ckilpatrickx's review against another edition
5.0
I understand the hype now, oh my godddd. I’m literally in love with the world, the characters ahh it’s amazing. BUT can she end up with Sam please I love him so much and I really didn’t warm to Jericho compared to him. Probably an unpopular opinion but I didn’t find his story interesting in the slightest his character fell flat to me. Other than that I’m obsessed I need to stop myself from starting the second book now.
monicaokta's review against another edition
4.0
I like it! Very atmospheric and thrilling read. 4.5/5 stars.
emilygaynier's review against another edition
4.0
*2019 reread*
I feel like I enjoyed this book just as much the second time, maybe more, as I did the first time reading it. I vibed with the romance more this time around. I was able to see Evie starting to have feelings for Jericho. I honestly think that this book is so close to being a five star read. I'm gonna keep the four stars for now though.
*2018*
I really enjoyed this book! I knew I would love it ever since I first heard about it. I loved all the characters, except Sam. Sam can take a long walk off a short pier.
I loved the atmosphere in this book. Evie just had that way about her that made me think of Zelda Fitzgerald. While the vibe of the book stayed with it through out the story, it faded once the murder investigation really got going. I personally would've liked a few more speakeasies and chances for Evie's flapper side to really shine.
I love Evie's friendship with Mabel. Evie can be a little selfish, but I think Mabel could really help her. I also loved Uncle Will! But I hate that Evie calls him Unc! Will is really interesting and I originally thought he wouldn't be in the book much or be someone that Evie would have to dodge at every turn. But thankfully it wasn't like that. If anyone needs a good book where the parent figure isn't missing the whole time, this book is for you. While Evie does sneak off from time to time, Will is by her side for some of the snooping.
I really hope Memphis gets a much bigger role in the next books. He's awesome.
****SPOILERS****
Okay onto some spoilery bits!
I loved how each victim got a chapter describing their last moments. I almost couldn't handle the theater scene. But I really liked how we got to learn about the victims because it made me feel for them and want their murderer to be stopped that much more.
So I think I like that Evie and Jericho fell for each other. I'm glad it didn't happen until the end of the book, but it was a bit of a surprise. I might have to reread this book before I get to the foreshadowing for the romance. I really, really, REALLY, hope that Evie and Mabel don't fight because of this. I really want her to fall for that Arthur Brown before Evie comes clean about the whole Jericho thing.
I feel like I enjoyed this book just as much the second time, maybe more, as I did the first time reading it. I vibed with the romance more this time around. I was able to see Evie starting to have feelings for Jericho. I honestly think that this book is so close to being a five star read. I'm gonna keep the four stars for now though.
*2018*
I really enjoyed this book! I knew I would love it ever since I first heard about it. I loved all the characters, except Sam. Sam can take a long walk off a short pier.
I loved the atmosphere in this book. Evie just had that way about her that made me think of Zelda Fitzgerald. While the vibe of the book stayed with it through out the story, it faded once the murder investigation really got going. I personally would've liked a few more speakeasies and chances for Evie's flapper side to really shine.
I love Evie's friendship with Mabel. Evie can be a little selfish, but I think Mabel could really help her. I also loved Uncle Will! But I hate that Evie calls him Unc! Will is really interesting and I originally thought he wouldn't be in the book much or be someone that Evie would have to dodge at every turn. But thankfully it wasn't like that. If anyone needs a good book where the parent figure isn't missing the whole time, this book is for you. While Evie does sneak off from time to time, Will is by her side for some of the snooping.
I really hope Memphis gets a much bigger role in the next books. He's awesome.
****SPOILERS****
Okay onto some spoilery bits!
I loved how each victim got a chapter describing their last moments. I almost couldn't handle the theater scene. But I really liked how we got to learn about the victims because it made me feel for them and want their murderer to be stopped that much more.
So I think I like that Evie and Jericho fell for each other. I'm glad it didn't happen until the end of the book, but it was a bit of a surprise. I might have to reread this book before I get to the foreshadowing for the romance. I really, really, REALLY, hope that Evie and Mabel don't fight because of this. I really want her to fall for that Arthur Brown before Evie comes clean about the whole Jericho thing.
nunziwaa's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really long read.. very detailed, everything is pretty good.. the only problem is Evie, I liked Evie but sometimes she's just unbearable. :/ and the romance is confusing.
I finished reading and I'm angry at Evie. -_-
Apart from that it's great, enjoyed it very much. 😍
I finished reading and I'm angry at Evie. -_-
Apart from that it's great, enjoyed it very much. 😍
alyssamills24's review against another edition
5.0
Probably more like 4.75* because I want more and I need more about how Jericho's story fits... But overall, very good and excited to continue on with the rest of the series!
hannahrowan13's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ⭐️
It feels odd to say this about a book that is dark, gruesome and full of murder… but this was fun! I loved the 1920s New York setting and lingo. I loved turning pages late at night and biting my nails. And I LOVED our main character Evie for all her flaws and moxie. Excited to continue on with the series.
It feels odd to say this about a book that is dark, gruesome and full of murder… but this was fun! I loved the 1920s New York setting and lingo. I loved turning pages late at night and biting my nails. And I LOVED our main character Evie for all her flaws and moxie. Excited to continue on with the series.
ceceleininger's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I am finished! After at least a year of trying and trying again to read this book, giving up, I finally picked up the book again, and I went through it. And Dear Lord, it was a mighty trip of epicness, a trip that doesn't only lead to supernatural things, but also to love and romance. It was a fantastic book. And it is now one of my favourite books.
Evie was a wonderful character, I really loved her and how she went through life. At times I was shaking my head at the girl, for all the things she did, but she mostly meant them well, mostly meant them to help out the other people in her life. I loved the way she dressed (she described us her clothes and all that plenty of times), I loved the way she just burst through life head-first, without a care in the world. She was a great friend, a great niece and she is truly amazing. Her gift, and what that does, is fantastic and I really enjoyed reading about it. Though, I also feared for her. Such a gift, it might lead to bad things, it might lead to her getting in it too far, too much. We have seen it happen in this book once, and it was only thanks to the others that she was able to pull out. I don't want to think about it happening when she is alone.
I also loved the way she spoke, it was at times confusing, and at times I had to look up on Google to see what they meant, or what certain stuff was, but after 100 pages I just got into it all and I didn't need to look up much. I could recognize or vaguely pinpoint what she meant and that was enough for me.
Then we have Sam, I am still not entirely sure what I have to think of him. He is kind, but he is also a thief and often will only think of himself and his life, and not always caring about the rest. But, he was absolutely sweet towards Evie (and he really cared about her, tried to protect her many a times), and I also loved their banter. They really make a fine pair. I just was laughing quite hard at it all. One would start and the other would bounce back words. :) Of course, like all the other characters he also has something that he wants to find out, he also has a past that troubles him, that haunts him. I won't say much else, but I hope for Sam that he will be able to find out, will be able to find that person. And I hope it won't cost him his life.
Jericho, a mysterious character who I didn't particularly like until the middle part of the book. He was rude, lost in his books (not always a good thing), but slowly, as his past is unfolded, I saw another Jericho. I saw a guy who is trying to protect himself, a guy who worries about the future, whose past was pretty crappy and filled with danger. Danger that still might haunt him later on. I was almost tearing up when we learn about his past and all that happened, all that made him the person he is now.
Will, he was a great character, but I think at times he was just a bit too much, too strict, too bossy. Of course, he has to be, with a niece like Evie, but I wish that he would treat her more kindly at times. Though, I can also see why he is so angry at times. As the book progresses we find out more and more about him, about the Diviners, about what he knows. And slowly you start to see why he is acting the way he is around Evie at times.
At first I also didn't think he would be a believer. He did have the museum, and he did give lectures. But I felt like he was just faking it, like he was just pretending, that he didn't have any believe in the occult. Later though...
Memphis, an interesting character, though his was the POV I cared about the least. Don't get me wrong, again he was an interesting character, but I just wanted to know more about Evie. I did like to find out more about Memphis, about what he did and what happened in his past. He really cares about his little brother and it was great to see them try to get through things.
Isaiah, I didn't particularly like the kid. He was annoying, obnoxious and clearly didn't understand that he had to keep quiet over certain stuff. It was just so frustrating. His brother did his best to keep him safe, and he ruined so much with him not being able to keep secrets.
