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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
3.75
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, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, and Death of parent
kary2012's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Sexism and Classism
robotnik's review against another edition
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
2.0
Man, I'm sure there's a good story buried in here somewhere but it was really hard to find it underneath all of Audrey Rose's NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS moments. But I digress.
I can't say I was bored with Stalking Jack the Ripper nor did I really dislike it overall. I was entertained by it. But part of the entertainment came from how stupid parts of it were.
For a book that is centered around one of the biggest unsolved serial killer cases of all time, it was really easy to figure out thatNathaniel was Jack the Ripper. Literally, within his first appearance (I don't know, 40 pages in? Something like that), I knew exactly that this character was the killer. It made it almost comedic reading through the book whenever he appeared and knowing that the narrative thought it was some big secret when it was probably one of the most obvious plot twists I've seen in recent years.
This honestly almost makes it offensive to the real life case. Jack the Ripper has been such a mystery over these years and no one's been able to confidently deduce who he really was that assuming thatNathaniel could have pulled off these murders and not been arrested and that Audrey Rose could have helped figure it out in any way is really a disrespect to all of the Ripper's victims.
Which brings us to Audrey Rose. She is one of the biggest examples of "not like other girls" I've read recently. She spends all this time waxing about how she's equal parts feminine and intelligent and it's alright for women to embrace their femininity and care about that while she cares about science. And yet she is constantly putting other girls/women down for doing just that. She does not feel like a young woman in the 1880s who's wanting to be independent and find her own way. She feels like a teenager from the 2010s who was plucked out of her time period and dropped into the 1800s and was unimpressed things weren't like modern times. You couple this with her constantly making absolutely stupid decisions, and you got yourself an annoying protagonist.
Thomas is probably the better of the two. He's just charming bloke who flirts too much. Their romance was kind of... okay? I guess? I think the biggest flaw in it is that Thomas was instantly interested in Audrey Rose - that's not the flaw - and Audrey Rose was very obviously interested in him too but she was trying to pretend she wasn't. Just like the above "trying to point out her advanced feminism", she brings up how much she doesn't like Thomas an unhealthy amount of times. How much she doesn't focus on men (one of her "not like other girl" traits) and how she specifically was not charmed by him. And yet - and yet!!! - she focuses on him sooooo damn much. Probably more than the crime at hand. For all her complaining about how annoying he is and how much she doesn't like him, she sure does spend a lot of her time thinking about him. I am honestly embarrassed by her.
The climax of the story, much like the rest of it, was just okay. Not really surprising sinceNathaniel was so ridiculously obvious that there was no shock factor. But it was alright.
Really, this book is just a big bundle of alright. I've heard mixed opinions on the rest of this series, but it has me curious enough to give it a try at some point so I'll continue it.
I can't say I was bored with Stalking Jack the Ripper nor did I really dislike it overall. I was entertained by it. But part of the entertainment came from how stupid parts of it were.
For a book that is centered around one of the biggest unsolved serial killer cases of all time, it was really easy to figure out that
This honestly almost makes it offensive to the real life case. Jack the Ripper has been such a mystery over these years and no one's been able to confidently deduce who he really was that assuming that
Which brings us to Audrey Rose. She is one of the biggest examples of "not like other girls" I've read recently. She spends all this time waxing about how she's equal parts feminine and intelligent and it's alright for women to embrace their femininity and care about that while she cares about science. And yet she is constantly putting other girls/women down for doing just that. She does not feel like a young woman in the 1880s who's wanting to be independent and find her own way. She feels like a teenager from the 2010s who was plucked out of her time period and dropped into the 1800s and was unimpressed things weren't like modern times. You couple this with her constantly making absolutely stupid decisions, and you got yourself an annoying protagonist.
Thomas is probably the better of the two. He's just charming bloke who flirts too much. Their romance was kind of... okay? I guess? I think the biggest flaw in it is that Thomas was instantly interested in Audrey Rose - that's not the flaw - and Audrey Rose was very obviously interested in him too but she was trying to pretend she wasn't. Just like the above "trying to point out her advanced feminism", she brings up how much she doesn't like Thomas an unhealthy amount of times. How much she doesn't focus on men (one of her "not like other girl" traits) and how she specifically was not charmed by him. And yet - and yet!!! - she focuses on him sooooo damn much. Probably more than the crime at hand. For all her complaining about how annoying he is and how much she doesn't like him, she sure does spend a lot of her time thinking about him. I am honestly embarrassed by her.
The climax of the story, much like the rest of it, was just okay. Not really surprising since
Really, this book is just a big bundle of alright. I've heard mixed opinions on the rest of this series, but it has me curious enough to give it a try at some point so I'll continue it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, and Violence
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
amelyle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexism
uselesspirateraven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry
writerique's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.75
I found this book, back when I read it years ago, to be quite enjoyable and it actually is what got me back into reading. I really enjoyed the chemistry and clean YA romance for the age I was, and the mystery was enthralling. I also loved how the author touched on sexism in such a vital era in the world and how that affected the protagonists development. However, I found the plot twist to be a bit out of left field and perhaps a reread would be beneficial, but the ending, imo, fell flat to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
The book has images of various topics within the medical examination field, however none are graphic.letiross's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexism, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Vomit, and Cannibalism
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
dark
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? No
4.0
- Very unexpected twist; strong ending with the reveal
- Great intro to Audrey Rose as strong FMC
- Loved the banter between Audrey Rose and Thomas Cresswell
- Strong premise of her being a science/medical student as a female in the 1880s
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, and Medical content
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
tabea1409's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail