The author set up an intriguing story in the opening of this narrative with dual perspectives that make the reader wonder how they will come together because they are set so far apart. One perspective is that of Jack the Ripper in London, while the other perspective is of a young girl working for the Salvation Army in New York City. Even with the intriguing start, I had a slightly uphill battle with the audiobook because the narrator’s narration of the primary perspective – the one in New York City – grated and also had a cadence that felt unnatural. As the story progressed, I started to wonder when these perspectives would finally meet only to be disappointed when that happened. From there, the story ends up going down the path of absurdity culminating in a resolution that is far less than satisfactory. I wish I could recommend this book, but I can’t.
While the mechanics of this world and magic system are different than Abe’s Eva Evergreen series, so much of the characterization of the Lyra, as well as the driving conflict of the plot, and even some individual plot beats are remarkably similar to what Eva faces. I wish that I had not read that series so close to picking this book up because it definitely influenced my reading experience. That being said, I think that Abe did a solid job building a believable world with a more realistic deeper problem than the Evergreen duology. If I remember this series in the future, I will probably pick up the sequel. It, however, will not be high on my priority list.
After so many successes with this author, I hyped this book up too much for myself and this my reading experience was more disappointing than it would’ve been had this been my first experience with the author. I do know that this is one of Harrow’s first books and that she has gone on to hone her craft and create spectacular books. This one simply did not really work for me. I cannot put my finger on one specific thing that did not work, rather the whole project just did not work for me. I do wonder, though if Harrow got the idea for Sir Una Everlasting‘s name from one of the characters in this book. I will continue to pick up from Harrow because all of her books, save for this one, have been hits for me.
This book hooked my interest and kept up the intrigue for the entirety of the novel. I appreciated the structure of the main narrative with the two other perspective, although at times those perspectives did feel a bit cherry picked. I likely would have rated this book higher if the ending had been just a tad bit more believable and a little bit more clear. Throughout the book, I tried to figure out the different ways that the murder and cover-up could have been perpetrated, but simply could not get over a handful of the breadcrumbs that the author left throughout the narrative. I believe that this is the author’s debut, and if so, I look forward to continuing to read from her as her craft improves.
I really enjoyed returning to the world of Cemetery Boys. I also loved getting to spend time with Julian as the primary perspective. The audiobook, however, is not, in my opinion, the best way to experience the story. The narrator for Yadriel‘s perspective is the same narrator as Cemetery Boys and keeps his portrayal of Julian’s vocal inflections and tone the same. The narrator for Julian‘s perspective in this book, however, made Julian sound much younger than he actually is and far more childish, which made it a bit difficult to reconcile the events in his perspective with the characterization in my mind that I had of him from the first book. The writing, however, continues to shine. I also appreciate the way that Thomas built onto the original story, tying up loose ends that he likely placed there intentionally, but could have been left alone. Had he not gotten a contract for this sequel. Thomas’ emphasis on found family in this book continues to be a winner for me.
Coelho did a fantastic job keeping the plot tight and moving. He did not sacrifice characterization along the way either. I think he set up a believable world with an enormous backstory that can be explored in the future novels, however many there may be. This is a fun introduction to this character and to this world. I definitely think that middle schoolers and middle school boys especially would enjoy this book.
Leave a Reply