Reviews with content warning for Death - The Raven Spell

Ended up listening to the free KU audio version, I ended up really liking it. The world building was really interesting, though it could have gone a bit deeper. It felt a bit cliff hanger-ish, but it is part of a series so I'm holding back some judgement to judge the series as a whole. Because on it's own, the book is a little to short.

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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? Yes

3.5

Nice to be back in Smith's worlds, I ADORE her Vine Witch Trilogy. This was delightfully darker than expected; all the running around alleys and backstreets of Victorian London chasing a murder gave me Jack the Ripper vibes. The magic system was interesting as was the murder mystery and I love Smith's blend of history and witchery, it's a huge part of what I loved so much in her previous books. I have two main complaints. Though the search for George is what lands Ian in the mud, and I enjoyed his father Henry's character, George's subplot felt like it took such a back seat in the end as to feel superfluous. I needed things to either be more entwined than they were or to have George erased altogether and Sir Henry brought into the story another way. Secondly I feel like our characters are just a touch flat. It's a shorter novel and the murder mystery and memory loss plots move it along at a good pace so I feel like there was room for a bit more character development even if it might have slowed things down a touch. All and all enjoyed it though and I'm looking forward to the next one.

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