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A review by tan_wayne
Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
“Look, I don’t know that I fully understand her, either, but that doesn’t matter. I don’t need to understand someone to respect them. Think she’s very brave.”
“How is she brave?”
“How?” I considered. “There are lots of people out there who are terribly hateful. She could avoid a whole lot of trouble and dress and act as they want her to, but she chooses to be herself. That’s brave. Also - the last time we met she stopped Jackaby from hurting the men who hurt her. They might have killed her. Kindness is an act of bravery, I think, just as hatred is an act of fear. I’m sure you can appreciate that not all strength is muscle, Mr. Finstern. She has a strong spirit, and I believe she is very brave about the way she chooses to use it.” ~William Ritter, Ghostly Echoes
William Ritter decided to craft and build upon the beautiful world he created by introducing vampires, space dimensions, telepathy, mythology, and more. This is what I wanted from the series that its prequel failed to achieve. Throughout the book I am constantly fascinated by the new ideas and descriptions, I even love the little plot twist at the end The chief officer’s wife being an instigator for The Dire Council.
In this book, we explored Jenny Cavanaugh’s backstory, which has been extremely intriguing since the first book. However, while investigating the mystery kept me on my toes, the ending felt quite predictable. While the characters still exude their unique charm, I felt that the story did not feature Jackaby and Charlie enough, with them playing huge parts in the world.
From the quote above, I believe you could have predicted there may be some positive queer representation in this book (questionable). While that’s nice to see, I have my doubts since the character in my opinion hardly played a huge role in the overarching story, making it feel like an author’s feeble attempt to express political views. Performative activism? Maybe, I would like to see this character being fleshed out in the future, but nonetheless it is heartwarming to see that in the fantasy world, the characters are equally as accepting to the queer community.
Overall, this is considered an excellent “filler book” that connects the final book in the series. I feel that there were small portions that were dragged, and once again the action scene in the ending happens too quickly for my understanding (the third time). It is a solid second place in the overall ranking of all the books in the series thus far. Excited to see how the series will end!😊
☆3.5 Stars☆
“How is she brave?”
“How?” I considered. “There are lots of people out there who are terribly hateful. She could avoid a whole lot of trouble and dress and act as they want her to, but she chooses to be herself. That’s brave. Also - the last time we met she stopped Jackaby from hurting the men who hurt her. They might have killed her. Kindness is an act of bravery, I think, just as hatred is an act of fear. I’m sure you can appreciate that not all strength is muscle, Mr. Finstern. She has a strong spirit, and I believe she is very brave about the way she chooses to use it.” ~William Ritter, Ghostly Echoes
William Ritter decided to craft and build upon the beautiful world he created by introducing vampires, space dimensions, telepathy, mythology, and more. This is what I wanted from the series that its prequel failed to achieve. Throughout the book I am constantly fascinated by the new ideas and descriptions, I even love the little plot twist at the end
In this book, we explored Jenny Cavanaugh’s backstory, which has been extremely intriguing since the first book. However, while investigating the mystery kept me on my toes, the ending felt quite predictable. While the characters still exude their unique charm, I felt that the story did not feature Jackaby and Charlie enough, with them playing huge parts in the world.
From the quote above, I believe you could have predicted there may be some positive queer representation in this book (questionable). While that’s nice to see, I have my doubts since the character in my opinion hardly played a huge role in the overarching story, making it feel like an author’s feeble attempt to express political views. Performative activism? Maybe, I would like to see this character being fleshed out in the future, but nonetheless it is heartwarming to see that in the fantasy world, the characters are equally as accepting to the queer community.
Overall, this is considered an excellent “filler book” that connects the final book in the series. I feel that there were small portions that were dragged, and once again the action scene in the ending happens too quickly for my understanding (the third time). It is a solid second place in the overall ranking of all the books in the series thus far. Excited to see how the series will end!😊
☆3.5 Stars☆