Once again, the story surrounds Evelina Cooper, Sherlock Holmes intrepid niece who understands magic and is able to put Deva's (elementals) into clockwork animals like mouse and bird. Evelina is also an interesting character in that she didn't come from riches, and struggled just for a bit of respectability in society. This time, Evelina finds herself fighting not just for herself, but to keep Jasper Keating away from her uncle after a bomb goes off at his home and she is caught freely kissing Tobias Roth who is to wed Alice Keating.
Poor Alice. I should just say that I've come to like Alice along with Imogen since they really get put through the wringer. I felt for Alice because she's stuck in the middle between her father and being married to Tobias who obviously still cares for Evelina. I felt for Imogen because there is a huge revelation that you can see coming if you pay attention about what happened to her when she was younger, that makes so much sense, and she really does love Bucky even though her disgusting father doesn't want the union to happen. I can honestly say that the cliffhanger pertaining to Imogen needs to be fixed asap.
A Study in Darkness is a rather long and drawn out story that surrounds various characters like Niccolo, and even Imogen. Evelina faces a harsh reality mostly because of her silly decisions and actions that lead her into making a deal with the deal himself. There were times I would have liked to strangle Evi for making more problems for herself instead of relying on others like Sherlock, Imogen, or even Nick who many people don't like for some reason or the other. Although Nick left a bad taste in my mouth in the first installment, he more than makes up for them in this installment. Like it or not folks, Nick and Evi belong together.
A Study in Darkness reveals a deeper look into the so called resistance and the Baskervilles. In A Study in Silk, they were briefly mentioned but we didn't know whether or not Sherock or his brother Mycroft were involved. We get introduced to a new character named the Schoolmaster who is obviously someone extremely important to the resistance and needs to be watched closely. The steam barons are also having an interesting tug of war to see who is the most powerful, and this can only lead to an interesting third installment to this series.
Steampunk is often a hit or miss for me, but in The Baskerville Affair series, EJH puts it in the forefront along with magic and the fact that Jack the Ripper might be roaming the streets killing women haphazardly. Readers will groan along with me when they learn there is a really heart stopping cliffhanger ending to this story. Luckily, I don't have to wait until December to find out what happens next since A Study in Ashes in already loaded on my Kindle and read to go!
*Recvd via NetGalley 07/01/2013* Released: October 29th 2013 by Del Rey
Author - Emma Jane Holloway
Title - A Study in Darkness
Publisher - Del Rey
Released - October 29, 2013
Genre - Steampunk
No comments:
Post a Comment