Rating: 9/10
I knew that I wanted to read this book the second that I heard about it. While, I admit, I don't know very much in the way of Sherlock Holmes. I've really only ever watched the RDJ movie. But I think this book holds up well with really no prior knowledge of the original books. Of course, I do believe that you would certainly get more from it if you were more aware of the events and characters being discussed. But this book holds up as its' own entity. I believe I said something similar in my review of The Court of Miracles by: Kester Grant, regarding Les Miserables. But, this is also not just a straight retelling, this is more of a fantastical reimagining. In fact, in the author's note in the back of the book, Addison mentions that this book has its origins in fanfiction. So, while the book has the vibe and some of the characters from the original Sherlock canon, it isn't the same. There were some fun little references to the original characters. For example, the main protagonist/narrator is named J. H. Doyle. He is the “Watson” of the pair. At one point they reference the name “John Watson” being a clearly preposterous fake name. Which I thought was really fun. Also, one of the habitations that Crow (Sherlock) used to reside in had the name “Sherlock” in the title, which was another fun little tidbit.
In case you haven't been lucky enough to hear about this book yet, here is the summary from NetGalley:
"Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor, returns withThe Angel of the Crows, a fantasy novel of alternate 1880s London, where killers stalk the night and the ultimate power is naming.
This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting.
In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall, and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. And human beings remain human, with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent.
Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows."
The story is set up in a pretty interesting way. There is still linear storytelling, but there are different subplots, in the form of individual cases, that are playing out while the overarching plot involving ‘Jack the Ripper’ plays out. I think it’s really cool, it stops the main plot from getting stale, but it also stops the new cases from feeling serialized. It all feels like one cohesive story, not like small cases that are happening in a row. But it is still able to maintain the classic "Sherlock Holmes" kind of vibe. It was also fun, because you never really knew what the story was going to turn into. You knew for sure that there would be a plot line regarding the Jack the Ripper murders, but other than that, the rest of the stories were new discoveries. It was very close to feeling like a book of short stories, even though it was actually one cohesive work. Which was a big positive for me.
The story itself was very interesting. When I would pick it up to read a section, I would be hooked. It certainly doesnt read that fast, but that doesn’t mean it was a difficult read. It was just the kind of book to which you need to pay attention. As I previously mentioned, the subplots change per section, so it is easy to put down between sections. However, there is an overarching plotline that is consistently going in the background or concurrently with the subplot.
The writing is also very appropriate for the time period that it’s intended to represent. Addison does a great job portraying her point and giving it the vibe of a normal Sherlock Holmes novel. As I've said, I'm not overly familiar with the original works. However, I do truly believe that Addison did a good job at accurately portraying the time period in her manner of narration and word usage. There are certainly some archaic words spread throughout that I had to look up. FYI, a fetch is more or less a bad omen that appears when one is meant to die soon. That one wasn't the easiest definition to find. The writing was very descriptive, and lofty. But, it didn't feel very heavy. Sometimes books written in an old kind of prose can feel heavy and hard to digest. I personally have a hard time with true, public domain classics because of the writing (I find them to be hard to endure). But, this had all the beauty and authenticity of an older novel, without weighing the reader down. Most of all, I liked how there were some pretty dark topics breached more than once, but the story never felt too dark. There was always something lighthearted to lift the reader back up and even out the mood. It was all done so well, that the story felt very balanced.
My main problem with the book was with the exposition. I was having a hard time keeping up with the lore for some of the fantasy races. We all know that authors will borrow from a similar set of “rules” when they write fantasy breeds. Like vampires, werewolves, etc. but it’s when new/unfamiliar types that there are issues. For example, I’m still confused regarding the hellhounds and hemophages and necrophages, the fallen, etc. Not in that I don't understand what they are, it's more that I have questions regarding their appearance or how they are different from other races mentioned. I'm aware that a hemophage and a vampire are different, but I'm not really sure how they became different. By which I mean, their outward characteristics and temper are clearly different, but they kind of accomplish the same goal, so wherein is the need for the both of them? Addison mostly dropped hints regarding the different aspects of the creatures, rather than just outright stating what they are and how they came to be or how they ultimately differ from what we know. To be fair, Doyle was the narrator, so we only knew what he knew and was able to express. But, I just wish there had been a bit more detail regarding the different creatures mentioned and maybe more regarding occult law. Because those were the things that I mostly found myself to be questioning.
It is honestly my hope that this is meant to be a series or some kind of duology/trilogy. Because I have questions that I would like to have answered. I want to know more about Doyle's background and more about Crow's background especially. There were some things that were kind of mentioned in passing, that I would like to be resolved. But, this book has been one of my favorites that I've read this year. It is certainly my favorite ARC that I've read in 2020. If you're a fan of mysteries with fantasy elements and very likable characters, then this one is perfect. I'm so glad that I read this book. I really hope that Addison intends to make this book into a series. I would love to read another, I would pick it up without a second thought! This book is released tomorrow, June 23, 2020. So, you can preorder it everywhere today, or buy it outright tomorrow. I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review!