Theta and also Henry, two of my favourite characters, they definitely deserve more time in the book. I really loved both of them, they were fun characters, though I felt so terribly sorry for Theta, when we finally found out what had happened to her, why she ran away to New York. Poor thing. :(
Mabel, meh, I am sure she has a greater purpose but mostly through the book she was complaining or just acting like her parents. She felt kind of cardboard like, not a real character like Evie or the others. She was also one of the few characters that didn't have a bad past or some big secret.
Blind Bill, urgh, I never liked him and as we find out more and more about him, he just disgusted me. The ending part? I won't spoil anything, but I just wanted to erase him out of the damn story. I am sure he will have a huge role in the next one, and I am not particularly looking forward to it.
Olivia, aunt of Memphis and Isaiah, and dear Lord what a witch that woman is. Never listening to anything, keeping up strange rules, and acting like the devil is in everything. Religious is one thing, but this is overkill. Her actions throughout the book made me shake my head.
Well, I think I got the important characters all lined up.
The story was pretty awesome, there are some gruesome bits here and there, which made me want to just close the book at times (yes, I am pretty squeamish), but I went on. I just wanted to know who did the murders, what the connection was, how they could capture/defeat him. Everything is connected and the story unfolds and shows us more and more of its secrets. It was really great how this was done, not fast, as some books do, but slow and easy. Letting us know the characters, telling us what happened to each of them, setting the stage for a great thing.
Because seriously? Even though this book about a great evil murderer? There is more to it than that. At first you think it is mostly about that, but you will soon see there is another layer under that one. Something connected to this murderer story, something that will probably unleash a shit-storm in the next book. And you know what? After all the hinting to storms coming, I want to stand in that storm and let it go over me. I want to find out what happens, what is the storm? Is it really as bad as everyone is talking about? What does James have to do with it all?
There was just one tiny thing I didn't like about the book. The switching POV. At first it happened every chapter and that was ok, but later you could have like 3 or more POV switches in one chapter, which caused a lot of confusion. Especially with the huge cast we have in this book. If there were just 3 characters it would already be confusing, but with the amount we have here? It would have been nicer had it been a chapter POV switch (I don't care if the chapter is 1 page long).
The setting (New York/Manhattan) was delightful, I could just imagine myself there, dancing to jazzy music, laughing with my friends, finding a nice boy. Or when we are during the museum, I just could see myself walking through the halls, spotting all the various occult items.
Each part that we visited was so well told that it was magnificent, it truly made the book a trip to remember.
The ending was positutely creepy and it leaves me with many questions. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Several things happened near the ending, and I hope they all get solved/explained in the next book.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes, and once more, yes. This is positutely wonderful, special book and I think if you like Supernatural, New York, some historical stuff, that you will love this book. Don't be afraid because it is a bit big, just embrace it and walk with Evie and the other characters through their world.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Evie was a wonderful character, I really loved her and how she went through life. At times I was shaking my head at the girl, for all the things she did, but she mostly meant them well, mostly meant them to help out the other people in her life. I loved the way she dressed (she described us her clothes and all that plenty of times), I loved the way she just burst through life head-first, without a care in the world. She was a great friend, a great niece and she is truly amazing. Her gift, and what that does, is fantastic and I really enjoyed reading about it. Though, I also feared for her. Such a gift, it might lead to bad things, it might lead to her getting in it too far, too much. We have seen it happen in this book once, and it was only thanks to the others that she was able to pull out. I don't want to think about it happening when she is alone.
I also loved the way she spoke, it was at times confusing, and at times I had to look up on Google to see what they meant, or what certain stuff was, but after 100 pages I just got into it all and I didn't need to look up much. I could recognize or vaguely pinpoint what she meant and that was enough for me.
Then we have Sam, I am still not entirely sure what I have to think of him. He is kind, but he is also a thief and often will only think of himself and his life, and not always caring about the rest. But, he was absolutely sweet towards Evie (and he really cared about her, tried to protect her many a times), and I also loved their banter. They really make a fine pair. I just was laughing quite hard at it all. One would start and the other would bounce back words. :) Of course, like all the other characters he also has something that he wants to find out, he also has a past that troubles him, that haunts him. I won't say much else, but I hope for Sam that he will be able to find out, will be able to find that person. And I hope it won't cost him his life.
