I think I remembered how to read you guys (and write reviews I guess). This week I bring you an intriguing mystery and a hodge-podge YA gothic fantasy.
Title: Escaping from Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3)
Source: Library
Rating: 4 Stars
The Stalking Jack the Ripper series gets better and better with each book, but the endings have consistently disappointed me. Escaping from Houdini was an engrossing read because of the claustrophobic feel of knowing that you're stuck on a luxury ship with a killer. The characters were memorable with shady pasts and I instantly loved the mysterious ringmaster, Mephistopheles and hope we haven't seen the last of him. The mystery was fun with creative deaths, but the reveal left me wanting more and disappointed by how it was all wrapped up as I have been with all of the other endings in this series.
Title: House of Salt and Sorrows
Source: Publisher
Rating: 2 Stars
As a concept, House of Salt and Sorrows is a winner, but in the end the execution tried to include far too many elements and lost the original story along the way. House of Salt and Sorrows was a loose retelling of 12 Dancing Princesses with a Gothic seaside atmosphere. Craig made great use of her world, the people depended on fishing and their religion centered around the sea as well. There was a bit of a haunting story line, but it was far too infrequent for me to enjoy. Overall, House of Salt and Sorrows unraveled as it became clear that the book was trying to do too much. There was the retelling, a vague ghost story, and a mythology that was never fully fleshed out. I enjoyed the atmosphere and wanted more (or should I say less) from the story.
Have you read any of the below?
Whats your favorite ghost story?
Is it time for Amber to give YA fantasy a break, y/y?
Labels: 2 stars, 4 stars, book reviews, erin a. craig, escaping from houdini, house of salt and sorrows, kerri maniscalco, les petites revues, review, stalking jack the ripper
Title: Escaping from Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3)
