booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ned and Julian went to a boarding school as teenagers, where they were bullied and tormented by the prefects, particularly Victor Nevett. Now adults, they find themselves in the strange position of trying to prove that this thoroughly detestable person didn't kill his own father. Throughout the present day narrative are shorter sections, showing what Ned and Julian went through in school. These sections help to frame their current moral quandary as something more viscerally understandable. They’re trying to find the real murderer, not to help Victor or avenge his father, but because Ned doesn’t want the real murderer to get away with it. There’s an awareness of class issues and the sexism built into their society, the way concerns of propriety get in the way without actually addressing the harms they’re meant to prevent.
Because Ned and Julian already are in a habit of physical intimacy when the book begins, the arc of their romance is more one of realizing that they like each other as people, not just as fuck buddies. They're parsing through whether they’re both willing to entangle their lives in ways that might draw looks towards two confirmed bachelors.
I like Miss Frost, and in this stratified society where the book is set it could’ve been easy to not have any significant female characters. Instead, Miss Frost is competent and thorough, gradually appearing more as things progress. She seems poised to become more relevant in later books, and I'm looking forward to reading more with her.
The magic system is described in enough detail to give a sense of what it looks like for someone to work spells, but it’s not so strict as to invite disbelief when some detail is too specific. I enjoyed the murder mystery, it’s sufficiently twisty and interesting to keep me guessing all the way through, while still having an answer that makes sense and doesn’t require outside information to be able to put things together as the characters do. I also like the way that Ned keeps having to work on other cases for other clients in a way that fit his situation as someone who only recently took over a business. It’s just enough to make it feel like his job exists outside of this one case, while avoiding the generation of plot threats that go nowhere.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and am excited for the sequel.
Because Ned and Julian already are in a habit of physical intimacy when the book begins, the arc of their romance is more one of realizing that they like each other as people, not just as fuck buddies. They're parsing through whether they’re both willing to entangle their lives in ways that might draw looks towards two confirmed bachelors.
I like Miss Frost, and in this stratified society where the book is set it could’ve been easy to not have any significant female characters. Instead, Miss Frost is competent and thorough, gradually appearing more as things progress. She seems poised to become more relevant in later books, and I'm looking forward to reading more with her.
The magic system is described in enough detail to give a sense of what it looks like for someone to work spells, but it’s not so strict as to invite disbelief when some detail is too specific. I enjoyed the murder mystery, it’s sufficiently twisty and interesting to keep me guessing all the way through, while still having an answer that makes sense and doesn’t require outside information to be able to put things together as the characters do. I also like the way that Ned keeps having to work on other cases for other clients in a way that fit his situation as someone who only recently took over a business. It’s just enough to make it feel like his job exists outside of this one case, while avoiding the generation of plot threats that go nowhere.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and am excited for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Medical content, Sexual content, Classism, Alcohol, Murder, Drug use, Grief, Ableism, and Death
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Sexism, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, and Racism
hpstrangelove's review
5.0
Audiobook review. Narrator: Matthew Cresswell
This was my very first book that I purchased at Audible. I'm not sure how I even came across it, but it sounded good. It took me a while to get around to listen to it, although I'm not sure why. I really enjoyed it and wish I would have listened to it sooner. A m/m historical paranormal mystery, it had some unique ideas and world building. Glad I had book two ready, even though it's a self-contained story - I wanted more.
This was my very first book that I purchased at Audible. I'm not sure how I even came across it, but it sounded good. It took me a while to get around to listen to it, although I'm not sure why. I really enjoyed it and wish I would have listened to it sooner. A m/m historical paranormal mystery, it had some unique ideas and world building. Glad I had book two ready, even though it's a self-contained story - I wanted more.
wishingfish's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
mgwuh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
becka6131's review
4.0
I motored through this during a sick day and really enjoyed it. The magic system is very well thought out and the alt-Victorian setting felt very organic rather than shoehorned. The murder plot was genuinely very immersive although I do feel it overwhelmed the romance, which was sweet but didn't get enough development for my liking. I am an absolute sucker for friends to lovers/mutual pining and it's not that that wasn't well written here, but there just wasn't enough of it. These two really had problems communicating and while they did sort it out to an extent, it wasn't really enough to convince me in the long run.
Having said that, I'd be pleased to read the sequel if it weren't so expensive! The surrounding cast of characters was very well developed, and I would read other books by these authors.
Having said that, I'd be pleased to read the sequel if it weren't so expensive! The surrounding cast of characters was very well developed, and I would read other books by these authors.
untraveledworld's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
emilyredwood's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
silkymoonshine's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
siria's review
3.0
A very enjoyable murder mystery set in an alternate Victorian London, where metaphysics (or magic, to you and me) is a respectable profession and Ned Mathey and his old school friend (and lover) Julian Lynes have been hired to solve the murder of Edgard Nevett. Death by Silver rollicks along amiably enough, and there were some little touches I quite liked, but the novel as a whole was lacking some indefinable spark.
The blurb mentions them having to explore London's "sodomitical demimonde", which I suppose is technically true, but it's all in about a sedate a manner as possible. I wanted a little more sense of this as a tangible world, and for a little more yearning, a little more heat, in the romance. Mathey and Lynes' relationship felt cosy more than it did a grand passion—I kept waiting for it to ignite and that never quite happened. Equally I was waiting for Miss Frost's character to be fleshed out more—as it was, she felt uncomfortably like the Competent Self-Assured Female Character who's inserted into a story to defend against charges of sexism. I wanted to see her do stuff, as opposed to being told she'd done stuff/told that she had an interesting back story.
I would definitely read more in this world, though—there's definitely a promise here that I think Scott and Griswold can build on.
The blurb mentions them having to explore London's "sodomitical demimonde", which I suppose is technically true, but it's all in about a sedate a manner as possible. I wanted a little more sense of this as a tangible world, and for a little more yearning, a little more heat, in the romance. Mathey and Lynes' relationship felt cosy more than it did a grand passion—I kept waiting for it to ignite and that never quite happened. Equally I was waiting for Miss Frost's character to be fleshed out more—as it was, she felt uncomfortably like the Competent Self-Assured Female Character who's inserted into a story to defend against charges of sexism. I wanted to see her do stuff, as opposed to being told she'd done stuff/told that she had an interesting back story.
I would definitely read more in this world, though—there's definitely a promise here that I think Scott and Griswold can build on.
snazel's review
5.0
I adore the worldbuilding and magic system in this, and the mystery was lots of fun. I would really like more in this world. (And admittedly I'm interested to see how the romance will happen once our detectives have stopped being full of misunderstandings at each other.)
I like the characters, the mystery, the romance— I LOVE the world. I want more. I just want an entire book of the characters discussing the latest in metaphysical developments.
I like the characters, the mystery, the romance— I LOVE the world. I want more. I just want an entire book of the characters discussing the latest in metaphysical developments.