As someone who hasn't read Sherlock Holmes stories much except a few popular stories now and then, it took me a bit of time to realize that I was probably reading a Sherlock Holmes fanfic. A read of the A/N at the end of the book confirmed my doubts. I'm someone who tries to maintain as much distance as possible from fanfics and I can actually count on one hand, the number of fanfics I have read (2-3 max including this).

(I wish that I would’ve know that this was Sherlock Holmes fanfic before I went into it.)
Still The Angel of the Crows does not disappoint.

Dr. Doyle was a flatter character compared to Crow but he was definitely an interesting character There were some revelations about Doyle that seemed to come out of nowhere and I actually had to turn back the pages to see if I had missed any telling clues.

The character of Crow normalizes so many oddities of Sherlock Holmes' character. The behaviour and actions of Holmes that appeared weird in him as a human, appears to be the consequence of a general confusion in understanding of human nature by an angel.

I feel the friendship between Crow and Doyle is quite cute but not well explored. They balance each other out quite well.
Anyways, he take on genders was one of the bestest parts of the story. I am stopping myself from revealing more about it because it's definitely something that the reader should get to know on their own.

The problems I had with this book:
It had too many plots running at the same time. The case of Jack the Ripper, is the main thread which ties all of the separate cases the characters handle. I would have loved for the author to focus on fewer stories for the sake of better reading. I felt a bit lost at times. Maybe a Sherlockian reader would have an easier time reading this book.
I wish that the supernatural part of the book was explored a bit more because it certainly, was one of the best parts of the whole story. The concept of Nameless and all that habitation stuff, I would've liked to know more about them. Since this was an alternate history world and things were so different from normal world, it would've been better for the author to explain the things a more as they left me confused at times.
Also, I would've preferred if the deductions were a bit better explained.

I hope that there are more installments in this story that expand this Alternate London world and fill in more details about our odd investigating duo.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I was really intrigued by this book. Sherlock Holmes mixed with Supernatural and Jack the Ripper? It had great promise. The author really managed to capture Arthur Conan Doyle's writing style, which was both a blessing and a curse, since I was always a little detached to his actual writing. However, it added authenticity to the story. As for the plot, it read like Sherlock Holmes. Well, Sherlock Holmes fanfiction. In fact, there is an author's note at the back of the book stating that this is a 'wingfic.' Meaning Sherlock Holmes fanfiction where one character is an angel.

In that light, I would have preferred that Watson (Doyle) have been the angel. It would have been interesting to read an angel's perspective of the perplexing Sherlock Holmes. Instead, Dr. Doyle becomes roommates and companions with Crow, who refers to himself as the "Angel of London." The fact that Crow is an angel explains away all of Sherlock Holmes' oddities. His almost supernatural awareness of his surroundings, his attention to detail, his stand-offish nature. Weird in a human, but for an angel? The reader has no concept at the start what an angel should or shouldn't be like. Although Addison fills in some blanks, there is still so much left unsaid about the supernatural entities of her alternate England.

Angels and Fallen, werewolves and hellhounds, vampires and hemophages, necrophages and spiritualists- many non-human creatures are common place in Crow's London. Angels guard buildings and spaces. Fallen, never seen, are fallen angels whose touch is deadly. Werewolves function in military groups while vampires are permitted to live in hunts. Hellhounds (former humans touched by dark forces), hemophages (lesser than vampires but still human, they drink blood), and necrophages (never fully explained, but I assume have something to do with the dead) are face with impossible conundrums- it is illegal to be unregistered, but registering often means death or imprisonment. While being a spiritualist is an acceptable calling for a young lady, but an unregistered witch is a crime. This world that Addision builds is deeply complex and holds so much promise, but she only explain a little of it, and only when she is forced to.

Addison also makes surprisingly modern observations about sex and gender (and same sex romance). To go into more detail would be a spoiler, but it is something that comes completely out of the blue. Twice, in fact.

The plot follows Doyle's original tales quite closely, even some conversations I feel that are verbatim from either Sherlock, the BBC show, or Doyle's own writings (or again, Addison just writes in Doyle's voice). And yet the plot seems to fall flat. Much less of a mystery than it should be, the information is all kept inside Crow's head, where he rushes to explain the whodunit without any possibility of the reader following along. Or worse, the culprit will simply admit to everything upon being questioned. At the mere thought of suspicion, all of the story wraps in a neat bow. There are some reoccurring plot lines- Jack the Ripper, another mysterious serial killer, and the vampire Moriarty- but none of those threads ever come into fruition.

