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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Veronica Speedwell stories always make me giddy. She is sassy, feisty, and smart. The relationship she has with Stoker is why I read these books. Their relationship is definitely GOALS. The mystery is also always wonderful, this one was no different. The extended cast of characters in this one was wonderful. Stoker seeing his family in a different way was also a welcome surprise, I love his brothers. Veronica reminds me a lot of Phryne Fisher, who I love. If you love Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries I think you will love these books.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The positives:
- Deanna Raybourn has a talent for picking out the most bizarre, silly, and fun parts of Victorian culture to include in these books, and a dinner party inside a gigantic model of a dinosaur becoming the setting for a murder is perhaps her most inspired idea yet
- Stoker finally got his lick back for the insane way Veronica treated him in the last book, and she actually demonstrated a modicum of personal growth and reflection
- I am a certified Tiberius hater so I was concerned about this book being set at his house, but he isn't actually in it that much
- The pacing of the beginning of the story was much better than usual, the mystery kicked off right away and got me hooked
- The culprit (well,
one of them ) had an interesting, plausible, and somewhat unique motive - Some of my favorite side characters (JJ, Merriweather) were present and fun as always
The negatives:
- Tiberius didn’t actually get murdered 😔
- A large part of the plot hinges around someone finding out that one person out of a group of 7+ suspects probably (not even definitely!) killed their loved one, and instead of doing any more investigation at all to ensure their revenge is effective, they decide to just kill the entire group
- Once again I was subjected to Angele Masters' painfully bad American accent (and, to be fair, the dialogue as written also sounds nothing like how Americans talk)
- Despite the book making a big deal of the setting being the place where Stoker grew up, we don't actually learn that much more about his childhood or his relationship with his family
- For what feels like the 10,000th time in this series, Stoker and Veronica didn't actually solve the murder, the culprit just decided to confess to their crimes for no reason at all and in a manner that goes entirely against their previously established character traits
- The pacing of the ending was as bad as it always is because why do we find out who the murderer is and there's still an hour and a half left on the audiobook 😐 and why did we have to go through the entire explanation of their motive and methods twice 😐
- The book makes an attempt to discuss the fucked-up culture around mental asylums for women back in Victorian times and how disturbing it is that a man could have a woman condemned to horrific, inhumane treatment for the rest of her life just on his say-so, but in the same breath the characters are absolutely fine with sending a woman to one of these asylums as a punishment
The negatives do outweigh the positives at this point, and I don't think this series will ever touch the highs of the first 3 books again, but they are still quite entertaining overall and the concept for the next book looks like an absolute banger so you already know I will be continuing with Veronica Speedwell until the bitter end <3
adventurous
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
adventurous
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
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Deanna Raybourn's writing style and characters, so I will always enjoy reading the Veronica Speedwell series...BUT the past few installments of the series have been a bit of a letdown for me, plot-wise. This one was just okay. I didn't feel super invested in the mystery. Overall it just wasn't very exciting?! And the fact that Veronica and Stoker were sort of not speaking for a good portion of the book didn't help. I can appreciate introducing challenges to make their relationship interesting and not perfect all the time, but the fun banter and chemistry between them is one of the things that makes the series so enjoyable.
I'll stick with the series for as long as it continues (probably) but I wonder if it has sort of reached its peak by now. I hope the next one proves me wrong!
I'll stick with the series for as long as it continues (probably) but I wonder if it has sort of reached its peak by now. I hope the next one proves me wrong!
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adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Sometimes I like to imagine how great these books would be if I actually LIKED the main character or if she were half so interesting as the supporting characters. (Bring on the J.J. series because she's worlds better than V!) The mystery is adequate here, but if you read many historical fiction mysteries you'll probably be able to make a jolly good guess about who and why re: murder.