Title: A Curious Beginning
Author: Deanna Raybourn
Pages: 368
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Source: Free ARC from Berkley Publishing
Rating: A-
Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review (and trust me, honest is always what you’ll get).
Review: So, I’m a bit of a cover whore. If I haven’t made this clear before, I feel I have done so now. 🙂 I frequently select a book for its cover without reading anything about it (so long as the genre is to my liking). I’ve seen two covers for A Curious Beginning (though I know there are more), and I love them both. But I do believe that I prefer the cover that is being released today in paperback. So, so pretty! So. Pretty. But I digress…onto the actual story.
For whatever reason, it took me a good 60 pages or so to really get into this story (I’m sure that has nothing to do with me being foolish enough to try and sneak in some reading time while my minions are home and awake), but as the adventure progressed and the relationship between Stoker and Veronica developed, I found myself fully sucked in.
Veronica Speedwell is the me I’d be if I didn’t worry at all about what other people thought. She is forward and outspoken, intelligent and curious, ambitious and determined, independent and completely unapologetic. “This is who I am, take it or leave it” would be an appropriate mantra for her. I love that about her. Stoker is all of those things, but grumpier and much more cynical. Their sarcastic banter is beyond enjoyable!
The mystery itself was quite good. An intricately weaved web where you are left to wonder what everyone’s motives are until the very end. And I think the best measure of a good first in a series is how badly you want to read the next, and I assure you, I have the galley for A Perilous Undertaking sitting on my Kindle, and it is taking all of my will power not to jump straight to it and skip the many other books in line ahead of it.
And this is one of the books I’ll purchase because I’ve already read it (and because that scrumptious cover!).
Although the stories overall are different, I would say that if you enjoyed The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (and I have to ask what is wrong with you if you didn’t), then A Curious Beginning should appeal to you. Definitely give it a go!