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I WANT TO BUY MORE BOOKS BUT ADULTING BRUUUUUHHHHH

i can't finish a book for the life of me 😭

London, England in 1888 - the year that Jack the Ripper murdered five women. This is an alternate London though, one where angels, werewolves, vampires, & hellhounds live amongst humans.

An ingenious read with some great characters. Crow and Dr Doyle are obviously the alternate Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watson. The world-building is good, and the MCs make the reader root for them to succeed. I'd read a sequel. 5🌟

I saw a lot of reviews hating on this one, but I thought it was delightful. To be fair, I am a sucker for a Sherlock Holmes adaptation.

This is the current dog walking listen, and it keeps making me smile. High hopes for the remaining 88 percent!

I didn't find this novel nearly as engrossing as The Goblin Emperor, but that may be because I'm a Holmes idiot, in that I've read very little Holmes. Still, it's a fun enough time, even if it occasionally feels a little loose thread-y.

I love it. It's like this has been written just for me, Sherlock Holmes stories with a supernatural bent. Only Watson is called Doyle, and Holmes is an angel called Crow. You will get the most out of this if you have a firm grip on the canon and recognize the differences. Justice for Tonga! A Holmes version that is not a rude, sociopathic egotist is also a plus.

I finished it yesterday and I am bereft. Clearly The Goblin Emperor wasn't a one-hit wonder with me. Good thing I have an ARC of The Witness for the Dead...

I'm finding myself wishing I remembered my Sherlock Holmes canon better, so I could get all the references...

Set in an alternate Victorian London with protector angels in every public building, Crow, the Angel of London, takes the Sherlock role. Dr. Doyle, in the Watson role, occasionally turns into a hellhound. That's not the only secret that Dr. Doyle holds though. These two “outsider buddies“ proceed to solve several London mysteries including some famous Sherlock ones with a twist. The author note says the book started as a Sherlock fanfic story.

I had this as an ARC, but didn't read it yet. I really love Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor, and I had to pick a moment where this book won't be overshadowed by not being Goblin Emperor.

That moment suddenly arrived now! Inconveniently, since I am VERY busy, but now I just wanna devour it.

First note: I wonder if the landlady being Mrs Climpson could be a reference to Dorothy L. Sayers? Since the whole thing is a Conan Doyle reference.

This is a very different take on the Sherlock Holmes stories with Crow (Holmes) as an angel and Dr. Doyle (Watson) as a human who sometimes transforms into a hellhound. I was skeptical at first but enjoyed the retelling more and more as I progressed through the book.

I didn't quite make 20 hours in the #20in4 readathon but I did manage a respectable (for me, anyhow) 17 hours and 10 minutes. Thanks @Andrew65 for hosting!

While I thought the idea was fun (supernatural elements added to Sherlock Holmes stories), I was confused why the best plot points of Doyle‘s stories were removed. In a lot of the mysteries the mystery is solved either due to a shift in perspective or the absence of a character (the ‘Holmes‘ is not in two of the last three stories). Not my cup of tea, but I did enjoy drawing my crow! #bookjournal

Such a great Sherlock Holmes retelling—a fascinating combo of fantasy & Sherlockian mystery. In a London where werewolves, angels, and vampires all have unique places in society, we meet Crow & his sidekick Doyle (neither of whom quite fit into their societally-assigned categories) as they pursue various cases, with the mystery of Jack the Ripper looming in the background. I thoroughly enjoyed this—thank you @Laughterhp for putting it on my radar!

Hi friends! Have been busy with my new job, so I haven‘t been on Litsy much this week.

Finished this book last night. The author called it Sherlock wingfic, which I just love. It started as fanfic and she then made it into a book.

The Sherlock character is an Angel named Crow. The Watson character is named Doyle who has their own secrets. You‘ll see some familiar stories but with a fantasy twist. Also, Jack the Ripper is roaming the streets.

Awesome! The narrator is great, and the world building is imaginative and fun.The only complaint is that the mysteries are mostly a rewrite of the original more famous stories. If you don‘t mind that, you get to enjoy the story with a Sherlock that is charming and lovable and weird, unlike the jackass genius Sherlocks so popular in newer adaptations for film, tv and print. Also, a Watson that is smart and competent, not a slow-witted fool

Ahh @BarbaraJean ! I‘m so excited! I was finally able to open my package today! I‘m so excited to read this book and I hope you like it too!

Ghiradelli chocolate squares are my favorite! I can‘t wait to dive in. I unfortunately can‘t eat the Lindt chocolate but it won‘t go to waste!

#jolabokaflodswap

It pains me to give this a meh review, as The Goblin Emperor is a favorite of mine & this has many similar elements - an immersive atmosphere, likable characters, & an overall sense of gentle comfort. But while Addison does put her stamp on the Holmesian universe, this is well-trodden ground & in the end following Doyle's style & stories a little too closely felt a bit repetitive & not quite as fresh as I was hoping. Fun, but sadly not a pick.

I really loved this book! Went into it totally blind and was excited to discover it‘s a fantasy/alternate history retelling of Sherlock Holmes. I loved the characters and the overall cozy feeling this gave me. Some of the world building was a little confusing because you were expected to learn as you go with no explanation and there were a few storylines that were just kind of forgotten but I really loved it. (Read back in September)

Got a windstorm wreaking havoc outside at the moment. Going to try to finish this one up before we lose power. It‘s already pulled the lattice out of the ground and knocked over some of the plants so we‘ll see how much longer we get lights for.

