Erin

I really enjoyed this book. It makes me feel very nervous to admit this, however. After all, what kind of morbid person would ever read about dead bodies? Well, this time it falls under the umbrella of ‘research.' And perhaps morbid curiosity played a small part in me reading it. But true to form, Roach did a magnificent job asking all the obnoxious questions that nobody else would want to ask. It's gross in a lot of places, so if you have a weak stomach, don't read this. But that said, it's an easy read.

I just finished reading this with my sixth graders and they really got into it. Even though it's the end of the year, they were engaged. I was pleasantly surprised to see some of my tougher students really connect with the book. Some of the themes were provocative for them including the idea of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, taking responsibility for something you didn't do, being underestimated, and not being able to count on the adults in your life. Zero was by far the most popular character. It started some great discussions about dealing with difficult adults and managing negative expectations.

This was an entertaining book, and a new take on much of the old paranormal fiction out there. This has a strong female lead, but the reason this didn't reach five stars for me was that she gets beaten on nearly every chapter by someone different, and I hate it when violence becomes rote and boring. Additionally, I found the end to be rushed and and a bit confusing. There was quite a bit at the end that wasn't resolved, but since this is a series, I assume that it was saved for subsequent novels. My only other gripe, a really minor one, is that while the story takes place in Seattle, after the opening chapter was over, the author didn't bring as much of the “Seattle” feel to it as I would have liked. I'm sure it's my own homesickness that makes me think that, however, so I can't justify taking away stars for that. Overall, I'd recommend it as a good fun read, especially if you enjoy noir and/or paranormal fiction.

I listened to the Audible version of this in the car, and it was a good choice. The production value of Audible books is consistently good, and this was no exception.

The story was enjoyable and fun and had all the qualities of a good steampunk novel that one might expect. I liked the sometimes-cheesy naming of characters, too, but I'm a sucker for puns. I look forward to reading the second installation.

I tend to get obsessed with certain types of books for a period of time, and then can't read anything after that until a new obsession takes me. This book was meant to fit into my recent paranormal noir obsession, and I was delighted at how well it worked as paranormal noir while still feeling utterly different from the others I've read. Even if I go on to read more in this sub-genre, I think this will be the cap on the genre for me.

What seems to start out as a typical noir mystery with a missing person and a part-time PI leads us down a path of deceit, unfamiliar magic, nightmares, fantastical creatures, memories of an unhappy past, and dead people that don't stay dead. I was pleasantly suprised at the shape the story took towards the end, with it turning out to be more of an origin story for the main character than the typical fantasy noir series beginner. I'm not sure if this was meant to be the beginning of a series, and I'd be skeptical of whether the author could pull of a Book 2 of this, but only because Book 1 was so wonderful. There's a reason that super-hero stories leave the origin story for their characters for when they've run out of heroic things for the characters to do.

I think my favorite thing about this story was how well the author wove in Irish mythology and neo-pagan beliefs with the culture and history of Boston. If you aren't familiar with even the most basic of beliefs and folklore from these two groups, you'll probably get more out of this novel than I did. My only gripe was how predictable the end was as someone who is familiar at a basic level with the beliefs of neo-pagans and Irish folklore. I have a soft spot for fiction that explores mythology and religion, and the fact that this also explored the main character's past and her connection to her home town only sweetened the deal for me.