Final thoughts: 3.75 stars. Had potential, and I may even read the sequel if there is one, but ultimately falls flat.

I didn't realize this was a Sherlock Holmes story and as such is not for me. I don't plan on reviewing this one on my blog or Goodreads. Thank ye kindly for the review copy though. Arrrr!

This book is a retelling (or a re-imagining) of Sherlock Holmes, wich was the first thing that got my attention and I loved to go throw discovering every reference. The main characters Doyle and Crow are inspired on Watson and Sherlock, and the dynamic between them remind exactly to the classic characters.

The story sets in a supernatural 1880´s London where vampires, werewolf, angels and other creatures walks in the streets along with the humans. This setting is really interesting but felt a little confusing and I would have liked to have more explanations on certain aspects.

As for the plot, I liked it but didn't amazed me.

I recommend this novel for those who are looking for a classic mystery tale with paranormal elements.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing me this digital ARC.

3.5 of 5 stars

My TL:DR Five Word Review : Sherlock Holmes Winged Fantasy fanfic

Okay, so, this wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The original description is very mysterious indeed and certainly intrigued me enough to request a copy even if the author’s name hadn’t already stoked my attention to unusual heights. Here’s a copy of the original description:

‘This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting.

In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings under a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall, and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. And human beings remain human, with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent.

Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows.’

Overall, I enjoyed this and it was entertaining. I do have slightly mixed feelings however – but then, at the same time that feeling is dependent on whether or not this is intended to be a series. If more books are planned then I would put my mixed feelings down to that certain feeling you experience having read the first in a series of books where you’re left wanting more and with gaps in your knowledge that you expect to be filled in as future instalments are forthcoming. If this is a standalone then I’m left with that feeling of not being quite sated but still having enjoyed a revisit with some old storylines and characters. What I am puzzled about is why the whole ‘Sherlock and Watson revamped’ scenario is left off from the blurb. I’m always interested in any reimaginings that include this pair and also usually onboard for anything including Jack the Ripper so putting the two together is a double whammy for me.

What did I really enjoy about Angel of Crows:

This is an alternate London where fantastic creatures live alongside the everyday mundane. Vampires, Werewolves and Angels to name but a few. Holmes and Watson are themselves quite far removed from the original characters in more ways than a simple change of name – here called Crow and Doyle. Crow, for example, is an angel and in truly infuriating style I’m not going to tell you anything about Doyle, other than he’s a military doctor now retired from service following injury. Both of them have secrets. That is all I’m prepared to say. I think writing Holmes as an Angel was a brilliant idea. His character always had a sort of ‘ethereal’ or aloof feel to it in the original stories and he came across as a little detached which is perfectly portrayed here. I loved the friendship that develops between the two and their interactions and the way they support each other. On top of that I loved the idea that Angels are linked to a particular residence which makes me want to go and look up places like the Angel Inn.

Angel of Crows includes a retelling of a number of the original stories and uses the Ripper cases as a backdrop with Crow becoming heavily involved with the hunt for the killer. This allows a common thread to run throughout the story which is also aided by each individual storyline introducing new threads.

In terms of criticisms. I think this might have benefitted by focusing more on one particular story rather than incorporating so many of the originals, it gave the stories a slightly rushed feel. There was also a rather skimpy feel to the usual powers of deduction and reasoning behind Crows assumptions, in fact he had a rather downplayed role in that respect. I would also like to know more about the supernatural aspects of this world – although if this is a series rather than a standalone – that might be further developed in future instalments.

Overall I had a good time with this. I enjoyed the writing and revisiting these characters albeit in a different guise. I think the author’s love for this is also very clear and I would happily read more stories if that is the plan.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

DNF at 60%

I know, I know. I probably should’ve kept going and pushed through to the end, but I just needed to make it stop.

I wish that I would’ve know that this was Sherlock Holmes fanfic before I went into it. I don’t even know if that’s what it’s supposed to be, but it 100% is.

We have a fallen angel named Crow (Sherlock) who is a master detective (still is on Baker Street). We have the injured ex military doctor Dr. Doyle (*cough* Watson). These two are battling all things supernatural. There’s vampires, werewolves, and a host of paranormal beings.

While the majority of the story is simply a paranormal spin on the Sherlock stories the final straw for me was the vampire antagonist: Moriarity. Really? We couldn’t even change his name?!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This was sheer perfection. A Holmesian mystery fantasy set in an alternative Victorian London which features hellhounds, werewolves, vampires and other dark creatures as well as one angel detective. I love Addison's style and the storytelling was wonderful. Highly recommend.

"Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor, returns with The Angel of the Crows, a fantasy novel of alternate 1880s London, where killers stalk the night and the ultimate power is naming.

This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting.

In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall, and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. And human beings remain human, with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent.

Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows."

Alternate history geek in me is excited, but so is the Ripperologist in me!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. What's really interesting is that this book is a sherlock holmes retelling and I loove sherlock holmes story. However, this book was really different than what I expected, it's a historical fiction that has so much potential. I think the plot was really slow and i was struggling at first to connect to the book but in the end i thought the characters were great. I give it 3 stars, it was enjoyable but not really my type of book.

The second book published as by Katherine Addison (who also writes as Sarah Monette) is nothing like her excellent The Goblin Emperor, except for being also fantasy and equally well written.

In fact, this is a Sherlock Holmes novel, with different names and a very different London. The doctor wounded in Afghanistan is the intelligent and insightful J. H. Doyle. The eccentric investigator is an angel named Crow. Yes, this fantasy London has angels, also hellhounds, necrophages, vampires, and werewolves.

This is something of a novel in stories, with separate episodes corresponding to the Sign of the Four, the Speckled Band, the Hound of the Baskervilles, and others which a more Sherlockian reader might recognize but I did not.

The characters are complex and sympathetic, the puzzles are intriguing, and the world-building is first-rate. I enjoyed it. Someone who is not tired of Sherlock Holmes pastiches would probably like it even more.

In a world where fallen angels wreak havoc on the mortal world, two unlikely men move in together, leading to an engaging story of mystery and fantasy that will keep readers up late, turning the pages. While Sherlock fans will enjoy this fantastical retelling of their beloved characters, even those unfamiliar with Arthur Conan Doyle's characters will find Dr. Doyle and Crow to be a humorous pair worthy of continuing the tradition of Sherlock and Watson.

What that blurb does not mention is that this is Sherlock Holmes fanfiction. Sherlock is an angel called Crow, and Watson is... well something, and called JH Doyle. Moriarty is a vampire, which is just perfect (however, his character isn't done justice here at all). The world is filled with paranormal beings, which gives an interesting twist to it all. Ideas are a bit modernized, and most blatant racism and sexism has been filtered out. There even is some discussion regarding gender added.

But apart from that, it is still very much the Sherlock Holmes stories as Arthur Conan Doyle wrote them, at times literally. The cases are the same, and resolve in very similar ways. The only somewhat original parts are the Jack the Ripper chapters, but even these aren't too distinctive from other stories either and bring very little new. 

Which very quickly brings me to rating this, which I'm finding very difficult. Because I did enjoy it a great deal. But how much of that enjoyment comes from its almost literal transcription of the original Holmes stories? Most of the twists and additions were great... but I feel there weren't quite enough of those to justify giving this a very high rating.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I'm attempting to be better about dropping books if I'm not interested by a quarter of the way in. After getting through the first section of the book, I decided to stop. Sadly, for a book that is hyped as ,"This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting", it's not just that interesting to me. It's a Sherlock Holmes retelling with magical creatures. Some of it seems word-for-word from either the original text, or sounds like the BBC Sherlock series. I'm somewhat surprised it passed copyright, except for the fact that Sherlock has been published for over 100 years, which makes copyright rules different.
So-if you're wanting a Sherlock Holmes comparison with various creatures-this will work for you. Otherwise, you might want to pass.

This is the most marvelous take on Sherlock Holmes that I have read in ages, and coming from a completely unexpected set of angles, too. I would describe the concept as roughly “Sherlock Holmes is so weird that he’s practically inhuman, so what if we just stopped trying to pretend that he was human at all; and then we could do many interesting things that make him just as weird in new directions; like how’s about we make him a lot more like a cat? That’d be cool, right?” And the genius of Katherine Addison is that she can take something with a bit of silliness to it, and still make it overflowing with heart, and thrilling to boot.

I don't know that I can adequately capture what Addison pulls off with this -- because I started reading Sherlock Holmes when I was 8 or so, and rereading and rereading until I practically had some stories memorized, and it is utterly clear that Addison has been incredibly thorough in her grasp and reuse of those details. At the same time, Doyle and Crow are certainly *not* Holmes and Watson -- not in the ways that you would expect, and indeed, halfway through, we learn that they are not Holmes and Watson in ways that you would not have expected, either.

I loved the worldbuilding - and it's carefully constructed, even when it's not taking centerstage (as it mostly isn't). The concept of angels, and the Consensus, and the Nameless, seems perfectly matched to London and its palimpsest of buildings and monuments remembered and forgotten. Though we don't learn much about the Fallen, I really, really hope that Addison will write more in this world; and that we'll learn more about them in future volumes. But even if we don't, this is a triumph, and I've preordered both the hardcover and the audiobook. Highly, highly recommended.

The Angel of the Crows really is not the book you think it is. It really isn't. Normally that is not a bad thing but I am not sure it is in this case. You see, this is basically a Sherlock Holmes retelling.

It's not even just an inspired retelling but it takes heavily from the original books, up to certain scenes at the start of them meeting. While the characters aren't called Sherlock and Watson, it's Crow and Doyle, most of the other characters keep their original names. Within 400 pages Addison drives us through quite a bit of cases our original Sherlock dealt with. The author's note mentions this started as a Sherlock fanfic. It kind of shows.

I am certainly not adverse to a sherlock retelling at all but as a whole I felt this book got stale very quickly when it comes to the plot. We go through the cases while the bigger plot is meant to be that of Jack the Ripper. But it never feels like we are moving towards something.

The most appealing things about the whole book is the world in itself. Inhabited by angels, werewolves, hellhounds, vampires and more. It is an interesting setting as a whole. And I wish, I so wish that more had been done with it in the cases, in the overall portion of the world.

As for the characters. Crow was meant as Sherlock but a much kinder and more approachable version. Where as Doyle, meant as Watson, was quite frankly a bit of a grump at times. Not necessarily a bad thing. Crow is asexual as an angel and apparently angels are initially female though Crow is mostly seen as male now. Doyle is actually a woman, dressed as a man. I would almost say Doyle is trans but at the same time they mention that they don't quite feel male or female.

Addison's writing is solid and when it comes to the character interactions there are certainly a few gems in there. But I couldn't quite get past the whole of the setting and how little was done with it in the end.

Well this was an intriguing idea as the juxtaposition of an Angel for the famous detective Sherlock Holmes had me very eager to read this. I've not read anything by this author before so wasn't sure what to expect but the ever so slightly maniacal side of Holmes was certainly present in the titular Crow . Doyle is the representation of Watson here and I loved that he's written as a gentleman who has manners and indeed a strong sense of right and wrong. As it's a homage to Conan Doyle of course there is Moriarty and numerous nods and references to stories loved by many.
I don't think this book will suit everyone and if honest did feel at times that it dragged . I couldn't help but compare it in my mind to the recent BBC Sherlock series because that bore a frantic energy and pace . All in all this was an interesting idea and certainly a very unique take on what is fiction and how to merge it with fact.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I found this charming, compelling and ultimately satisfying. I love new takes on Holmes and this is certainly one of them.

I do think a lot of folks may be confused and disappointed when they crack open this one because 1) this is nothing like THE GOBLIN EMPEROR and 2) the blurbs and early buzz have really hyped the Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper aspect of the book.

To be clear, Addison does put Holmes and Watson — in this case, Crow and Doyle — on the hunt for the Ripper. But that plotline runs in the background, a narrative throughline as she revisits and re-spins several canon adventures.

If you're looking for a straightforward Holmes vs. Ripper story, I suggest Lyndsey Faye's DUST AND SHADOW, which is one of the few books I've re-read several times.

If you're open to something of the fantastical variety but with all the comforting hallmarks of a Holmes adventure, read THE ANGEL OF THE CROWS.

The plotting and structure very much speak to this story's fanfic origin, and I think it works. It mirrors Conan Doyle's original serialized structure. But it also doesn't act as if its main characters suffer from bouts of amnesia between their adventures. Unlike Dr. Watson's war wound, Dr. Doyle's remains consistently in his leg. Everyone remembers everyone else's names. Miraculous.

What I like most about this book is how easy it is to see Addison's knowledge of the canon, which allows her to play with it so well. I also love the infusion of various supernatural elements to this London. It's a logic vs. magic marriage that reflects Conan Doyle's own interest in spiritualism and the occult, even as he crafted the most logic-brained detective in fiction.

I could go on. This book was a needed comfort read at a fraught moment.

Friends. Countrymen. This is not the book you expected based on the amazing synopsis. I mean, the synopsis does say that, but fair warning. This is purely and simply, Sherlock wing-fic (fanfic but give a character wings). I was just as shocked as so many other reviewers seemed to be, but I wasn’t entirely disappointed. It was fun and catered to my love for the mystery solving, brilliant Sherlock Holmes and the ever loyal John Watson.

To be clear, the characters are not called Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, but rather Crow and J.H. Doyle. Crow is an unusual sort of angel who doesn’t have a building to be guardian to the way the rest of his brethren do. He’s an anomaly and has managed to bend the rules and declares himself the Angel of London. J.H. Doyle (or Dr. Doyle) has rather traditionally been injured during the war in Afghanistan and his injuries have resulted in his return to London where he can’t afford a flat by himself. If you’re at all familiar with the BBC show or the books you’ll guess what happens next. They become fast friends, solve crimes, and have dangerous adventures but this time the author throws in a bunch of supernatural stuff and Jack the Ripper.

Crow and Doyle, while original in some aspects, are comfortingly familiar characters. The cases themselves are thematically on point with the stories as well, though they certainly have minor differences. It was similar enough that I could guess who the culprit would be at each turn.

While I greatly enjoyed this book, I struggle to rate it because it’s literally Sherlock with supernatural bits and the supernatural parts themselves weren’t all that in depth. The whole angel thing for one could have been so much more detailed! Angels guard a building. If the building is destroyed, the angel usually becomes Nameless and they sort of float about in a drone type state until further notice. The Named angels can’t leave their buildings, but protect them and usually the inhabitants. Crow has managed to avoid this, though I won’t spoil how. Angels can Fall and become evil, but this is merely glossed over. So many of the potentially amazing supernatural elements were just vague.

This was tremendously fun, but it certainly wasn’t what I expected from Katherine Arden’s latest book. Admittedly, I would hate to have to live up to reader’s expectations following her much loved and acclaimed The Goblin Emperor. If you like Sherlock and/or re-tellings of Doyle’s stories then you’ll more than likely enjoy this as well. Do note that Crow (our Sherlock) doesn’t so much do amazing deduction as what seem to be brilliant guesses. I think this is in part due to Dr. Doyle being the main POV.

This book was completely different from what I expected, so I was really struggling with reading since the beginning. The writing was not bad, but the plot had really slow pacing, so I could not even enjoy the story properly. The characters were great, I loved both of the main protagonists, and it was also great to see another LGBT+ representation. Overall, this book wasn't my cup of tea, and though I look forward to it, I hoped it would be a lot different. I would recommend this book only to readers who don't mind slow pacing in books and enjoy historical fiction.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of historical fiction and alternative history writing this story is definitely for you. Also, if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes then this story is 100% even more for you.

Now, before moving into the story itself there are a few things I wanted to clear up as I found them out for myself as I finished this novel. First, the author Katherine Addison is the same person as the author Sarah Monette. It appears that for different genres and topics Monette has applied her pen name Addison, so keep that fun fact for yourself if you want to read more of her writing. Second, and this is direct from the author herself in the Author’s Note – The Angel of the Crows began as a Sherlock wingfic fanfiction.

Now, to talk about this wonderful book itself. I am, admittedly, a fan of all things Sherlock Holmes so to see a reimagining of the story with different characters (Crow being Sherlock and Doyle being Watson) was fun for me. The explanation for why the characters are the way they are fits so well that I found myself smiling wide. Crow, being an angel whose domain is all of London, thus explaining his heightened senses and sometimes odd behavior as Sherlock, is wonderful in his odd ways. Doyle, much like Watson, is suffering from a leg injury and from having been in the war however his injury is of a spectral nature as he was attacked by what is known as a Fallen angel i.e. one that is now filled with dark, nefarious energy and power.

Throughout this book we cover the well-known Sherlock Holmes stories of “A Study in Scarlet,” “The Sign of the Four,” and “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” but Addison didn’t stop there and also had our heroes join the hunt for Jack the Ripper.

Honestly while I wish some lesser-known Sherlock tales had been picked or that things had been reworked a bit more to make them feel new or extremely different I did enjoy the way that Addison connected the dots between these classic stories and our newly reimagined characters.

If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, alternative history or the idea of these characters being redone in a way that breathes new life back into these classics I would definitely suggest you pick up this book. While it wasn’t life altering it was a quite enjoyable read and I was impressed with Addison’s style. I may be picking up her other works soon.