This book was so much fun. I am only sad that I have to wait for a sequel. ( )

Basically take classic monsters - Frankenstein, Jekyll Hyde, renfield, island of dr Moreau etc and make female counterparts who solve crimes with Holmes and Watson and then make it boring.
I did not care for the characters interjections in the novel (it was as if they were reading a transcript of what transpired and wanted to have their say about it) and I also hated Diana.
This was not for me. ( )

Such an easy, no muss no fuss read. You know, I hadn't realised I was in need of a fast paced, period mystery, semi-light hearted fantasy until I started reading this. There are quite a bit of ethical conundrums presented which an academic such as myself loved. I found myself putting down the book and researching monsters in literature and how many of them were women. It has found a place beside some of my favorite series. Theodora Goss manages to weave a wonderous tale of intrigue with witty banter and a deep dive into the monsters of old that my parents grew up reading about and I in turn grew up watching on tv. Think of Frankenstein and Dracula's Renfield, to name a few.

I started the book a day before finishing it and had I not had three puppies aged 4 months, prone to wreaking havoc all over the house, I would have finished it in one sitting. I was probably well primed for this time of adventure after reading a great paranomal detective mystery by another writer. I am enjoying exploring a genre I would not normally read, specifically the retelling of folklore/legends/myths in this way.

Give the book a chance, by Chapter 5, it really becomes one of those stories with tiny jigsaw pieces and you're out there trying to piece everything together not too intricately.

BONUS: I went into this book not knowing a single thing about it (I had refused to read the little summary or blurbs) So when I saw multiple narrators, I had a field day trying to figure out if the plurality of the narrators was real or presenting the mind of a multiple personality disordered narrator. It was a treat. I think I'll dive head first into more books without reading the blurps or previews - what absolute fun! ( )

the premise for this book is intriguing, but the execution is flawed. the author has the main characters having these little asides in the middle of the story, all throughout the book. i'm sure it's meant to be helpful with a full cast of characters as she has, but it was incredibly annoying to me. it felt like i kept being pulled out of the actual story to listen to the characters bicker or point out things that could have just been shown through the story.

i was really hopeful that Mrs. Goss would discontinue this form of writing for the next book in the series, because the plot and the characters are very interesting and i really want to be able to enjoy them. however, the preview for the next book in this series shows that isn't the case. i may try to ignore these side conversations and read the next book anyway. i'd really like to get lost in this story that is truly compelling and well written. ( )

I did have some issues with the style of writing - random interjections in the middle of the narrative - but overall I enjoyed this book a lot. Going to move on to the sequel. ( )