Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

18 reviews

vireogirl's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

Camping book #3. Weirdly odd, with strange characters, jarring footnotes. If you can consider it a farce, it does move along and pull you in. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

aria_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Classism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Abandonment

Minor: Pregnancy

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Confinement and Pregnancy

silver_valkyrie_reads's review

funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was only mostly agreeable for me. 

It started off strong, with clear homages to Jane Austen, without trying to replicate her style. (I could have imagine Austen reading this book with chuckle, in fact.)

My usual annoyance with complaints about the harsh social restrictions of the Regency world was abrogated by clearly making these harsh restrictions in an alternate history and so over the top as to be amusing.

Things started to peter out toward the end though... The societal complaints took on a more generic feminist flavor, and in general the characters devolved a bit towards being just the usual you'd expect from any Regency knockoff.

I found the character arcs to be completely predictable (including who must turn out to be the murderer) but found the other mysterious elements actually baffling until revealed, which was rather fun.

Overall, worth reading if you love good writing and witty humor, as long as you don't mind a weak ending.

(Also, this is probably just a personal thing, but I found the references to snot and saliva needlessly icky and gross.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

mari_books's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

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

4.75

This book has some of the most original characters and world building I’ve read in a long while! Some of the dialogue is rather YA but for a quick and super light hearted feel-good detective read I enjoyed and would read other books! 

It’s almost like clue+ Bridgerton parody 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, and Pregnancy

angorarabbit'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

TLDR: Jolly good fun. May need to have read some other stuff. 

 

This is what happens when Christie, Austin, du Maurer, and the Bontes hook up in the afterlife and have a baby. It should be read while sipping English Breakfast and eating scones. Except you may  spew good tea and scones, so maybe not? 

 

The serious Janete to Agathaite may not appreciate the humour. The author uses the troupes of both and  twists them so a reader may need some familiarity with both Austen and Golden Age British Mysteries. It’s rather fun finding all the Easter Eggs Ms Seales has spread around for readers. 

 

The book follows the rules of the Golden Age, but I think a reader would be hard pressed to deduce the murder.The characters are interesting and well described. The female characters in particular were strongly written.The murder mystery plot is fun and keeps you turning pages. The writing is crisp. The author, while American, has a good grasp of Regency England manners and the constraints put on women and classes in that time and place. It is cozy enough to make a good break from the Atwood’s and Undset’s. I really do need to get back to some serious stuff though. Maybe a Kingsolver? 

 

I have not been a big fan or modern authors who place Lizzy Darcy in a murder mystery. I think Ms Seales has made of wise choice is writing of a family that is analogous to the Bennetts but is not a one to one match. And I appreciate Ms Seals own touch of weirdness as well. In her afterword she says, “I hope that the story of Beatrice Steele gave you some laughs, some excitement, and a respite from weirdness by sweeping you away into…an even weirder world”. For me she succeeded. I hope to read more of Miss Steele’s and Inspector Drake’s adventures. 

 

And now I’m left wondering whether it really was Poirot who really solved all those cases.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Classism

Minor: Confinement, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

tabookish's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: War

miniingrid's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

Aunque al principio se me estaba haciendo un poco pesado con tanto cliché, y lento. Ha llegado un punto en el que no podía dejar de leer y de buscar hipótesis para lo que estaba pasando. 
Hay puntos un poco previsibles, pero otros han conseguido despistarme y se agradece en una novela de este tipo.
Me alegro de no haber abandonado, ha sido divertido.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Confinement, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

funny 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

growintogardens's review

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

4.75

Was this completely silly? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Also yes. It's good fun and had me wishing there was a pile of them to read next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail