A Huge Disappointment

A little while ago, I posted a, well, post, about a book I had read, the first in a Victorian detective trilogy, called 'A Spy in the House', by Y.S Lee. I really loved that book, and was very excited to read the next one, 'The Body at the Tower.'

So I borrowed this second book from the library. I read three quarters of it. And barely five minutes ago, I got to chapter Twenty One, took out the bookmark, closed the book, and put it away.

I hardly am the type of person to do this. Number one, probably all books I read I like. Number two, I don't like giving up on reading a book when I have a few chapters to go (and when I saw a few, I mean, like, ten.) So, I am going to share with you why I kind of disliked this book.

First of all, beautiful, cunning Mary Quinn, has to cut her hair. Not a bob, not in an attractive style like Hazel from the Fault In Our Stars, not shoulder length. No, it's cut  so its nearly bald in some parts, furry in others, so it looks like someone shaved her head blindfolded. Now, I don't know about you, but that just ruined her image. Okay, she had to pretend to be a poor boy on a construction site, it would have blown her cover if she had long hair. So it was logical. Just... I don't know how to explain it. You may think I'm being a little over the top and sounding like a girl who screams "OMG MY NAILS! THEY'RE RUINED!" But really, I just didn't like that.

Also, the plot was boring. I was really engaged when I heard about a man who fell from a clock tower to his death, but then it just dragged on and on and on about all this stuff that I just didn't want or need to know. The story could have been way better. I was expecting it to be way better. But it was just too  complex. Lee could have simplified it and then made it more engaging. Maybe its just me, because I don't understand some of that stuff yet. The words explaining boring things I would just read and not factor them into my mind or understand them. I would just read what is on the page and my mind would be elsewhere.

It wasn't all bad, though. James Easton came back. It's a bit funny seeing Mary adapting in a young boy's life. I just found it went on and on, droning, almost. And, what is worth reading if you don't like it?
Looking on Amazon reviews for this book, everyone who reviewed loved it. I liked it. Okay, I actually did like it. But it just wasn't the same as the first book for me. And that is what made me disappointed. The overall topic, character development, settting, language was really great. Just some parts didn't click.

If I were to rate it, I would rate it....3 stars.


Sorry, I had to get this out of my system. Catch up later.

Zobo.