Jericho, a mysterious character who I didn't particularly like until the middle part of the book. He was rude, lost in his books (not always a good thing), but slowly, as his past is unfolded, I saw another Jericho. I saw a guy who is trying to protect himself, a guy who worries about the future, whose past was pretty crappy and filled with danger. Danger that still might haunt him later on. I was almost tearing up when we learn about his past and all that happened, all that made him the person he is now.
Will, he was a great character, but I think at times he was just a bit too much, too strict, too bossy. Of course, he has to be, with a niece like Evie, but I wish that he would treat her more kindly at times. Though, I can also see why he is so angry at times. As the book progresses we find out more and more about him, about the Diviners, about what he knows. And slowly you start to see why he is acting the way he is around Evie at times.
At first I also didn't think he would be a believer. He did have the museum, and he did give lectures. But I felt like he was just faking it, like he was just pretending, that he didn't have any believe in the occult. Later though...
Memphis, an interesting character, though his was the POV I cared about the least. Don't get me wrong, again he was an interesting character, but I just wanted to know more about Evie. I did like to find out more about Memphis, about what he did and what happened in his past. He really cares about his little brother and it was great to see them try to get through things.
Isaiah, I didn't particularly like the kid. He was annoying, obnoxious and clearly didn't understand that he had to keep quiet over certain stuff. It was just so frustrating. His brother did his best to keep him safe, and he ruined so much with him not being able to keep secrets.
Theta and also Henry, two of my favourite characters, they definitely deserve more time in the book. I really loved both of them, they were fun characters, though I felt so terribly sorry for Theta, when we finally found out what had happened to her, why she ran away to New York. Poor thing. :(
Mabel, meh, I am sure she has a greater purpose but mostly through the book she was complaining or just acting like her parents. She felt kind of cardboard like, not a real character like Evie or the others. She was also one of the few characters that didn't have a bad past or some big secret.
Blind Bill, urgh, I never liked him and as we find out more and more about him, he just disgusted me. The ending part? I won't spoil anything, but I just wanted to erase him out of the damn story. I am sure he will have a huge role in the next one, and I am not particularly looking forward to it.
Olivia, aunt of Memphis and Isaiah, and dear Lord what a witch that woman is. Never listening to anything, keeping up strange rules, and acting like the devil is in everything. Religious is one thing, but this is overkill. Her actions throughout the book made me shake my head.
Well, I think I got the important characters all lined up.
The story was pretty awesome, there are some gruesome bits here and there, which made me want to just close the book at times (yes, I am pretty squeamish), but I went on. I just wanted to know who did the murders, what the connection was, how they could capture/defeat him. Everything is connected and the story unfolds and shows us more and more of its secrets. It was really great how this was done, not fast, as some books do, but slow and easy. Letting us know the characters, telling us what happened to each of them, setting the stage for a great thing.
Because seriously? Even though this book about a great evil murderer? There is more to it than that. At first you think it is mostly about that, but you will soon see there is another layer under that one. Something connected to this murderer story, something that will probably unleash a shit-storm in the next book. And you know what? After all the hinting to storms coming, I want to stand in that storm and let it go over me. I want to find out what happens, what is the storm? Is it really as bad as everyone is talking about? What does James have to do with it all?
There was just one tiny thing I didn't like about the book. The switching POV. At first it happened every chapter and that was ok, but later you could have like 3 or more POV switches in one chapter, which caused a lot of confusion. Especially with the huge cast we have in this book. If there were just 3 characters it would already be confusing, but with the amount we have here? It would have been nicer had it been a chapter POV switch (I don't care if the chapter is 1 page long).
The setting (New York/Manhattan) was delightful, I could just imagine myself there, dancing to jazzy music, laughing with my friends, finding a nice boy. Or when we are during the museum, I just could see myself walking through the halls, spotting all the various occult items.
Each part that we visited was so well told that it was magnificent, it truly made the book a trip to remember.
The ending was positutely creepy and it leaves me with many questions. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Several things happened near the ending, and I hope they all get solved/explained in the next book.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, yes, and once more, yes. This is positutely wonderful, special book and I think if you like Supernatural, New York, some historical stuff, that you will love this book. Don't be afraid because it is a bit big, just embrace it and walk with Evie and the other characters through their world.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/