Book Review: Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price

 Pride and Premeditation

by Tirzah Price

Source:
I received a free audiobook from NetGalley & HarperAudio in exchange for my honest review.

Genre:
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Retelling, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman who desires a law career must be in want of a case. So when sixteen year old Lizzie Bennet hears about a scandalous society murder, she sees an opportunity to prove herself as a solicitor by solving the case and ensuring justice is served.

Except the man accused of the crime already has a lawyer on his side: Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious Pemberley Associates law firm. Lizzie is determined to solve the murder before Darcy can so that she can show the world that a woman can be just as good as a man. (The fact that Darcy is an infuriating snob doesn’t help.) But there’s still a killer on the loose, and as the case gets more complicated, Lizzie and Darcy may have to start working together to avoid becoming the next victims themselves.

Review (may contain spoilers):
This was my first Voice Galley, and I know that this isn't meant to be a review of the app or recording, but I was pleasantly surprised. NetGalley's app is comparable to the Audible app for listening functions, and it was an all-around pleasant listening experience.

I thought this was a really fun retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. To be honest, I have never read the original, but I have watched and loved several film adaptations, and would count this retelling among my favourites. I really should try to read the original one of these days... 😂

In this completely new and reimagined version of Austen's beloved story, Mr. Bennett is cast as a partner in the law firm Longborn & Sons. Mr. Collins is another solicitor in the same firm, and Mr. Bennett's heir. Charlotte Lucas is the firm's secretary. When Mr. Bingley is accused of murdering his brother-in-law, Lizzie jumps at the chance to solve her very own case and prove herself to her father (and all of mankind) and earn a position in the firm. Lizzie gets herself into all kinds of trouble as she follows leads, searches for evidence, interviews witnesses, and cavorts with questionable characters in an effort to prove Bingley's innocence, find the murderer, and beat Darcy.

I enjoyed the mystery a lot, but the romance didn't quite do it for me. It felt a smidge contrived to fit the original story, and if I'm honest, this version of Darcy is one of my least favourites. He just didn't come across as an exceptional or very interesting character, even at the end. I was much more invested in Lizzie herself, and in solving the mystery.

My favourite part of this book was probably the characters. I felt that the author stayed true to the personalities of the characters as portrayed in other versions of the story that I have known and loved, which is really important, in my opinion, especially when retelling a well-known classic with such iconic characters.

I've learned that this is the first in a series of Jane Austen murder mystery retellings which will be coming out in the next few years. I must say that I am very excited to see what other adventures the author will take us on, and I'm also curious to know if there will be any character crossovers. 

My Goodreads rating:
I gave this book a 4-star rating on Goodreads and would happily recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, retellings, murder mysteries, and young adult novels.

 

Book Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Stalking Jack the Ripper

by Kerri Maniscalco

Source: I bought a e-version fairly cheap on Google Books

Genre: Young Adult, Historical fiction, Mystery, Horror

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. 

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world. 

Review:

It took me two weeks to finish this book, for a few reasons. One being that I was trying to read three books at once, which rarely goes well for me. Another being that it was an e-book, which I generally find more difficult to read. They're handy because I can read them on my phone, which I always have with me. However, if I have my phone screen in front of me, the temptation to do any- and everything other than read is strong.

That said, I did find that the beginning was a little uninteresting. It wasn't exactly slow, the murders start happening almost immediately, but it didn't quite grab me until a few chapters in.

I really enjoyed the characters. I loved how independent, spunky, and feminine Audrey Rose was, and I fancied how odd, brilliant, and flirtatious Thomas was. I just really liked their chemistry and dialogue.

I appreciated the inclusion of period photos, they helped to really put you in the setting. The photos were creepy, but not gruesome; ranging from medical diagrams to a leper to evidence from the Jack the Ripper case.

I was quite intrigued by this teenage female MC in Victorian England, being so interested in the inner workings of bodies, forensic science, mystery solving, etc. She knows where her interests lie, and nobody's going to stop her - I love that! I loved that her uncle recognized her brilliance and drive and was willing to apprentice her, despite her father's wishes. And, of course, I loved that Thomas was attracted to her brains.

For Audrey Rose's character alone I would give the book five stars, but on top of that, there was a really interesting interpretation of the Jack the Ripper case. I was relatively surprised by the identity of Jack (by that point it was really only down to two possible suspects, in my opinion), and the resolution of the case and how the final evidence was presented to confirm  this character's guilt was delightfully creepy and weird.

I found the story to be very tastefully executed, despite a horrific topic. The conclusion was satisfying and could pretty easily be left at that, but it leads so tidily into the next book that I am quite looking forward to reading Hunting Prince Dracula. I believe I would recommend this book, but only if the person appreciates horror and murder mysteries. I wouldn't exactly describe this as a horror, myself, but it does describe some of the horrific facts of the historical case, so... it's kinda creepy and gross in that way.

