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A review by justinkhchen
Slippery Creatures by KJ Charles
4.0
4 stars
Highly enjoyable if not entirely fulfilling, Slippery Creatures features the same K.J. Charles' signature charm and wit, but powered only at 80%.
Everything is still expertly assembled, the characters are engaging (particularly Will Darling as the rough-around-the-edges war veteran turned bookshop owner), and features a mystery with actual depth and intrigue (rare for books primarily marketed as historical romance). Yet, the absence of narrative dynamism (the pacing, while not slow, is steady and monotonous almost to a fault) and a somewhat open-ended closure to the romantic relationship leaves Slippery Creatures feeling like an extended prologue rather than a self-contained story.
Slippery Creatures is the first book in a trilogy, and with one K.J. Charles formatted it after a true serial, where certain narrative arcs are completed only if you finished the series. So even though the experiences as a standalone feels a little less substantial than the author's typical output, I'm still intrigued (and entertained) by the foundation that was built here—will definitely continue in the future.
Highly enjoyable if not entirely fulfilling, Slippery Creatures features the same K.J. Charles' signature charm and wit, but powered only at 80%.
Everything is still expertly assembled, the characters are engaging (particularly Will Darling as the rough-around-the-edges war veteran turned bookshop owner), and features a mystery with actual depth and intrigue (rare for books primarily marketed as historical romance). Yet, the absence of narrative dynamism (the pacing, while not slow, is steady and monotonous almost to a fault) and a somewhat open-ended closure to the romantic relationship leaves Slippery Creatures feeling like an extended prologue rather than a self-contained story.
Slippery Creatures is the first book in a trilogy, and with one K.J. Charles formatted it after a true serial, where certain narrative arcs are completed only if you finished the series. So even though the experiences as a standalone feels a little less substantial than the author's typical output, I'm still intrigued (and entertained) by the foundation that was built here—will definitely continue in the future.