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A review by jaclynder
The Essence of Malice by Ashley Weaver
3.0
The Essence of Malice is the fourth Amory Ames mystery. Amory is an amateur sleuth and as a lady of leisure she has the time to devote to various mysteries that she encounters. At this point in the series Amory's marriage to Milo seems to be more stable; however, there are still instances where Amory feels frustrated by her husband and his secretive nature. I am more convinced than ever that Milo is a spy and I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't much more development in this area. As much as I have enjoyed this series, I feel like it has reached a bit of a plateau. At the start of the series, the conflict between Amory and Milo propelled each book forward, but at this point I feel like there wasn't much new with their dynamic. In my opinion something needs to change with the main characters or the series may become stale. I like the mystery aspect, but I am reading the series because I like Amory, which is why I think the characters need to be shaken up a bit.
What I did like about their relationship in this book, is how the Paris setting allowed Amory and Milo to reflect on their honeymoon and the early days of their marriage. There was one moment where Milo even offers his thoughts on their relationship and it was so lovely, added some much needed depth to Amory's mysterious husband. As this series is written in Amory's point of view, I find Milo to be an unknowable character, so this sentimental moment was a really great way to develop his character and I would really like to see more of these in future books since it strengthens both his character as well as Amory's through her reactions to them.
Aside from the subdued nature of Amory and Milo's relationship in The Essence of Malice, this latest instalment offers the same hallmarks that have made the previous books so enjoyable. There is great attention to period detail and the setting is always opulent. The mystery, like those previous, are relatively tame and makes this a rather comforting read for all that it centres around a murder. If you enjoy Miss Fisher's Mysteries this is an excellent series to follow-up with. Amory might not be as independently minded, but she has her own unique style, and Amory's fashion sense is sure to draw parallels to the intrepid Miss Fisher.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
What I did like about their relationship in this book, is how the Paris setting allowed Amory and Milo to reflect on their honeymoon and the early days of their marriage. There was one moment where Milo even offers his thoughts on their relationship and it was so lovely, added some much needed depth to Amory's mysterious husband. As this series is written in Amory's point of view, I find Milo to be an unknowable character, so this sentimental moment was a really great way to develop his character and I would really like to see more of these in future books since it strengthens both his character as well as Amory's through her reactions to them.
Aside from the subdued nature of Amory and Milo's relationship in The Essence of Malice, this latest instalment offers the same hallmarks that have made the previous books so enjoyable. There is great attention to period detail and the setting is always opulent. The mystery, like those previous, are relatively tame and makes this a rather comforting read for all that it centres around a murder. If you enjoy Miss Fisher's Mysteries this is an excellent series to follow-up with. Amory might not be as independently minded, but she has her own unique style, and Amory's fashion sense is sure to draw parallels to the intrepid Miss Fisher.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.