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Beastly Bones by William Ritter
4.0

The Jackaby Series Review (3.75 ★ as a whole)

This is a four book series I picked up on a whim & was pleasantly surprised by. Although I’ve already reviewed the first book, JACKABY, I hope to share my thoughts on the series as a whole.

My Thoughts: As a refresher, this is a detective series that takes place in 1892 New Fiddleham, New England where a young woman, Abigail Rook, has just arrived. She has taken the only job she can find working for the bizarre Sherlock-eque, R. F. Jackaby, a detective (but more appropriately a Seer) with a gift for solving paranomal/fantasic cases.

Each book follows a new “case,” and it isn’t until the end of the second book that you begin to realize the cases are connected. This leads up to the finale — an epic battle of good vs. evil.

⋒ ⋒ ⋒

Here's what I thought of each book:

[JACKABY] — 4 ★ A great introduction to the characters, specifically Abigail’s backstory, while trying to track down the culprit on a string of mysterious murders.

[BEASTLY BONES] — 3.5 ★ Brings in new characters, while playing to Abigail's strengths of being the daughter of a famous paleontologist — yes, be prepared for dinosaurs... or pre-dinosaurs if you will.

[GHOSTLY ECHOES] — 3 ★ This book felt the most reaching at times in how Ritter worked to connect the series, but brought in some cool Greek myths as well as a TG supporting character.

[THE DIRE KING] — 4 ★ Everything becomes clear resulting in a big battle, so natually there is an influx of magical creatures which reminds me why I love fantasical worlds to begin with.

Spot on Shelf? This was the first series I've read completely through in years, and as a whole it was fun & kept my attention.

At times a little overdone/overreaching, but I was okay with that; especially given the sweet/thoughtful moments & Ritter’s strength for drawing on myths from all over the globe.

The ending completely took me by surprise (multiple times) which I wasn't expecting. It wasn’t a gripping series, but it was very hope-filled & presented a world I was quite happy to dwell in.

*Pro-tip: Best read on an e-reader for fast searches when it comes to mythological characters*