In Victorian London, Audrey Rose, daughter of a Lord, is expected to follow all of society’s expectations. However, Audrey Rose is more interested in dissecting corpses and studying forensic medicine with her estranged uncle. When her forensic studies lead to her working with the police on a string of brutal murders, she finds herself in more danger than ever expected.

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Why this book?: I’d heard good things, and heard that the MC was part Indian!

With the hype surrounding this series, I was really unsure if I wanted to delve into the possibilities of being overtaken by fans and reputation. I picked it up because historical murders (especially ones with questionable endings) always interest me. Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden mostly, but they are morbidly fascinating to me. So this one definitely fell into the “maybe” category. All I knew about it was that it was about Jack the Ripper, and that the protagonist was part Indian.

I can definitely see why people love this series. Not only was Audrey Rose a smart, independent woman, but her love interest, Thomas Cresswell, wasn’t a horrible person. I loved how Audrey’s views meshed horribly with the current society, because it was an amazing comparison to see what was expected and what was feminist. Something that surprised me, though, was that apparently other readers were saying that Audrey Rose was petty and dissed other girls for being feminine, and thought that she was better because she did forensic work. Let me get something straight: that assumption completely wrong. Audrey makes it clear on multiple occasions that she understands why others conforms to society’s standards, and that she doesn’t think she’s better–she personally just doesn’t want to conform. And Audrey Rose herself is feminine. She likes to wear dresses, she likes some frilly things. Just because she doesn’t like other “girly” things, doesn’t mean she is dissing other girls.

The story itself is really good. The characters are dynamic, and the mystery itself was alluring. I wanted to know what was coming next, and I just couldn’t stop myself from reading more and more. There were twists here and there, some that were a little obvious, and others that just blew me out of the water.

Final Rating: ★★★★☆

Overall?

I enjoyed this story much more than I expected. Maniscalco’s writing is interesting and funny, and kept me reading just as much as her characters and plot did. While I really liked everything, there was nothing in the story that really made it exemplary to me. Just a little extra push would have been rewarded with 5 stars, but, in my opinion, something was missing.

Would I Recommend?

Yes! It was a really good book, and I am glad to say that I read the next one right after finishing this one, and that little extra push was there. I think this series is definitely worth the hype, and any false pretenses you hear floating around the internet should definitely be double checked with someone you trust.

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Additional Information:

Published: September 20th, 2016

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson

Page Count: 326

Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery/Horror

Synopsis: via Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.