This is definitely a case of the wrong reader!

I am always looking to explore new genres and step outside my thriller bubble. One genre that I tend to avoid is historical fiction. But the premise sounded promising and the opportunity was there, so I gave it my best shot.

Unfortunately I need to stick to what I know works best for me and sadly that does not include historical fiction.

I just could not connect with this book no matter how hard I tried. It’s just me, not the writing!
There are so many exceptional five star reviews for this book please do not let my review sway you if this one is o. Your list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books.

I really loved Things in Jars! I'd been waiting to read it because I wasn't sure what to expect given some of the reviews. However, as we all know, not everyone has the same opinion when it comes to writing styles nor subject matter.

This Gothic story is magical, mystical, and macabre. It transported me to Victorian London with its attention to detail, and the author doesn't leave out unpleasant details. either. Jess Kidd's extremely detailed descriptions in Things in Jars help bring the story alive. Just one example is when Bridie arrives at her client Sir Edmund's home. "Sir Edmund's home is an architectural grotesque, the ornate facade the unlikely union of a warship and a wedding cake. A riot of musket loops, carved shells, licorice-twist chimneys, mock battlements, a first-floor prow, and an exuberance of portholes. On the carved stone pediment above the wide front door Neptune cavorts with sea nymphs." I just love these details which are much like this throughout the book.

The characters in Things in Jars are well fleshed out and bring life to the story. Some of the characters are just as creepy as the setting, but I'll let you discover them for yourselves.

The main character, Bridie Devine, is an extremely talented detective. Her attention to detail, and her ability to blend in with the crowds give her an extra advantage. Of course, the police force, with the exception of one, doesn't care. She's a woman, therefore, she can't be smart enough to be an investigator. One particular detective, though, appreciates her skills though, and he's come to her for help many times. This isn't one of those times, and the two end up at odds several times during the investigation.

I love the paranormal elements in the story. There are just enough of them , mixed with reality, to make you believe that maybe, just maybe, this could be a true story.

Things in Jars will appeal to readers who enjoy Gothic detective stories. I can't wait to read more books by Jess Kidd.

A wonderfully witty, original and beautifully written book. I would highly recommend; a must read by an amazing author.

I read the first few sentences and immediately ordered Jess Kidd's other books. Sometimes you just know a new favorite author that quickly.

This book was wonderful: a true "story" filled with adventure, heartbreak, improbability and magic. I loved everything about it.

While this took me a little longer to read than I expected, I enjoyed it.

The main characters were charming and our villains were wonderfully villainous.

I definitely loved the atmosphere of the book - it was both chilling and engaging.

Not a quick read, but an enjoyable one!

One of the best books of 2020. A great story that jumps between two years 1843 and 1863 set in London. A magical beautiful journey that brings the characters to life. Truly enjoyable story and prose. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

I really enjoyed this unique historical fantasy book. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and the author has an amazing vocabulary, often creating sentences that I stopped to re-read.

Bridie is a fantastic character. I love her no nonsense attitude. She's smart and unconventional and the kind of character I enjoy. She does things on her own terms. I also especially liked her housemaid. The supporting characters added so much to this book.

The author also does an interesting job in weaving in myth and the paranormal into Victorian life. She has clearly done her research on early medicine, which I found it fascinating.

The pacing of the book did suffer a little in the middle, but all of the wonderful characters amply made up for that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

There should be a celebration and parade every time Jess Kidd releases a book. Her writing flows like the water that drips, storms, mists, runs, and rushes throughout her newest book, “Things in Jars.” Her descriptions are populated with word, character, and plot eccentricities that beg to be read over and over. Her other books are set in Ireland, but this book takes place in England, mostly in and near London. It’s still very Irish.

Bridie Devine, who does “Domestic Investigations/Minor Surgery (Esp. Boils, Warts, Extractions),” is the heroine of this tale set in 1863. There are flashbacks to twenty years earlier as young (“no older than ten, no younger than eight”) Bridie is passed from home to home after arriving in England from Ireland. With each new situation, she picks up skills not often available to either high or low status children. She learns about autopsies, concoctions, the scientific method, and observation, a talent with which she was already blessed.

Now that Bridie is about thirty, she has a reputation for being able to handle difficult cases. She even assists the police, mostly her old childhood friend, Scotland Yard Detective Valentine Rose. Her most recent case comes courtesy of a private client, one who wants utter discretion and no police involvement.

The six-year-old daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick has been kidnapped. So far there is no ransom demand, says Berwick’s emissary, Dr. William Harbin, but the baron is frantic with worry. The newly hired nurse, Mrs. Bibby, is also missing. Upon arrival at the estate, Bridie traces the course of the kidnappers and locates one of their hiding places. She comes to several astute conclusions, but still there is no rescue.

In other chapters, we become aware that Christabel, the daughter, indeed has been kidnapped by Mrs. Bibby and an accomplice. There is something unique about Christabel that will bring a fair price from interested buyers. While I won’t reveal Christabel’s specialness, I will say that snails, newts, and damp walls are involved.

Oh, and Bridie is assisted by a ghost, Ruby Doyle, a boxer who was killed in a bar fight. He popped up right before Bridie was commissioned to find Christabel, and he won’t go away. (His appearance might — might! — be occasioned by Bridie’s use of Prudhoe’s Bronchial Balsam Blend in her pipe.)

I could go on and on about the wonderfully luminescent and nasty characters that flit in and out of Kidd’s book. Terrible things happen. Wonderful things happen. Humorous things happen. I’ll quote one of the humorous asides. Prudhoe (of the pipe blend fame) was one of Bridie’s mentors (even though she was just a girl). Instead of going into the apothecary business like his father and his father’s father and a few more begetting generations before that, Prudhoe became a toxicologist, scientist, and medical expert for the police.

“Prudhoe has also developed several unwavering beliefs. These being: that lawyers (both for the prosecution and for the defense) are the devil’s own horned bastards, the accused are always guilty, and there are more efficacious tests for arsenic than Marsh’s but none are as beautiful.”

Kidd has treats in store throughout her book, including Bridie’s seven-foot-tall maid; Lufkin, king of the circus; and Jem, the street urchin who briefly becomes Bridie’s eyes and ears. Two of my favorites are prison guards Mr. Hoy and Mr. Scudder, sort of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern minor characters who have a rich life in their brief time upon the stage.

In the end, there was no true mystery to be solved that could actually be solved. All along you know who the villains are, even if there are suitable revelations at the end that become the aha! moments of any good mystery book. And is there anything supernatural about the story? What can I tell you? It’s Irish!

MBTB star!

Birdie Devine travels neat and light with her old leather case and short cape, her white widow's cap and ugly black bonnet.

Birdie Devine is the most unusual detective you will ever meet. She has captured the eye of a wondering ghost Ruby who is her side kick along with Cora her longtime friend whom she rescued from the circus. When Birdie was asked to find a child that is unusual herself Christabel Berwick, whom was abducted from her home, she begins to find out the secrets of this bizarre child.

This paranormal with intrigue and unforgettable characters is a little different for me. It is the writing that kept on track as I am not a paranormal fan. It is always good to read something different from your comfort zone and I am glad I did. The characters as you dig deeper into the prose are bound by ironies which I am fan of.

A Special Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I absolutely loved Things in Jars by Jess Kidd! I went into it not really knowing what it was about, so I was delighted when all of the delicious weirdness of Bridie Devine’s world unfolded before me.

Bridie is a female detective in Victorian London, who‘s been asked to locate the kidnapped Christabel Berwick. But Christabel is no ordinary child, and you’d best watch those razor-sharp teeth of hers, and does she have a tail? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

This delightful tale was more moving than I would have expected, given the storyline, but I bonded with the characters so quickly that I really felt for them.

I think this book would make a spectacular movie, it’s so atmospheric and the characters practically jumped off the pages. Plus I’m dying for it to become part of a series, I want more Bridie Divine (and more Cora, the seven-foot housemaid too)!

The audiobook is narrated by Jacqueline Milne, who does a superb job of it.

I loved Bridie Devine and her cast of misfit characters. I always love a good mystery, especially if the detective is a woman. If you love folklore, gothic tales, or female detectives I'm sure you'll love this book too. I think fans of Diane Setterfield will love this as well.

A wonderful Victorian sleuth novel. Very colorful description of the Gothic underworld.
Thank you NetGalley!

This book was... fascinatingly weird. I almost set it down after beginning it, but I’m so glad I didn’t. Dark, Victorian-gothic, perfectly paced and tightly written– I loved these characters and couldn’t put it down. Thanks to the publisher for a chance to read an early copy!

A very well written story. It was very intriguing, but not entirely my cup of tea. But that is a personal matter of course

Good story, worth the read. Kind of fiction that holds reader interest and motivates her to write a review.

I'll put this one in the "It's not you; it's me," category. The overly-stylized writing was completely not to my taste. There also was no mystery to this, since the prologue reveals everything. Clearly a lot of people loved this book, but I found it utterly frustrating to read.

I have tried to read this twice and just can’t. Too gruesome and such an outlier. Such a strange book- babies eating babies. DNR’d after 14%.
#netgalley #thingsinjars

I have tried on several different occasions to try to read Things in Jars by Jess Kidd, however on each attempt I have not been able to get more than a few chapters in. The story just did not hold my attention and the characters seemed very flat. I held off on a review hoping that I would be able to get through the book, but have been unable to get interested in it.

Thank you to the author, Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in return for my honest opinion.

OOOOF, this one took me a while. Which is weird, because while I was actively reading it, I really enjoyed it. It just lacked a hook to keep me picking it up day after day, I guess.

The overall vibe that this book gave me was very [book:Once Upon a River|40130093] (one of my favourite books from the past couple of years!) – a dark fairytale. Things are magical... or are they?

The cast of characters in this book is great. I can imagine all of them in cartoon form in particular, with their exaggerated features to match the surreal nature of the prose.

Struggling to give a rating to this one if I'm honest, due to the enormous breaks I took in reading it, but I think it'd be a 3.5/5.