Review: Jackaby

Publication: Algonquin Young Readers

Genre: Fantasy

Format: Hardcover, 299 pages

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When Miss Abigail Rook arrives in New Fiddleham, New England, she is desperate for a job. Desperate enough to answer are strange posting. Working as investigative assistant to R. F. Jackaby, Abigail finds herself at the scene of a gruesome murder- one that Jackaby is certain was committed by a supernatural creature. Abigail is thrown into a wider world, one stranger and more dangerous than her own, as she and Jackaby endeavour to catch a killer that almost nobody else believes exists.

I love the cover of this novel! They colouring is just lovely, and it's so eerie looking. That said, I kind of feel like it doesn't exactly suit the book... Moving on.

This book was nothing too complicated, but it was still a fun read. Set in the fictional city of New Fiddleham, the novel follows Abigail as she attempts to find her way in an unfamiliar place- one that becomes even more unfamiliar once she manages to find a job. Supernatural creatures stalk the city, and she now works for Jackaby, one of the few people in the world that can see them for what they are. Though Abigail is blind to the world he sees, she has a gift for noticing the ordinary things others miss. Abigail was an enjoyable and interesting point of view to read from, if not a complex one. Her character and narration were overall straightforward. I would have liked to see more evidence of Abigail's aforementioned talent, and perhaps some cultivation of her understanding of the supernatural world around her.

The story itself was fast-paced and light- there were elements that felt like the perhaps ought to have been serious, but I just wasn't that absorbed. I enjoyed the supernatural element, though I would have liked to see more of the investigation, and perhaps more of the clues. So far, the world in this book hasn't been all that well defined, though there is a sequel. As I mentioned, it didn't really have the atmosphere that the cover portrays. In a lot of ways, this book felt like a series of snapshots of the investigation, rather than one flowing, cohesive story.

Overall, this book was a quick, easy read that more or less met my expectations, but didn't exceed them. The storytelling, characters, and plot felt fairly simple, but it was still enjoyable.

Kelly

I'm a reader and reviewer from Ontario, Canada, which mean that sometimes library trips take place place through a foot or so of snow. I'm going into my third year of university, studying Environmental Sciences, which I juggle with my almost constant reading. I've been blogging at at my own blog since 2012, and I'll be helping Yani out here on Paper Boulevard as a co-blogger.