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dairaglynn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Wow this book was so much better than I expected! It gripped me from the first chapter and kept me intrigued the entire time.
Audrey Rose has some serious feminist energy going for a young woman in London 1880s, and it's spectacular.
I hope the next books are just as good, if not better!
Audrey Rose has some serious feminist energy going for a young woman in London 1880s, and it's spectacular.
I hope the next books are just as good, if not better!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Cannibalism
saepphire's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexism, and Cannibalism
shanthevillain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.0
This wasn’t a bad audiobook at all. It was meh. Nothing was really wrong with the book, but nothing amazing or captivating in my opinion. This was my first historical fiction book and I enjoyed the perspective of a true mystery that I’ve heard podcasts about. I could easily see this as. Season of a cute series on a streaming service. I probably will read/listen to other books in the series. It’s a nice middle ground. Any time that I thought to have a complaint, it was soon resolved, which made me feel like the author had pretty good pacing. I also enjoyed the build up of a little romance with a respectful acknowledgement of the times (since we’ve all seen Bridgerton by now lol)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse
kathrynleereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Not being a big fan of fiction (although I am more partial to historical fiction), I wasn't sure whether I was going to enjoy Stalking Jack the Ripper. So when I say I loved this book, I want you to understand how deeply I mean it.
While the plot did drag a little in the middle (which I've heard is true for a few of Kerri Maniscalco's books), the characters more than made up for it.
Audrey Rose and Thomas are the perfect team in that neither of them is perfect, but their imperfections complement each other flawlessly.
My only complaint (not even a complaint, more of just a note) is that I correctly guessed the identity of the Ripper in the first 50 pages (mostly off of a fluke). I was very convinced that I was right, so watching Audrey Rose focus on all the different suspects they went through got a tad bit frustrating, as I was confident they were wrong.
I can't wait to see where Audrey Rose and Thomas go from here!
While the plot did drag a little in the middle (which I've heard is true for a few of Kerri Maniscalco's books), the characters more than made up for it.
Audrey Rose and Thomas are the perfect team in that neither of them is perfect, but their imperfections complement each other flawlessly.
My only complaint (not even a complaint, more of just a note) is that I correctly guessed the identity of the Ripper in the first 50 pages (mostly off of a fluke). I was very convinced that I was right, so watching Audrey Rose focus on all the different suspects they went through got a tad bit frustrating, as I was confident they were wrong.
I can't wait to see where Audrey Rose and Thomas go from here!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexism and Stalking
mj_86's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexism, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Vomit, and Cannibalism
meganrudis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder
faelorn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I got Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco for $5 at a Barnes and Noble sale, so I went into this book blind. The blurb was one quote on the back - something that would ordinarily turn me away from a book - but I bought it nonetheless. A cheap book will always do me in. That being said, it was a good book. I typically don't particularly like YA novels - especially not romance ones (gasp, I know) - but this one was genuinely enjoyable to me. Audrey Rose is a fun FMC, and I can see her inspiring any young adults who read this book to pursue their career even if they face stigma, just as she does. At first, I was going to rate this book somewhere around 3.25, but the day after I finished it, I found myself actually a little sad that I couldn't read the book more. I think that alone shows that I quite enjoyed it.
The Good:
- This is a fun read. The pacing is good, the two main characters have fun chemistry, and it balances suspense with character emotion well. I found myself lost in time reading this, and I really enjoyed that.
- I did not guess the killer! While in hindsight it was a little obvious, the book does a great job of controlling where your suspicions lie through the characters.
- Okay, I have a soft spot for egotistical MMCs. I'll admit it. Thomas was perfect. He's teasing, annoying, and the perfect mix of rolling-my-eyes-at-him and enjoying how he interacts with the FMC, Audrey Rose.
- I love how much it focuses on the crimes, as grim as that sounds. It's hard to balance romance and suspense, and this book does it well! I liked the pacing around it a lot, and really enjoyed how the detective work had it's own time to shine. The medical procedures around the bodies of the deceased were also really interesting.
- I loved the little section at the end of the book that explained changes the author made from real life events. It was super fun to read and you could tell that a lot of respect for the real-life victims was there.
The Iffy:
- This is 50/50 for some people, but wow do they not spare you the details of the crime scenes. Just be wary if you have a weak stomach.
- I know I'm meant to dislike Audrey Rose's father, but I wish we saw more redeeming qualities around him. He was painted as a tortured man who lost his wife, but didn't see much sympathy around it. Spoilers for a key event ->I also didn't think him kicking Audrey Rose out of the house was in character. It's a nitpick, I know, but I can't imagine such an overprotective father just saying "alright, I give up. To the streets with you, lil' miss."
The Bad:
- Wow, Audrey Rose cannot fathom not being related to Jack the Ripper. Admittedly, her assumptions are fair, but even when someone points out it may not be the case, she banishes the thought immediately. I would've loved to see more uncertainty about it, or more denial of the thought, really.
The Good:
- This is a fun read. The pacing is good, the two main characters have fun chemistry, and it balances suspense with character emotion well. I found myself lost in time reading this, and I really enjoyed that.
- I did not guess the killer! While in hindsight it was a little obvious, the book does a great job of controlling where your suspicions lie through the characters.
- Okay, I have a soft spot for egotistical MMCs. I'll admit it. Thomas was perfect. He's teasing, annoying, and the perfect mix of rolling-my-eyes-at-him and enjoying how he interacts with the FMC, Audrey Rose.
- I love how much it focuses on the crimes, as grim as that sounds. It's hard to balance romance and suspense, and this book does it well! I liked the pacing around it a lot, and really enjoyed how the detective work had it's own time to shine. The medical procedures around the bodies of the deceased were also really interesting.
- I loved the little section at the end of the book that explained changes the author made from real life events. It was super fun to read and you could tell that a lot of respect for the real-life victims was there.
The Iffy:
- This is 50/50 for some people, but wow do they not spare you the details of the crime scenes. Just be wary if you have a weak stomach.
- I know I'm meant to dislike Audrey Rose's father, but I wish we saw more redeeming qualities around him. He was painted as a tortured man who lost his wife, but didn't see much sympathy around it. Spoilers for a key event ->
The Bad:
- Wow, Audrey Rose cannot fathom not being related to Jack the Ripper. Admittedly, her assumptions are fair, but even when someone points out it may not be the case, she banishes the thought immediately. I would've loved to see more uncertainty about it, or more denial of the thought, really.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, and Death of parent
kmizzzle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
It was a fun mystery. Loosely based on Jack the Ripper, though it the story was altered to be based around Audrey Rose. I enjoyed Audrey Rose's character; watching her develop a spine throughout the story was nice (though homegirl had to constantly remind herself of that). And Thomas was very fun, though a bit of an odd duck. I liked that Audrey Rose was doing something women of her time didn't do - she was an apprentice to her uncle, who was a coroner. There were a few things that didn't make sense by the end (e.g., the medium; the old valet and what he was talking about about) but the mystery itself was fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
gisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Truly one of the best books I’ve ever read. I first read it when it came out years ago and had it stick with me as the years passed, constantly reminded of its beautiful work and characters. Originally picking it up due to my personal fascination of Jack The Ripper, I ended up falling in love (in more ways than one, Thomas Cresswell the man that you are <3) with both Audrey Rose and Thomas, alone and as a wonderful couple. There was no part of the story where I was left bored, or not wishing to pick it up to read more. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gore, Sexism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
fernandalaram's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Cannibalism