Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - A Curious Beginning

Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

19 reviews

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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schnoebs13's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

This was amazing and honestly I’m happy that I came into having had the completely wrong idea of what it was. I thought this was a fantasy similar to A Natural History of Dragons but I was wrong. This just a straight up historical mystery with a wonderfully strong female lead and a slight natural history component. I had so much fun with the banter between the two main characters and trying to piece together what was happening. I loved the twist with why she was being hunted and I’m honestly intrigued enough to see what new adventures they can get into together. Will 100% continue in this series.

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eleek0609's review against another edition

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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

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wilybooklover's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

2.0

I would’ve liked Veronica’s characterisation as bold and before her time if she also didn’t feel so disdainful of and superior to other women and anything she perceives as feminine. As it was, it came across as Not Like Other Girls style internalised misogyny and combined with the caricatural portrayal of almost every other woman but Veronica it really ruined my enjoyment of the book.

Also, exactly how many skills is Stoker supposed to have before it strains my credulity? He’s a natural historian and taxidermist, a tracker and hunter, a former expedition leader, a former magician/knife-thrower in a circus, a surgeon who served in the Navy... all of which he is apparently exemplary at.

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-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

2.25

1887, London. Orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her global travels in search of scientific inquiry—and the odd amorous dalliance—after burying her spinster aunt. Veronica is as comfortable hunting butterflies as she is fighting off suitors, and she plans to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

But fate has other ideas for Veronica when she foils her own kidnapping with the assistance of an intriguing German aristocrat who gives her refuge in the hands of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can tell what he knows about the conspiracy against her, he is assassinated, leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an enigmatic assailant as hesitant companions in quest of the wicked truth.

This was given to me by a friend since I was seeking for historical fiction mysteries after reading so many modern ones. As a mystery reader, I believe the storyline might have been thickened. The finale was also quite predictable. By 35% of the way through the book, I knew what the finale would be, which is always a bad sign in mystery books. I'm not sure whether I like or dislike Veronica, but I also don't want to read six more novels only to learn more about her, so I'm not sure how I feel about this book.

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motleybooksandtea's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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genny's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

3.75

This book is tagged as mystery/historical fiction which had me expecting a classic, slow-paced "whodunnit", but this was much more of an Adventure with a capital A. It feels like a classic quest story. Angèle Masters as the audiobook narrator is a perfect fit. It's just a good (ludicrous, often unrealistic) time!

The highlight, of course, is the budding relationship between Veronica and Stoker. I love them! I like that they have actual jobs separate from their "investigators" shtick. They go through so many classic tropes

- forced proximity, there's only one bed, hurt and comfort, fake marriage, "pretend we're kissing so the police don't look too closely"

...and yet I can't get enough of them! They have real chemistry so the tropey-ness doesn't feel corny. I like that Veronica admits to herself that she finds Stoker attractive, but it's still a very slow burn. I look forward to seeing their friendship (and eventual romance, I expect) develop throughout the series.

The "big reveal" made me raise an eyebrow because it was outlandish and cliché, and was resolved too neatly for all the political implications that they talked about. I'm hoping that consequences will pop up in the next book/s because I wasn't satisfied with that. I was into the characters way more than I was into the plot. A Perilous Undertaking better deliver on the actual mystery! Give me some good ol' sleuthing, come on!

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thereadingnurse2021's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-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

3.25

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breekeeler's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Good fun! At times the “not like other girls” attitude annoyed me, but it mostly served to make Veronica feel flawed and thus believable. The mystery was twisty and entertaining, and the banter between Veronica and Stoker was fun. I’ll definitely be continuing the series.

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