I’ve been reading these books with an addictive sort of wide-eyed enjoyment. I, quite literally, cannot get enough of these characters, their relationships, or the circumstances that they find themselves in.
I haven’t been reading the blurbs of each book prior to starting it, so absolutely everything is a shock and a surprise within the pages. This series continues to drag me along, wanting me to hurry, hurry, hurry to the end – just so I can figure out what is happening!
I don’t have the mind of Charlotte Holmes. I also don’t have all the insights that she keeps close to her own self. When I get to the end of each book, I’m left thoroughly satisfied that I might have been able to glean a fraction of what was happening if I had been paying slightly closer attention. Admittedly, the hurry instinct usually has me well in its grips, so I’m not always paying the closest attention.
I try to temper that instinct because I want to see all the details that Sherry Thomas weaves into her stories and characters. The stories are intricately brilliant, the characters deep and real, the world meticulously built. I think these are books, and a series, that benefits from a thoughtful reading. I’ve even found the details of their society and the world they live in to be enormously helpful in untangling the varied threads.
I don’t read a lot of mysteries. I’m honestly not sure why. This series satisfies me on every level. There are clues and hints throughout each book that leads to the reveals and denouement. I’m really looking forward to reading this series again, knowing everything that’s available; seeing all the details that have been woven in for us that I just haven’t yet noticed. Next to all the clues, there are so many twists and turns; so many moments where I drop everything to text Navessa and scream some plot point.
And that’s what I love. The combination of allowing me to sleuth along with Charlotte Holmes, and still being shocked by all the revelations at the end.
But what really draws me to these stories are the characters. Charlotte, first and foremost, who is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite female main characters. I literally have never read another character quite like her. But it’s not just Charlotte. It’s also Livia, Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson. Even Treadles, whom I’ve wanted to smack more than a few times. I maintain hope he’ll get his head out of his arse though. I’m invested in all of them.
Also, this slow burn romance is making me yearn for both of their sakes.
Now, I can finally dive into book four, The Art of Theft.
Leave a Reply