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nixieknox's review against another edition
3.0
I read this on two levels - the first obviously was as a librarian, and I really appreciated the descriptions of the inner workings of a library. Also loved how she brought in different databases and how they can be used! (There were a TON of people in the library though.)
As for the actual mystery, like many other reviewers I found the middle especially to be very slow with way too much description of the manor. But I liked Jennie Weber a lot and hope she’ll be in subsequent books. The reveal was good. And the town and supporting characters were also entertaining- on the back someone blurbed this was for fans of Louise Penny and that is definitely why.
I feel mostly like this was a set up - a good one! - for the next book.
Wow that was a lot to say about a new cozy series!
As for the actual mystery, like many other reviewers I found the middle especially to be very slow with way too much description of the manor. But I liked Jennie Weber a lot and hope she’ll be in subsequent books. The reveal was good. And the town and supporting characters were also entertaining- on the back someone blurbed this was for fans of Louise Penny and that is definitely why.
I feel mostly like this was a set up - a good one! - for the next book.
Wow that was a lot to say about a new cozy series!
sausome's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun, cozy, small-town, library-centric murder mystery with Miss Marple vibes. I loved the old, gothic Ravenhill Manor library, which was perfect for creepy sneaking, errant creaks, dangerous stairs, faulty light wiring, and loose window frames. Add in the small town oddities of folks holding secrets for most of their lives, and the very accurate and detailed descriptions of actual librarian work, and we've got one great library mystery! I look forward to future books in the mystery series, and this was a great debut.
bookish_whispers's review against another edition
4.0
Huge thank you to Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for an early edition of this book for my honest review!
It's been a while since I've picked up a cozy mystery so The Unkindness of Ravens called to me in a lot of ways: creepy manor, girl detective, and a murder. Three of my favorite boxes checked, and a brand new author who is also a librarian. So I had high hopes for this book and was very excited when I was approved for an early copy.
And this book didn't disappoint. It is everything that you love about a cozy murder mystery. The plot moved very quickly, and it was a book I wanted to pick up every chance that I got. It was also really hard to put down because every time I got to a point where I thought to put this down and do other life things, another curveball was thrown my way. Another piece of evidence. A new suspect. Something to keep me glued to my screen.
I loved Greer as the main character as well. We meet after she's pivoted her life around after the loss of her husband, and it's that loss that drives her to be the girl's detective when she finds the body of a murder victim in her library. My favorite thing about Greer is she knows what she's doing is dangerous, and does everything she can to make sure anyone helping her solve this murder is safe. But, she also does her best to protect herself. It's not always the best, but at least she's aware of the danger. She's also brilliant, backups all her data, does her research, and shares her information with the police.
My pet peeve with these is always when the character playing detective doesn't include the actual detectives. Greer isn't like that. She shares her information as she goes, never showing her full hand, but never excluding them either. This plays one of her favor in the last few chapters.
The small-town aspect of this story was the perfect setting. In a town where everyone knows everyone, but the secrets run a mile long, is always a favorite of mine. The difference for me was just how much the town seemed willing to help Greer solve this murder. Add on the fact the library is placed in a creepy old manor house, all of this worked in the story's favor. The small-town vibes left you wondering who was hiding what, and maybe the manor was really haunted. Could it have been a ghost? It all kind of put the cozy in a cozy murder mystery.
I also loved all the book references from some of Agatha Christie's detectives to the great detective himself, Sherlock Holmes. Not just quotes, but small references and nods to the characters and stories. I loved those so much because I was raised on those stories. From Great Grandmother to my Ma, I come by my love murder mysteries legitly. So I thought each little Easter Egg as they were a lot of fun, and since Greer is a librarian it made sense that she'd references these moments.
Lastly, I thought the lead-up to the mystery itself was solid and well thought out. I was following along with each clue that Greer found, making my own murder board in my head as the story went on. About halfway through I had a pretty good idea where the story was headed, and the closer to the end I got the more I knew I was right on the track. I also thought the ending was very fitting and the conclusion was satisfying. All of the loose ends were tied up, and it's always nice to know also were blaming the characters.
So, why only four stars instead of five? My only complaint about this book was there were a lot of Harry Potter references in this book. The first one that pops is while Greer is talking to a child so I forgave it. But, after that Greer makes several throughout the book, and they were easily avoided with other literary references. But, other than that this is a great book, and I'm interested in the next books in the series. I think I know where Hilliard is going to take it and they have my attention.
It's been a while since I've picked up a cozy mystery so The Unkindness of Ravens called to me in a lot of ways: creepy manor, girl detective, and a murder. Three of my favorite boxes checked, and a brand new author who is also a librarian. So I had high hopes for this book and was very excited when I was approved for an early copy.
And this book didn't disappoint. It is everything that you love about a cozy murder mystery. The plot moved very quickly, and it was a book I wanted to pick up every chance that I got. It was also really hard to put down because every time I got to a point where I thought to put this down and do other life things, another curveball was thrown my way. Another piece of evidence. A new suspect. Something to keep me glued to my screen.
I loved Greer as the main character as well. We meet after she's pivoted her life around after the loss of her husband, and it's that loss that drives her to be the girl's detective when she finds the body of a murder victim in her library. My favorite thing about Greer is she knows what she's doing is dangerous, and does everything she can to make sure anyone helping her solve this murder is safe. But, she also does her best to protect herself. It's not always the best, but at least she's aware of the danger. She's also brilliant, backups all her data, does her research, and shares her information with the police.
My pet peeve with these is always when the character playing detective doesn't include the actual detectives. Greer isn't like that. She shares her information as she goes, never showing her full hand, but never excluding them either. This plays one of her favor in the last few chapters.
