it was less i was caught up in figuring out the 'mystery' (if you can call it that, i do think calling this book a detective/mystery like it was branded is a bit of a stretch, and maybe a bit misleading) and more so that the world building and characters were so good and rich that i really never wanted to leave them. :(( i'm a little sad because it seems like a lot of other BOTM customers didn't vibe with this pick, but i'm hoping for more options like this in months to come!!

def read if you like: fresh takes on fantasy, magical realism, eccentric but fully fleshed characters.

don't read if you don't like: slow burns, lol.

trigger warnings: mentions of sexual assault, physical assaults, semi-gorey medical/surgery descriptions.