Hello and welcome to a book review! Today I am trying something new where I review books that have been gifted to me. Many moons ago the lovely and wonderful Adrianna, who you can find on twitter as @romancebookbing., gifted me a copy of a book I really wanted. She is such an amazing person with a huge heart and the book arriving was a totally needed surprise at the time and I am still very grateful for. Anyway, if you caught the title chances are you know what book she sent me, The Canary Keeper by Clare Carson.
One Sentence Review
A wonderfully written and enthralling historical fiction mystery that kept me hooked.
Description
“In the grey mist of the early morning a body is dumped on the shore of the Thames by a boatman in a metal canoe. The city is soon alive with talk of the savage Esquimaux stalking Victorian London and an eye witness who claims the killer had an accomplice: a tall woman dressed in widow’s weeds, with the telltale look of the degenerate Irish.
Branna ‘Birdie’ Quinn had no good reason to be by the river that morning, but she did not kill the man. She’d seen him first the day before, desperate to give her a message she refused to hear. And now the Filth will see her hang for his murder, just like her father.
To save her life, Birdie must trace the dead man’s footsteps. Back onto the ship that carried him to his death, back to cold isles of Orkney that sheltered him, and up to the far north, a harsh and lawless land which holds more answers than she looks to find…
The Canary Keeper is a must-read historical epic, weaving suspense, adventure and romance into an exhilarating thriller.” –goodreads.com
What I Liked
One of the main things I loved about this story is that it includes real events and such, but the author is able to mix fact and fiction in such a flawless and remarkable way. The murder and the overall plot felt like it could have really happened in the Victorian era. As someone who studied history, this really makes or breaks a book set in the past. But as I said, he author sews the past with fiction in a masterful way.
On top of mixing the truth with fiction, the setting and atmosphere throughout the novel was on point as well. Since I have read a lot of mysteries and thrillers over the years, I often find myself on a rollercoaster of interest when reading a run of the mill mystery, but the level of suspense through this novel was just the right amount. I was pulled in for most of the story, more on that later, but I was also not too anxious while reading. As I said earlier, the setting was just wonderfully done, the novel felt as if it was the Victorian era, it had the perfect feel to it. Which, I think shows the talent of the author.
What I Didn’t Like
As I said in the previous section, most of the story I was really drawn in. But honestly, there was a dip about 2/3 of the way through that I was kinda loosing interest, but then it turned around again.
Overall
Overall, I am so happy that I was able to read this story. It was a really wonderfully done historical mystery. The characters were great, the setting was perfect, the atmosphere really lent itself to the plot in a seamless way. I really think if you enjoy a good mystery and maybe just general historical fiction you should look further into this one!
Have you read this book before or is it on your TBR?
Bookish Luna 