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A review by chloefrizzle
Cocktails & Chloroform by Kelley Armstrong
2.0
This is a novella in the Rip Through Time series. The premise of the series is that Mallory, modern day detective, accidentally time travelled to Victorian Era Scotland. Now, she solves crimes there while serving as a housemaid to an undertaker.
The pace is constantly interrupted. Every few pages, we get a long explanation that we don't need. Sometimes, it's Mallory re-explaining her backstory to us. Or her relationship to a character. Or the historical background of the place she's going. Or the ins and outs of the period's dress.
It feels like 20% of the book is recapping previous events of the series, and 30% of the book is a history lesson. The story itself is lost in the shuffle.
The constant exposition makes the book feel very hand-holdy. It's annoying and patronizing. We don't need to be told several times that Mallory has a strained relationship with a character. We don't need to be told several times about the details of the dresses everyone is wearing. Perhaps, it's a sign that the author is much too excited about all the historical research that she did.
Tho this was sometimes too much in the previous books, it felt even more exaggerated in this novella.
The story continues with the loveable characters of the series, and I have no complaints with it. It's fun, showcasing how Mallory handles herself in trouble. I just wish that the actual plot took up more of our page length.
Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.
The pace is constantly interrupted. Every few pages, we get a long explanation that we don't need. Sometimes, it's Mallory re-explaining her backstory to us. Or her relationship to a character. Or the historical background of the place she's going. Or the ins and outs of the period's dress.
It feels like 20% of the book is recapping previous events of the series, and 30% of the book is a history lesson. The story itself is lost in the shuffle.
The constant exposition makes the book feel very hand-holdy. It's annoying and patronizing. We don't need to be told several times that Mallory has a strained relationship with a character. We don't need to be told several times about the details of the dresses everyone is wearing. Perhaps, it's a sign that the author is much too excited about all the historical research that she did.
Tho this was sometimes too much in the previous books, it felt even more exaggerated in this novella.
The story continues with the loveable characters of the series, and I have no complaints with it. It's fun, showcasing how Mallory handles herself in trouble. I just wish that the actual plot took up more of our page length.
Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.