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spinebenderbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What Abigail Did That Summer is a novella set in the world of Rivers of London which focuses on Peter's cousin, Abigail Kamara. Since Abigail was introduced in book two, she has been showing up increasingly but hasn't had a lot of focus on her besides how she can help Peter in his investigations.
Abigail's POV is an interesting one. Getting a look at her family dynamics from the inside really shows the ways in which she is the glass child of the family, due to her parents' focus on her brother and his chronic illness. This unintentional neglect means that she is able to wander at will, as she does in this novella.
The mystery at the centre of this story is honestly not as interesting to me as everything else going on. I was more invested in Abigail's interactions with the demi-monde, her friendship with Simon, and her relationship with the foxes. I really loved getting to learn more about the foxes and their mythology.
However, the mystery offers great insight into how Abigail operates and why. She is reluctant to trust adults, as she has never been able to in the past, but this gets her into trouble when she comes up against something more dangerous than she can handle. I suspect that this will come up again later down the line.
Abigail's POV is an interesting one. Getting a look at her family dynamics from the inside really shows the ways in which she is the glass child of the family, due to her parents' focus on her brother and his chronic illness. This unintentional neglect means that she is able to wander at will, as she does in this novella.
The mystery at the centre of this story is honestly not as interesting to me as everything else going on. I was more invested in Abigail's interactions with the demi-monde, her friendship with Simon, and her relationship with the foxes. I really loved getting to learn more about the foxes and their mythology.
However, the mystery offers great insight into how Abigail operates and why. She is reluctant to trust adults, as she has never been able to in the past, but this gets her into trouble when she comes up against something more dangerous than she can handle. I suspect that this will come up again later down the line.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Self harm
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Death
Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Racism