Saturday, January 24, 2015

Steampunk Saturday: A Study in Darkness (The Baskerville Affair #2) by Emma Jane Holloway

For this week's Steampunk Saturday, I have a review of A Study in Darkness from The Baskerville Affair series by Emma Jane Holloway. Here's the cover and Goodreads blurb:

When a bomb goes off at 221B Baker Street, Evelina Cooper is thrown into her Uncle Sherlock’s world of mystery and murder. But just when she thought it was safe to return to the ballroom, old, new, and even dead enemies are clamoring for a place on her dance card.

Before Evelina’s even unpacked her gowns for a country house party, an indiscretion puts her in the power of the ruthless Gold King, who recruits her as his spy. He knows her disreputable past and exiles her to the rank alleyways of Whitechapel with orders to unmask his foe.

As danger mounts, Evelina struggles between hiding her illegal magic and succumbing to the darker aspects of her power. One path keeps her secure; the other keeps her alive. For rebellion is brewing, a sorcerer wants her soul, and no one can protect her in the hunting ground of Jack the Ripper.



Evelina has such a hard time toeing the line between darkness and light when she has to deal with Magnus. She is smart enough to try to keep from falling into his promises of power but she is still drug deeper into his creepy little world of darkness. The story of Jack the Ripper is one of the quintessential mysteries of the Victorian Era and I love it when authors and creators can bring that mystery into their work because it makes the world seem that much more real. The events in Whitechapel place the story directly into our world. The author also made the story of the Ripper blend seamlessly into their story-which I loved. It made sense so I was not pulled out of the story by the story of the Ripper. By the end of the story, I actually managed to detest the Gold King even more than I had previously. The fact that he saw his daughter as a pawn to be used and not an heir to take over his business really made me mad. How could he trust her enough to ask her opinion and then get so mad that she wanted to take over the business?! I just could not stand him. I also ached for Evelina when she found Nick again. He had grown into himself and he was no longer the circus boy who loved her. When she finds him again, he is so sure of who he is and they still find themselves with feelings for one another... it was so realistic and sweet. I loved it. Poor Bucky and Imogen, though. They tried so hard to earn their own happiness and it was kept from them. Bucky is a much better person in my thoughts than Tobias. Tobias is just so weak and so selfish at times but Bucky is so real and genuine. Bucky is willing to fight for what he wants and Tobias is not. Tobias could not see any answer but the easy path. Bucky is willing to do what it takes to get his happily ever after. I adore Bucky and Nick because they seem to be strong and secure in themselves and that makes them so much more willing to fight for their futures. I love that in their characters. Next week I will have my review of the final book in the trilogy.

You can click here to add A Study in Darkness to your Goodreads. You can find author Emma Jane Holloway on her website, on Twitter, on Facebook and on Pinterest. I give A Study in Darkness 4 Fairies for a dark and mysterious romp through Whitechapel and into the world of the airship pirate.

No comments: