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Wednesday, August 05, 2015

Two More July Reads

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware is a debut novel, and one that I enjoyed for it's fast-pace and sense of foreboding.  A hen weekend (bachelorette party) invitation for a friend you haven't seen in ten years...would you go?  

Here is the epigraph:

In a dark, dark wood there was a dark, dark house;
And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark, room;
And in the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard;
And in the dark, dark cupboard there was...a skeleton!
              ----traditional Halloween tale    

         Except that, in this case, the skeleton is a metaphor.  Plenty of suspense that kept me eager to continue reading.  The conclusion was a little lacking in several ways that I won't discuss because of spoilers, and there were some bits that didn't seem logical or well-explained, but the novel kept me engaged and turning the pages with alacrity.  I'll read Ware's next novel.

NetGalley/Gallery/Scott Press

Mystery/Suspense.  Aug. 4, 2015.  Print version:  352 pages.
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A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn is, indeed, a curious beginning of a new series.  I loved the first book in Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series, but was less thrilled with the follow up novels.  This new series is also set in the Victorian period, but features a new protagonist:  Veronica Speedwell, a lepidopterist with a decidedly modern view of a woman's role.  

I really wanted to love this one and expected something a little campy and charming with a bit of mystery and suspense.  Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.  Victoria was more annoying than I expected and a bit too full of herself to be endearing.  Admiring the independence of a character who is at odds with traditional cultural expectations is one thing, but Veronica's sexual independence comes across as shallow and provoking.  Stoker, whose name has nothing to do with Bram, also failed to project any genuine depth.

Without the camp or witty repartee, and without fully developed characters or a consistently engrossing plot...?   A moderately entertaining way to pass the time, but well short of the first Lady Julia novel whose first line grabbed my attention and continues to please my sense of the absurd: "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor." 

I wanted something equally as lively and provocative as the first Lady Julia novel with A Curious Beginning, but didn't find it.  Entertaining enough to keep me reading, but not what I hoped for.

NetGalley/Penguin Group

Historic mystery/Romance.  Sept. 1, 2015.  Print version:  352 pages.
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OOPs...I didn't realize I already had reviews scheduled for today.  And so it goes...

12 comments:

  1. I am not sure I would go to a bachelorette party for a friend I hadn't seen in that many years. Had they at least been in touch by phone, letter or the internet? I love the epigraph you shared. It sounds like quite a suspenseful book! It sounds like the book had a lot going for it, even despite its flaws.

    I really enjoyed the Deanna Raybourn book I read last year. "Campy and charming" are good ways to describe my experience with that one. :-) I am sorry you didn't care for her latest.

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    1. They had not been in touch although they had been close friends from elementary school through high school. The epigraph does work for this book, and yes, I think Ware may be someone to pay attention to.

      Raybourn's book didn't live up to what I hoped for, but it was OK. I didn't warm to the characters much.

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  2. The Ruth Ware book sounds fun, even if the resolution wasn't perfect. And no, I would definitely not go to a hen weekend / bachelorette party for someone I hadn't seen in ten years. I am a curmudgeon and would barely go to a hen weekend for someone I'd seen EVERY DAY for the last ten years. :p

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    1. A weekend of "fun" sounds bad in and of itself, but for someone with whom you've lost touch...? But I would be curious about the sudden invite. :)

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  3. I've been intrigued with In a Dark, Dark Wood the moment I'd seen the blurb. Definitely a book I'd want to read. And no, I wouldn't attend the bachelorette party, especially not one for someone I hadn met in years.

    I need to try Deanna Raybourn's books one day since I've heard so many good things about them.

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    1. I hope you enjoy In a Dark, Dark Wood when you get a chance to read it. Most people love the Lady Julia Grey series by Raybourn, and I still adore the first line.

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  4. I've been wondering about the Deanna Raybourn book; I'm sorry it wasn't a better read. Guess I'll stick with her better books. :)

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    1. I keep waiting for one to match the enjoyment I had with the first book. She set too high a standard for herself. :)

      Just finished The Adventuress by Tasha Alexander, though, and she kept me guessing!

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    2. Ooh, I like Tasha Alexander's novels. Didn't know about this one. I'll have to look for it at the library. :)

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    3. It was on NetGalley! Request it! :)

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  5. I keep wanting to try Deanna Raybourn but it just hasn't happened yet. One day!

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    1. Ha! I've quite a few on that "One Day" list!

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