My Goodreads rating:

Book Review: The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay

The Virgin Cure

by Ami McKay

Source: I picked this book up at a used book sale, having recognized the author (I read The Birth House several years ago and remembered really liking it).

A little history: the idea of the virgin cure was started in 16th century Europe, and it was the belief that "deflowering" a virgin would cure a man of the mysterious diseases of the day (most likely all manner of sexually transmitted diseases).

**WARNING: spoilers ahead**

The setting is Manhattan in 1871. It follows the story of Moth - a young gypsy girl. She remembers her father as a smiling face who one day just walked away and never returned. Her mother, a gypsy fortune-teller, spends the next several years waiting for him to return and barely scraping by. Moth spends her days roaming the streets and dreaming about getting out of her poor neighborhood.

When Moth turns twelve, her mother starts talking about the ads in the paper, of rich ladies looking for young girls as companions, and wouldn't that be a nice way to make a living? Not long after, she sells Moth to a rich lady called Mrs. Wentworth. Her mother wakes Moth up in the middle of the night, throws some things into a pillowcase for her, and hands her off to the rich lady without a second glance.

Moth is taken into the service of Mrs. Wentworth's household. Her life there is strange and abusive. Her duty is to be the lady's companion and servant - to keep her company, entertain her, dress her, and stay with her (reading, singing, etc) until she falls asleep. One of the other servants takes a shine to Moth and wants to help her escape, to go back home. They eventually succeed, but when she goes back to find her mother, her mother has left their apartment, leaving no forwarding address. Moth stays around for a while with a neighbor, but then decides to set off on her own.

She is "discovered" by a well-dressed young lady, who befriends her and tells her about the grand lady she lives with who takes care of young girls. She then takes Moth back with her to Miss Everett's house, to live there with four other girls. This is where she meets Dr. Sadie, a kind female physician who works with Miss Everett to ensure the health and safety of the girls she takes in. Dr. Sadie also feels compelled to save Moth and tries to convince her to leave Miss Everett and come live with her, but Moth has her own plans.

Miss Everett's house is essentially a high-class brothel specializing in clean, young virgins. The girls are given fancy dresses and a lovely home in exchange for entertaining Miss Everett's guests. They undress for the men, and if one decides he fancies one of the girls, he may then proceed to court her - taking her to the opera or theater, giving her expensive gifts, etc, and should he wish to "seal the deal," he will essentially buy the young lady from Miss Everett. Moth spots Mrs. Wentworth's husband among the prospective suitors, and when he shows an interest in her, she decides to use him to take out revenge on  his wife, while also taking advantage of him. Once her end of the deal is taken care of, Moth takes what is owed her and what she has earned (she kept a tally of everything that Miss Everett gave to her and their worth), and finally leaves Miss Everett's house for good.

***

I really liked Moth. She's a unique girl who feels like a little sister to me. I felt angry when she was repeatedly mistreated, pleased at her little pleasures, and happy when she finally found her freedom, even if it meant compromising herself. That was the only part of the book that made me really sad and the part I didn't like. I wished that Moth would have just gone with Dr. Sadie and avoided the whole sex situation. There's also a hint in the end that, while her mother was most likely not a real fortune-teller, Moth herself might actually possess some magic, which will be followed-up in the sequel Witches of New York, which was released last November. I'm really anxious to get my hands on that book now!

Book Review: Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

I received my copy of this book in my second OwlCrate box, in December 2015. I started my subscription the month before and wasn't sure if I would continue because November's box didn't interest me that much. December's box was once again somewhat disappointing to me - while I appreciated some of the items, this book did not interest me in the least. I had not touched it for nearly a year, but I decided I needed to give it a chance, especially considering that the other OwlCrate books I've read have not necessarily been favourites, but certainly weren't disappointments. So, even though I still didn't really want to read it, I picked it up because I wanted to get it over with, and I had a certain amount of faith that OwlCrate would not let me down.

 

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead!***

 

Da Vinci's Tiger

by L.M. Elliott

For fans of rich and complex historical novels like Girl with a Pearl Earring or Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces.

The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men. The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand. In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

I might have found the story more interesting if there had been an actual romance between Ginevra and Leonardo, not just her feelings and imaginings and his more-or-less rejection of her.

 

This one ended up being a quick read for me, it only took me a few days, but that was largely due to an unexpected snow day and me wanting to cross it off my list, and not so much a reflection of the book's intrigue.

 

While I was invested enough to continue reading, I was not terribly interested in the story. I do sometimes enjoy historical fiction, but it is definitely not my go-to genre. This particular time period/location (Florence, Italy in the 1400's) does not interest me, nor do I have any particular interest in classical art or poetry. The last 5 pages of the Afterword detailing the historical facts leading to the story's concept, were much more interesting and educational than the story itself. Perhaps it should have been a Foreword... maybe knowing the facts ahead would have made the fiction more interesting to me.

 

In any case, I did not hate the book, but I certainly wouldn't re-read it, nor do I think I would recommend it. I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads (which is an "it was ok").