Second in the Stoker & Holmes series, almost a month has passed since The Clockwork Scarab, so when Mina and Evaline are summoned by Princess Alix to assist with a new case they are eager to start. The Princess’ good friend Willa Aston is obsessed with mediums and spirits from the beyond, convinced that her mother’s spirit is trying to tell her where her missing brother is. However, what seems to Mina to be a case of fraud and chicanery leads to greed, murder, and the paranormal. Mina and Evaline are drawn further into London’s underground in order to solve their second case and find that not everything is what it seems.
LOVED
I loved the interaction between Mina and Evaline, and their inner monologues. The way that they think, the way that they discuss things with each other, and the way that they interact just clicks for the reader and makes the book fly. I adore the twists and turns with their semi “romances”- Mina with Dylan and Inspector Grayling, Evaline and Pix.
I admire the world that Gleason has built for the Stoker & Holmes series; the alternative London creates a what-if with readers that is entirely plausible, and the presence of Dylan the time-traveler actually further points out not only the differences between their world and the reader’s world, but also what could happen if just one incident were to change. I think that we’ll see more of these as the series goes on.
LIKED
I liked the cameos of Mina’s Uncle Sherlock and Evaline’s brother Stoker; it reminds readers not only of the heritage the girls have but also of the reputations that they’re having to live up to, not only in the minds of their current society but also in the minds of OUR society. With the newer movies and the popularity of BBC’s Sherlock and CBS’ Elementary, Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes are in the forefront of American pop-culture again, and Dracula has never left. Those unconscious connections carry on with the reader, and when Mina or Evaline talk about the expectations upon a Holmes or a slayer, readers can imagine the weight to which they’re referring, and understand and empathize.
I also liked the discussion of both the “street fashions” and the historical implications of the age- the fact that women were to wear corsets that made it a challenge to breathe, let alone run; that there were only certain employment opportunities that were deemed acceptable. During that time there were strict lines between the classes, and it’s pointed out in terms of what Evaline has available to her and what Mina does not.
DISLIKED
There really wasn’t much I disliked about the book. I do wish that Mycroft was actually there, but I can hope that he’ll show up later in the series- you would think that for such intelligent men they’d realize it would do them good to take an interest in Mina. I still get a bit confused at first when picking up the series after a break that Mina is actually the Holmes and Evaline the Stoker. I’m still wondering how Dylan got to their world/time, and I’m starting to wish he’d go back- I’m hoping that he doesn’t change their world too much by being there.
AHHH MOMENTS
There are moments between Pix and Evaline, and between Mina and Grayling that just make your heart go *sigh*. And there are some where you want to shake them, so it’s balanced. The ending is a giant twist of a cliffhanger as well, one that will make your jaw hit the floor, which is both good and bad: good because it is completely unexpected, and bad because now it’s going to be at least another year before the next book comes out.
AGE RANGE
All teen ages, tweens possibly 11 and up depending on the tween.
END FEELINGS
OWN IT BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT!!!
I was lucky enough to meet author Colleen Gleason during the YALSA Coffee Clatch in Las Vegas this past summer, and was even luckier to get an ARC copy of The Spiritglass Charade signed by author Colleen Gleason at ALA Annual this summer, and I am giving it away along with an ARC copy of The Clockwork Scarab!
Just enter your email address or your twitter handle into the Rafflecopter below and you are good to go!
