Jackaby (Jackaby, #1)

by William Ritter

[Berls]

Although I enjoyed this well enough, it's not something I probably would have picked up on my own and I doubt I'll continue the series. I like all the characters and elements well enough, but I think it's just a bit silly/ridiculous for me. And I solved the mystery pretty much instantly. As soon as the character that did it and the chief clue had been presented, for sure.

I think that thing I liked most about the book was the main character - Abigail Rook. She's a young girl who's fled a "proper" life in England, searching for something more - excitement, adventure, a life that a young man could have in the 1890s but not a woman. So I liked that rebellious, not wiling to settle, side of her. And I liked her openness to the world and possibilities that Jackaby presents.

Jackaby is an okay character. On one hand, I really like him. He's a genuine person and kind. But he's also where the ridiculousness that makes me not love this book settles. It's not the fantasy elements and the fact that he alone can see them - it's the WAY he talks about them, the way he describes things, etc. It's meant to be humorous and I think that for many people, it probably has that exact effect. It makes me roll my eyes. But I do like him as a person. He's a good guy, despite his ridiculousness.

While this isn't a steampunk novel - it set in that time range and, despite the very few references to gears and such, I think that I'm coming to realize I just don't love books set in that time frame and the manner of talk that seems to go with it. Fantasy elements, which I normally enjoy and could have been so great here, just didn't work for me - and I think it was that tone.

I listened to this book on Scribd and Nicola Barber was a very good narrator. All the voices cam across well and with varied personalities, that fit the characters well. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book narrated by her in the future.