William Ritter's Beastly Bones (a.k.a : the downside to ARCs)

It wasn't very long ago that I rambled on about the first Jackaby book and now the second one is coming out on September 22nd. Lucky me, I was given a copy by NetGalley to review.

Much of what I said about the first still applies. I still love Jackaby and Abigail and the returning secondary characters and the new secondary characters -- many of whom I hope we see more of in the future (since it has been confirmed that there WILL be a future). I have, however, rethought my original "huh?" feelings over the comparison to Doctor Who and how disappointed I felt I would be if it went all wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey on me.

As it turns out, throughout most of Beastly Bones I found myself picturing R. F. Jackaby resembling a young 1988-ish Peter Capaldi:

http://vintagegeekculture.tumblr.com/post/112847784301/young-peter-capaldi-in-lair-of-the-white-worm

As for the wibbly-wobbly-ness, there's no time travel by Jackaby and Abilgail per se ... yet ... but there are some things from the past that come in to play in extraordinary ways and I didn't mind them one bit (except, of course, for when they made me catch my breath while my heart simultaneously attempted to leap out of my chest).

Of course, there were mysteries aplenty -- some more breath-catching than other.

(please note that since this IS an ARC the final text may be different than the screencaps below)

What do the R and F stand for?

What the heck is going on with our favorite ghost/housemate?

What sort of dangerous mess are they diving into this time?

How many odd looks will I get when I start rating everything on a scale of one to pomegranate?

What happened during Chapter Thirteen?

How much would Jackaby freak out (if he wasn't confined to the pages of a book) if I hugged him?

How much would it cost to add a third floor to my house? (duck optional -- but welcomed)

And so so so many more that you'll just have to read about for yourselves.

So, the whole "downside to ARCs" bit from the post title? Since Ritter is currently out and about doing book release/pre-release events and signings and conventions and whatnots, that means he isn't at home typing up a storm ... which means I'll have to wait far too long for the next installment and for some of the unresolved issues to be at least talked about again.

And I hate waiting. (Unless it's my own choice to do so, of course.)

#TeaserTuesday # 24 - William Ritter's Beastly Bones (Jackaby # 2)

The Book & The Tease

(please note: the copy I'm reading is an ARC thanks to NetGalley;  
therefore, the text may be different with the final publication)


The Meme

#BookBeginnings & #Friday56 & A Ramble - William Ritter's Jackaby

It's Friday again so it's time for Friday56 at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings at Rose City Reader!

The Book Beginnings rules are to share the first few sentences & initial thoughts while the Friday56 is to share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark.

I just completed William Ritter's ever-so-amazing Jackaby. I had thought that I had read it before since I meant to SO many times and had read so much about it that, in my head, I already loved it ... but when I got "back" into it before this past Teaser Tuesday post, I realized that it really was all in my head. I'm sure Jackaby would appreciate that.

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Set in 1892, Jackaby has been described as a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who ... although I would nix the Doctor Who bit and say it's more Sherlockian and either Supernatural or Grimm with more than a tad Harry Potter thrown in for good measure (it is, after all, a "young adult" novel). Even Abigail, the narrator and female lead, compares Jackaby to Sherlock Holmes (in an implied kind of way, at least). 

 

There's quite a bit of paranormal/magical awesomeness going on along with a good ol' Victorian-times murder mystery but the "all of time and space" deal that goes along with my beloved Doctor just isn't there (in the first book, anyway ... and I think I'll be disappointed if it crops up in the second). 

I ramble.... but....

I. Love. This. Book.

The spunk of Abigail ... the awesomeness of the home/office (and the other inhabitants) ... the humor. Oh, and so much humor there is! I'm quite glad that the same handful of regulars ride the bus with me into work most nights because I let out quite a hoot a couple of nights ago and it may have been awkward among strangers who haven't just come to expect such things from me.

And the actual mystery storyline? Well, I had quite a bit of the bits figured out but, being Jackaby, there had to be some twists tossed in that I didn't quite see coming and I love him (and William Ritter) for them.

And I love Abigail (so much so that I've said it twice). 

And Charlie.

And the old lady who fishes for the bridge troll.

And the duck.

And even Chief Inspector Marlowe.

Most of all, I love how the whack-doodle-ness of it all actually fits together.

Beastly Bones is the second in the series and will be out September 22nd. I'll be curling up under a cozy blanket with it before then, though, thanks yet again to NetGalley.

Teaser Tuesday # 21 - William Ritter's Jackaby

The Tease & The Book

Jackaby by William Ritter

The Meme