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macyashby's review against another edition
4.0
Not only is there the suspense of the mystery being solved, but the suspense of eminent romance! Plus a good dose of feminist thought.
aellis0421's review against another edition
3.0
This book was NOT as interesting as the first.
Too much talking and describing and not enough action!!!
I'm also not sure how I feel about Mary and Sherlock marrying...What? I mean, he could be her father. That seems a bit far fetched.
Too much talking and describing and not enough action!!!
I'm also not sure how I feel about Mary and Sherlock marrying...What? I mean, he could be her father. That seems a bit far fetched.
heatherems's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book in Laurie R. King's series. (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes) Mary Russell, a young woman who is the apprentice of Sherlock Holmes, is a student at Oxford getting ready to defend her thesis, and a student of Sherlock Holmes in her spare time. The theme centers around religion and the place of women in society. A smoothly magnetic woman preacher has established a Temple to do good works for downtrodden women in London, and to give capable and intelligent women who worked during the war (and are now no longer allowed to maintain their jobs due to the soldiers coming home) an outlet for their intelligence and drive. Leaders of the Temple keep dying and getting hurt, though. Smartly written with good character development. Would suggest reading this series in order.
annavictoriia's review against another edition
2.0
this, considering, was a very good mystery. i very much enjoy mary russell as a character, and the twists of the murder mystery section of the book were very good and kept me on my toes.
what is my reasoning for a 2 star review you ask. well, simple enough. the author made the unfortunate decision to advance russell and holmes’ relationship into that of the romantic. which deeply ruined this otherwise enjoyable book for me, seeing as SHE IS TWENTY-ONE AND HE IS FIFTY-NINE. “get over it” NO. NO I WILL NOT.
what is my reasoning for a 2 star review you ask. well, simple enough. the author made the unfortunate decision to advance russell and holmes’ relationship into that of the romantic. which deeply ruined this otherwise enjoyable book for me, seeing as SHE IS TWENTY-ONE AND HE IS FIFTY-NINE. “get over it” NO. NO I WILL NOT.
debrabrinckley's review against another edition
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked this sophomore effort more than the first. The plot had tremendous depth, ample philosophical and religious tension along with a heroine that is not perfect or one dimensional. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
carladash's review against another edition
2.0
This one read like well-written fan-fiction to me. The mystery was boring. I don't like my protagonists turned into a damsels in distress. And I really could have done without the "romance." At the very least I'd have liked to see the tension of it strung out a little longer.
juniperd's review against another edition
3.0
this book was fine, interesting little twist near the end. but i feel as though king has done some padding in the first two books of this series, like they could've used a bit more editing to help improve the storylines and the flow. some things wrap up nicely, and some things just seem to disappear, never mentioned again. perhaps they will crop up elsewhere in the series, but it doesn't feel that way. so, hmmm?
i enjoyed the quotes heading each of the chapters - some of them will make you mad at men/societies of the times for being so thick (noted men of history being quoted on how it is that women are inferior make up many of the quotes ⅔ of them, anyway). the title of the book doesn't really work well for me.
i enjoyed the quotes heading each of the chapters - some of them will make you mad at men/societies of the times for being so thick (noted men of history being quoted on how it is that women are inferior make up many of the quotes ⅔ of them, anyway). the title of the book doesn't really work well for me.
sleepytimebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
adragonsshadow's review against another edition
adventurous
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
lisafrancine's review against another edition
The age gap (almost 40yrs.) between Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes & the beginning of their romantic relationship. This was originally published in the mid 1990’s - I do not think this BIG portion of the story line works in 2024.