Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a book of historical magical realism that was well written but slow moving. I really enjoyed the main character, Bridie, who is using her gifts to find a missing child who has some distinguishing traits. I liked the detective storyline and the mystery and suspense that surrounded it. I wish the story drew me in faster and held my attention more.

3.5 stars

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I almost DNF this one. The writing had excessive descriptions that made me feel lost in mundane details, It's frustrating when an otherwise good story is bogged down by so much detail that you almost can't really enjoy it bc you find yourself skimming to stay attentive.

Fans of mystery and fantasy will likely adore this book (as seen, already, by early reviews). But I admit, upfront, I probably wasn’t the ultimate reader. While I enjoy touches of magical realism on occasion – i.e. The Snow Child, The Book of Speculation, the Silence of Bonaventure Arrow - I’m not a big fantasy reader or mystery reader. And, this clearly is a whodunit, which I wanted to give a try.

I'm not quite sure what happened here with this book. I couldn't seem to really pick up an interest in it at all. It was hard to keep pace with. Sorry, this just wasn't my cup of tea. Thank you for the early opportunity though!

The title "Things in Jars" didn't register at first, but it is very apt for the book. Set in dark Victorian London with a female detective and things in jars, this book certainly has a defined mood.

I wasn't able to finish the book. It was really difficult to follow. Maybe I will try to pick it up another time, but I just wasn't that interested.

This was a hard novel to follow. I did not understand what was going on throughout most of it. However, the mystery was intriguing.

A gothic old age London killer on the loose mystery. Solidly wrote in the mood of sooty streets. Very atmospheric and dark. Loved this book.

Jess Kidd's writing is so good at the sentence level. I've used paragraphs from this book to teach description to my students.

I want to preface my review by saying I’m generally not into magical realism or fantasy but the premise intrigued me. Overall I liked the story - there were a few scenes that got a bit graphic and quite a few times I found myself wanting to skim parts as they were too descriptive. If you’re into magical realism check this one out! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Jess Kidd's writing is so rich that it's not the type of book you simply skim through. There's a lot hidden in each line and you have to pay close attention to grasp all of the many colors of her phrases. At the very beginning, I had a little bit of trouble concentrating, but once I felt comfortable with Kidd's writing style, the story drew me in.

I absolutely loved Kidd's main character: Bridie Devine, a female detective in 1860s Victorian England. She seems to know tons of useful skills and uses her wits to solve cases. When a little girl (with some curious traits) goes missing, Bridie is tasked with finding her. There is a wonderful fantasy element to the story, including a ghost with moving tattoos that follows Bridie everywhere and the missing little girl herself, who seems to be part sea creature. Bridie's journey is full of mystery (with descriptions of her traumatic childhood) and violence. There were definitely a few sections that were a little graphic for my taste.

I did feel like there were some loose ends (unless I just missed catching everything), so I can't give this five stars, but I'd be interested to see what other stories Kidd concocts. What an imagination!

Things in Jars will certainly appeal to many readers with its wide range of genres magical realism, historical fiction, mystery and even a bit of romance. I enjoyed the overall story line, but was often left wanting to skim the beginning of each chapter with the overly drawn out descriptions of the characters. I was really hoping to love this book, but I think I'm in the I didn't love it camp.

Fans of mystery and fantasy will likely adore this book (as seen, already, by early reviews). But I admit, upfront, I probably wasn’t the ultimate reader. While I enjoy touches of magical realism on occasion – i.e. The Snow Child, The Book of Speculation, the Silence of Bonaventure Arrow - I’m not a big fantasy reader or mystery reader. And, this clearly is a whodunit, which I wanted to give a try.

That said, this novel, in many ways, reminds me both of Melmoth and The Museum of Extraordinary Things, books I enjoyed. So while this isn’t a “5” for me, due mainly to genre preference, I did find it entertaining as I completed my treadmill workouts. There are laugh-out-loud moments, tender moments, unbelievable moments, and lovely writing throughout. Bridie Devine is quite the character, and I enjoyed her sidekicks, Cora and Ruby.

For me personally, this is probably more closely a “3,” but bumped up a star for the genre and the fascinating history portrayed (of medical experimentation, the seedy practice of curiostiy “collectors,” and preservation methods of the 1800s).

For those who like feisty female characters ahead of their time, you’ll find much to admire and love in the main character, Bridie Devine.

Many thanks to Atria for the advance copy through NetGalley for an unbiased review.

I will not be giving feedback on this book. I started it, and was not in the right mindset for reading it. When/if I do pick it up again, I will definitely leave a thoughtful review.

A little mysterious, a little magical realisim, Things in Jars was a fun and different historical fiction tale set in London. I loved the little ocean folklore stories throughout. It was a fun escape from the everyday.

A fun, atmospheric adventure. Kidd’s details of Victorian London are so interesting and I really enjoyed her plucky heroine Bridie. Some parts dragged a bit but overall an enjoyable read.

After three false starts, I finally managed to make my way through Things in Jars thanks to the wonderful narrator of the audiobook. I usually DNF without mercy these days, so I’m not quite sure why I stuck with this one, other than a vague notion that if I just kept reading that it would turn into the book I’ve heard friends rave about.

Although I loved the concept of the book and the plot itself was rather entertaining, something about Kidd’s writing style just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t ever really able to connect with the characters, and I couldn’t really see how all of the different stories would connect until close to the end of the novel. But generally, female sleuths + potentially magical mysteries = absolutely the book for me. So all of this being said, I do think that many readers will absolutely enjoy this one!

Just trying to clear my Netgalley shelf of older content that I read but forgot to or didn't rate/review. Personally really enjoyed this one, but can't find a way to fit it into curriculum (a shame!).

Things in Jars ended up being a mash-up of nearly all the elements I love in gothic novels (of which I've read many). I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I was going to.

Bridie Devine (such a fantastic name) is a private detective who specializes in finding lost children. Lost children who are...unique. Her last case didn't go very well and she's still feeling the emotional fallout when, surprisingly, someone else wants to hire her.

The secret daughter of a society gentleman who is said to have supernatural looks and abilities has been kidnapped and her recently-hired nanny has gone missing alongside her. Bridie is brought in to find her and, luckily for her, she can count on having some help. Her seven-foot-tall maid Cora is fiercely protective of her (overly so, you could argue), and, at the beginning of the book, we see Bridie begin to be haunted by the friendly (and frankly, handsome) ghost of a former boxer who claims to know Bridie from back in the day, though she has no memory of him. Frequent flashbacks let us know that Bridie herself has a backstory - and one important to this case, no less.

There is a lot going on in this book, but it's also rather leisurely, especially for a mystery. But honestly, that's kind of the charm of it. We get to spend plenty of time in the Victorian era, accompanying Bridie as she investigates and brings herself into the path of a world full of hurt. I really enjoyed getting lost in this world.

I want to reread this at some point because there was SO MUCH going on and I'm not convinced I picked up on everything, but also because I'm going to miss this world so much now that it's over and I'd love to go back and experience it all over again. I will definitely pick up more by this author - she's earned herself another fan right here!

Dark. Bazar. Funny. Imaginative. Playful. Unique. Jess Kidd is officially one of my favorite writers now after reading this.