Saturday, November 17, 2012

Review - Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves (Ripper # 1)


Ripper, by Amy Carol Reeves, is set in 1888 London. It is the story about 17 year old Arabella (Abbie) Sharp who recently lost her mother Caroline and ends up with her Grandmother. Moving to London is a culture shock to Abbie. She’s surrounded by wealth beyond her imagination, and dangers that lurk around every corner. While trying to find her way in the world, she discovers that she has an affinity for being able to help those less fortunate than herself at Whitechapel Hospital. Whitechapel just happens to be a refuge for women in trouble.

Ripper follows Abbie’s struggles and decisions she makes after discovering that she is connected in a bizarre way to the man known as Jack the Ripper. Abbie’s visions become so realistic in nature, that she can tell who Jack the Ripper's next victim will be. Abbie is definitely one of those characters that you could label as impulsive, stubborn, and strong willed. Yet, at the same time, she’s not a Mary Sue character that breaks down at the drop of a hat. She’s definitely strong, smart, and has the toughness to fight back when she is threatened. She also appears fearless when it comes to blood and fighting against those much stronger than she is.

Abbie goes after what she wants, and really doesn’t back away from her dreams when they become muddled in the world of Jack the Ripper and a mysterious group known as the Conclave. There is the feeling of a wannabe 3 way love triangle yet; Abbie pretty much decides that one of the characters is definitely more appealing than her second suitor. Either suitor would be fine in any other YA setting.

I found the first half of this book rather slow in developing which is why I am waffling in the wind over my overall rating. I liked the second half of the book after Abbie discovers who the mysterious Ripper is, and what the connection between them really means. There are a few mysteries remaining that haven’t been solved yet and I hope that Reeves will reveal them in the next installment called Renegade.

Overall, this was a decent enough read to allow me to immediately run to Netgalley and pick up the second book in the series. I shall endeavor to hope that it's better than the first book in content and scope and pacing.

Title - Ripper (Ripper # 1)
Author - Amy Carol Reeves
Publisher - Flux
Released - April 8, 2012


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