The small-town aspect of this story was the perfect setting. In a town where everyone knows everyone, but the secrets run a mile long, is always a favorite of mine. The difference for me was just how much the town seemed willing to help Greer solve this murder. Add on the fact the library is placed in a creepy old manor house, all of this worked in the story's favor. The small-town vibes left you wondering who was hiding what, and maybe the manor was really haunted. Could it have been a ghost? It all kind of put the cozy in a cozy murder mystery.
I also loved all the book references from some of Agatha Christie's detectives to the great detective himself, Sherlock Holmes. Not just quotes, but small references and nods to the characters and stories. I loved those so much because I was raised on those stories. From Great Grandmother to my Ma, I come by my love murder mysteries legitly. So I thought each little Easter Egg as they were a lot of fun, and since Greer is a librarian it made sense that she'd references these moments.
Lastly, I thought the lead-up to the mystery itself was solid and well thought out. I was following along with each clue that Greer found, making my own murder board in my head as the story went on. About halfway through I had a pretty good idea where the story was headed, and the closer to the end I got the more I knew I was right on the track. I also thought the ending was very fitting and the conclusion was satisfying. All of the loose ends were tied up, and it's always nice to know also were blaming the characters.
So, why only four stars instead of five? My only complaint about this book was there were a lot of Harry Potter references in this book. The first one that pops is while Greer is talking to a child so I forgave it. But, after that Greer makes several throughout the book, and they were easily avoided with other literary references. But, other than that this is a great book, and I'm interested in the next books in the series. I think I know where Hilliard is going to take it and they have my attention.
bigsexy's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook-not a great audiobook. The reader (for me) had an irritating voice. The mystery was pretty good and I liked that most of the set up was focused at the library. I also like the literary references. She’s a “Trixie Beldon not a Nancy drew girl”
hrm's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Unkindness of Ravens is the first book of a new cozy series featuring a librarian by M.E. Hilliard. Released 13th April 2021 by Crooked Lane, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a promising series opener from a debut author who has worked as a librarian and seems to have a similar background in high-end retail fashion as protagonist Greer. The librarian-dog-cozy-murder-smalltown-mystery sub-subgenre is always fun and this is a well written example. The murders are off-scene and mostly bloodless, there's no graphic content, the language is fairly clean, the characters are likeable and intelligent and there are a plethora of suspects and lots of red herrings. The narrative arc is well controlled and the plot moves along at a good pace. I never found my interest flagging at any point in the read. There's a sort of Agatha Raisin vibe going on with big city girl Greer taking up a position as a librarian in a small-town public library. She's smart and fashion conscious ("Is that Prada?") and sophisticated as well as vulnerable.
Since it's a librarian cozy, there are of course book tie-ins and title name-dropping. One of my favorite features of librarian cozies is the suggestions for titles, series, and authors with which I was previously unfamiliar. I found a couple of good ones to follow up on as a nice bonus. I suspect most of the titles and series mentioned will be familiar to most readers. The Patricia Wentworth mention was especially nice, and I've been revisiting Miss Silver all weekend because of it.
The climax and denouement are well done. It is a fun cozy and full of the things which we all love about small-town cozies (including an adorable French bulldog!).
Four stars. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
The Unkindness of Ravens is the first book of a new cozy series featuring a librarian by M.E. Hilliard. Released 13th April 2021 by Crooked Lane, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This is a promising series opener from a debut author who has worked as a librarian and seems to have a similar background in high-end retail fashion as protagonist Greer. The librarian-dog-cozy-murder-smalltown-mystery sub-subgenre is always fun and this is a well written example. The murders are off-scene and mostly bloodless, there's no graphic content, the language is fairly clean, the characters are likeable and intelligent and there are a plethora of suspects and lots of red herrings. The narrative arc is well controlled and the plot moves along at a good pace. I never found my interest flagging at any point in the read. There's a sort of Agatha Raisin vibe going on with big city girl Greer taking up a position as a librarian in a small-town public library. She's smart and fashion conscious ("Is that Prada?") and sophisticated as well as vulnerable.
Since it's a librarian cozy, there are of course book tie-ins and title name-dropping. One of my favorite features of librarian cozies is the suggestions for titles, series, and authors with which I was previously unfamiliar. I found a couple of good ones to follow up on as a nice bonus. I suspect most of the titles and series mentioned will be familiar to most readers. The Patricia Wentworth mention was especially nice, and I've been revisiting Miss Silver all weekend because of it.
The climax and denouement are well done. It is a fun cozy and full of the things which we all love about small-town cozies (including an adorable French bulldog!).
Four stars. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
5.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Is there anything more outstanding for a bibliophile than a book set in a library and featuring a librarian as its principal character?
Is there anything more outstanding for a bibliophile than a book set in a library and featuring a librarian as its principal character?
tinycyclops's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sheffner07's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this! A solid debut and I liked how I was able to follow along and even guess whodunnit, without feeling over my head. The setting was so creepy and enchanting and I loved the small town atmosphere. Plus the main character is a librarian and there were a lot of moments that were realistic to my job. (Not so much the murder-solving, but definitely the stacks of Publishers Weekly on our desks!)
I really enjoyed this! A solid debut and I liked how I was able to follow along and even guess whodunnit, without feeling over my head. The setting was so creepy and enchanting and I loved the small town atmosphere. Plus the main character is a librarian and there were a lot of moments that were realistic to my job. (Not so much the murder-solving, but definitely the stacks of Publishers Weekly on our desks!)