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The Spiritglass Charade (2014)

by Colleen Gleason(Favorite Author)

4.04 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1452110719 (ISBN13: 9781452110714)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Chronicle Books

series

Stoker & Holmes

review 1: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. I really enjoyed this book. Steam punk 1800s London, with vampires, time-travel, and tie-ins to great works of fiction, what's not to love? Evaline Stoker (Bram stokers younger sister) and Mina Holmes (Sherlock Holmes' niece) are the two main characters. Both Mina and Evaline are strong female leads, Mina is an extremely intelligent young woman and Evaline has super-natural strength and is fearless (except at the sight of blood). I loved that they were strong and fairly independent women during a time when women were supposed to be weak and thoughtless. They both still seemed real and were relatable. Despite their strength & intelligence, they both are involved in romantic aspects as well. Evaline is developing feelings ... morefor a seedy character named Pix and Mina is in the beginnings of a love triangle between herself, Inspector Grayling, and Dylan (time-traveler from 2016). I've read a review or two that said the reader was dissatisfied with the romantic aspect and the fact that Evaline freezes at the sight of blood.... they are 17 year old girls! Most, not matter how head-strong, still have romantic feelings toward men (or women) and Evalines fear when she sees blood, to me, make them more human. I also read the first book in the series, The Clockwork Scarab. I enjoyed that as well but the mystery was never solved. This was not the case in The Spirtglass Charade. At first I was a bit frustrated that case number 1 wasn't solved but now it seems like it was just another way to make them relatable. People don't always figure everything out but these remarkable young women have turned things around and foiled the evil-doers in book #2. I can't wait for book #3!
review 2: I won my copy of The Spiritglass Charade by Colleen Gleason through GoodReads Firstreads and I LOVED it!!! The story begins with a request for Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker to investigate wether or not a wealthy young woman named Willa was being conned of her fortune through a spiritual medium, or if someone were hoping to drive her insane in order to gain her inheritance. Willa's mother passed away and her brother Robby went missing and Willa hoped to get messages from her dead mother through the medium on the whereabouts of her brother. The spiritglass was this blue-green orb that showed invisible ink through it's light where "messages" written by the medium were made visible. The case gets underway, and after Mina and Evaline attend a seance the medium is murdered in her home, and Mina tries to deduce the validity of the mediums "powers" only to discover she was a fraud and that she had definitely been murdered. Evaline, a vampire hunter, is then alerted to the return of vampires in London, and along with trying to solve the main mystery she's on high alert to the presence of the blood-suckers. The ending leaves us with a tantalizing new revelation that I CANNOT wait to read about in the next book!! Blooming fish this was a great book!! (you'll get that reference when you read the book!) less

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