Reviews

Jackaby by William Ritter

Only show reviews with written explanations

mikrokosm0s's review against another edition

3.0

Enjoyable, but something was lacking for me to truly enjoy it enough to give it 4 stars. VERY similar to BBC Sherlock, almost too much so for my tastes that it seemed to lack its own originality. I enjoyed the use of the different types of supernatural things.. (don't want to spoil!), they are ones I have not seen in books in a long time so that was probably my favorite aspect of the book!

Also, thank goodness there is no forced romance between the two main characters. :D

justaylin's review

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I think that I should've read this 5 years ago. I would've probably enjoyed it a lot more.

greergreer's review against another edition

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5.0

I love this book and yes I’m excited to read the others. In 1975 there was a show, “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” The premises was that he was a Newspaper reporter who uncovers supernatural causes in his investigations. Jackaby is pretty much the same thing except Jackaby is a detective. This book is packed with the supernatural and set in 1892. Oh yeah!! I’m ready to read the second one.

moonytoast's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

as someone who was DEEP in the fandoms of buffy the vampire slayer, sherlock holmes, and psych…. this is SO up my alley it’s an abomination it took me this long to pick up the series

is it perfect? no, but honesty i don’t really care because it was a fun time! we love a supernatural mystery with a silly little detective guy who is 1000% neurodivergent and his zany crew: a young watsonian woman with a passion for adventure, a ghost who lives rent free in the detective’s home, a shapeshifting detective who (occasionally) moonlights as a hound, and a former sidekick reluctantly turned waterfowl!

this is such a wonderful blend of the mystery and historical setting of sherlock holmes, supernatural intrigue of buffy the vampire slayer, and zany comedy of psych. truly a book series for the girlies who grew up on superwholock tumblr (not derogatory).

Content Warnings

wayfaring_witch's review against another edition

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3.0

Jackaby is a paranormal investigator with an eye for the supernatural. Abigail Rook is new to the city and in need of a job. She joins Jackaby as his assistant and we see his world through her eyes. I loved the world built and how the paranormal elements interact in Jackaby's universe. His quirky home, his resident ghost, and former employee turned duck make for a delightful home base. Abigail resists some gender expectations and with her lack of paranormal exposure it seems like she would make the perfect protagonist. Unfortunately, she lacks some depth and curiosity needed to connect to her. She almost too readily accepts all of the paranormal elements! I am hopeful she will show growth in the rest of the series. This book seemed to be setting up a great world for us, so I am interested in continuing the series!

I read this for a book club, so I will be interested in my thoughts after those conversations!