megfyfe's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, however sometimes it felt like there was too much going on at once. The steampunk, vampires (even if there were none actually in the story) and the time travel element just felt like too much all at once. It also felt overly descriptive at times, especially in regards to fashion, and yet lacked description in other elements - specifically Mina's deductions. Even in the chapters from her point of view, it felt like you had her deductions shoved at you in dialogue. Still, it was a fun and enjoyable read.
kandicez's review
3.0
This was...cute. Not high praise, but the best I can say.
It was the perfect introduction, for teens, to Steampunk. Gleason did a great job of introducing the sorts of gadgets and googaws that are commonplace in the genre without so much detail that they take over the narrative. It reminded me a bit of the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger.
The story is about the nieces of Sherlock Holmes and Bram Stoker joining forces to solve crimes. One can only imagine that this is the first in a planned series. Because she was introducing us to these characters and the genre the story was a bit ponderous with facts and back story. I would be very interested in reading the next installment just to see if familiarity with the characters means a sleeker narrative. I bet it does.
It was the perfect introduction, for teens, to Steampunk. Gleason did a great job of introducing the sorts of gadgets and googaws that are commonplace in the genre without so much detail that they take over the narrative. It reminded me a bit of the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger.
The story is about the nieces of Sherlock Holmes and Bram Stoker joining forces to solve crimes. One can only imagine that this is the first in a planned series. Because she was introducing us to these characters and the genre the story was a bit ponderous with facts and back story. I would be very interested in reading the next installment just to see if familiarity with the characters means a sleeker narrative. I bet it does.
gregoreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I liked this more than I expected. But I wish there weren't 5 books in the series...
kketelaar's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first foray into steampunk, although the genre has always interested me. The story is told from the alternate viewpoints of Mina Holmes (niece to Sherlock) and Evaline Stoker (sister to Bram). The "voices" of these two characters were a bit stilted at the beginning of the story, and the author didn't always successfully delineate their personalities. By the end of the book, however, I felt that she had fallen into the rhythm of the characters. Their respective stories gained more distinct personality and therefore became more readable.
Unfortunately, that is the only positive about the ending of the story. The villain in the story was never properly unmasked and a peek at the next book in the series shows that he/she doesn't reappear in the second book. It was a huge letdown that negated much of my enjoyment of the previous pages.
This is set up to be a set of five books, so hopefully a more satisfying conclusion to this story is to come. That said, I enjoyed the majority of the book and will probably give the next in the series a try since they are short and easy reads.
Unfortunately, that is the only positive about the ending of the story. The villain in the story was never properly unmasked and a peek at the next book in the series shows that he/she doesn't reappear in the second book. It was a huge letdown that negated much of my enjoyment of the previous pages.
This is set up to be a set of five books, so hopefully a more satisfying conclusion to this story is to come. That said, I enjoyed the majority of the book and will probably give the next in the series a try since they are short and easy reads.
katleap's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
I liked Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes. I do want more banter and less hating in the next book. I'm also a little weirded out by the time travel element.
I liked Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes. I do want more banter and less hating in the next book. I'm also a little weirded out by the time travel element.
completingmytbr's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting initial idea. Not a fan of the steampunk theme. Didn't pan out the way I thought it would.