Well, I made it as far in this as I'm going to.

It sounds interesting. I am obsessed with this cover. Sherlock fanfiction with vampires, angels and a little Jack the Ripper seemed like something I needed in my life. It's not. I'm bored. That's enough for me.

I made the attempt so on the board it goes!

#bookspinbingo
@TheAromaofBooks

Very stressful and anxiety inducing day 😪 Boyfriend is gone fishing for the weekend so it‘s just me and the dogs. Hoping to relax a bit and start to make a dent in my currently reading/novella stack before he comes home. Probably try to finish off the tagged book and continue on from there! Also if anyone has any tips on how to relax and lower anxiety they would be greatly appreciated at the moment. Can‘t remember the last time I relaxed 😅

Settled in to read this with a furry companion and a track of a thunderstorm and a crackling fire playing in the background. Only 26% in and I am pleasantly surprised at how much I‘m enjoying this! (I went into this blind) Sherlock, Watson and Lestrade if they were in a alternate historical/fantasy-ish realm with all manner of supernatural creatures and Jack the Ripper. What could go wrong? 🤪

This is the first weekend all month that I should have mostly to myself and I plan to take advantage!

I'm hoping 🤞🤞 to get these 3 books read and returned by the end of the weekend.

Happy reading all!

#24B4Monday
@SumisBooks @jb72 @Andrew65

I get it, I really do, it‘s just like a rewrite of Sherlock Holmes. With that being said, I loved it. It had me intrigued, it kept me guessing and it had surprises that I didn‘t see coming. I love the paranormal twist to the story that came with a small glimpse into historical London. Furthermore, there was such an honest sincerity and struggle with finding acceptance in yourself that I found beautiful.

I think the main problem with this book is i listen to it. There were seemingly a lot of small plots within the larger one. I enjoyed the supernatural ideas the author presented, and the similarities to Sherlock Holmes. I may try to read this again with it as a physical book to see if my rating would change.

Plenty of people are going to enjoy this book. A reimagining of Victorian London with magic, angels, vampires etc. It is well written and engaging. I really like both Crow and Doyle. But do we really need another Sherlock/Ripper reimagining? What about a book where T Hardy is forced to live as a woman in one of his own books? Or where W Morris does a Dexter on evil industrialists with arsenic wallpaper? Still a pick, but a weak one.

This was just Sherlock Holmes with occasional mentions of magical creatures and the Sherlock character had wings. While charmingly written, there was no major tension other than the Ripper case which had an unsatisfying ending. Maybe there's going to be a sequel because there were A LOT of loose ends and things mentioned that never came up again. If you love Sherlock, give this a try. If you are looking for an original work of fantasy...pass.

Set in a well developed magical/steam punk London, this book presents a smart, though Watson and a Sherlock that‘s a cinnamon roll of a consulting detective. A welcome palate cleanser for anyone sick of the insufferable genius trope.

This is an ACTUAL spin on Sherlock Holmes. Not a regurgitation with just one character gender swapped. That made me want to keep reading to see who would be incorporated and what they would be! (Moriarty being a vampire *chefs kiss*) I thoroughly enjoyed this! She made the iconic characters her own and messed with the world a lot!

Time for another Sherlock Holmes retelling!

Currently reading

I‘m very much enjoying this one. All things I love. Sherlock Holmes. Fantasy. Murder mystery. Bits of A Study in Scarlet, but with a twist. Completely entertaining.

I loved this Sherlock Holmes remix set in a Victorian London full of guardian angels, hell-hounds, vampires, and other sundry supernaturals. There are tons of familiar elements—names, crimes, locations—but Addison twists everything just far enough out of sync with the original stories that there‘re plenty of surprises even for readers who know the source material pretty well.

The episodic structure did hold me at a slight distance at first, ⬇️

#bookreport time!

I finished SKIRMISH in print, along with THE KING OF CROWS by Libba Bray and COME TUMBLING DOWN by Seanan McGuire on audio.

I‘ll finish THE ANGEL OF THE CROWS (as represented by this small plush crow) tonight.

I didn‘t get to ATHYRA, but it always was a long shot with Michelle West in the mix.

Yesterday‘s outdoor reading involved tea and a hoodie, because it got COLD. 😭

At first, I figured THE ANGEL OF CROWS was one of those books I‘d click with intellectually, not emotionally, but I‘m getting more and more into it. Addison layers her worldbuilding and characterization so there‘s always some new angle to discover. I had myself a good up-til-1 binge last night and I‘m hoping to finish it today.

Lunch + new book. I‘m only 6% in, but I‘m very much enjoying the narrative voice and the familiar unfamiliarity of it all.

Provisionally interesting, but not an autobuy for me. I'll wait a few months until the reviews trickle in. And honestly, this quoted blurb that's in all the advertisements seems extremely high-handed and is turning me off.

I'm so glad they posted an excerpt (which I haven't read it yet) because on one hand this is by the same author who's written several books that I loved, but on the other this could be described as a steampunk Sherlock Holmes wingfic, and those are very divergent feelings for me.

https://www.torforgeblog.com/2020/05/05/excerpt-the-angel-of-the-crows-by-kather...

Moderation‘s good and all, but when your favourite author‘s next book shows up on NetGalley it‘s time to quit worrying about the size of your TBR and request yourself an ARC. #galleybrag