Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss

6 reviews

utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

I loved this adventure of gothic daughters finding kinship amidst the legacies of their terrible fathers. I enjoyed the journal + commentary style really entertaining, allowing the girls and their relationships to be fleshed out in a way that would not have been so easy within the main narrative of the story. Just high-spirited adventure and mystery solving set in Victorian London. I'd say it's in a similar tone to the Enola Holmes films, with its fourth wall breaking and updated feminist themes. As this is the first book of a series, I did feel that the story was a little bit slowed down by having to introduce the backstory of each character. That hopefully shouldn't be so much of an issue in the sequels, so I am really looking forward to continuing the series and seeing what adventures this crew get up to next!

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ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I enjoyed the story for the most part but wasn't keen on the characters constantly interrupting the story and by the time I got to the end chapters I was skimming the words instead of properly reading. Not for me.

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elizalavenza's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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beca_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

Overall I did enjoy this book, it took me a while to get into the story, but it turned out to be a pleasant read. We follow Mary who has just lost both of her parents and is left with very little money. A series of murders happen in London which may have a link to the death of her father and a society which he was apart of . She ends up help Sherlock to solve the mystery, and along the way she meets different girls that had fathers that experimented on them. This book left me wanting more, and I hope to get to the second book soon. This book is best described as historical urban fantasy, as there are fantastical elements to the book, this would be perfect for those that enjoy Neil Gaiman's work, and maybe Erin Morgenstern. Goss also interweaves a collection of classics including Frankenstein into this book, and the history of Mary Shelley.

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visionsoforchids's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

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hward's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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