Hi there guys!
Back again so soon? Apparently yes! But truly, I could not miss being part of this Blog Tour because I adore Kat Ross and her books, so I wanted to spread the word about her newest series!
The Thirteenth Gate by Kat
Ross(Dominion Mysteries #2)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: June 26th 2017
Genres: Historical, Mystery, Young Adult
Winter 1888. At an asylum in the English countryside, a man suspected of being Jack the Ripper kills an orderly and flees into the rain-soaked night. His distraught keepers summon the Lady Vivienne Cumberland—who’s interviewed their patient and isn’t sure he’s a man at all. An enigmatic woman who guards her own secrets closely, Lady Vivienne knows a creature from the underworld when she sees one. And he’s the most dangerous she’s ever encountered.
As Jack rampages through London, Lady Vivienne begins to suspect what he’s searching for. And if he finds it, the doors to purgatory will be thrown wide open…
Across the Atlantic, an archaeologist is brutally murdered after a Christmas Eve gala at the American Museum of Natural History. Certain peculiar aspects of the crime attract the interest of the Society for Psychical Research and its newest investigator, Harrison Fearing Pell. Is Dr. Sabelline’s death related to his recent dig in Alexandria? Or is the motive something darker?
As Harry uncovers troubling connections to a serial murder case she’d believed was definitively solved, two mysteries converge amid the grit and glamor of Gilded Age New York. Harry and Lady Vivienne must join forces to stop an ancient evil. The key is something called the Thirteenth Gate. But where is it? And more importantly, who will find it first?
REVIEW
The Thirteenth Gate is the first proper book of the Dominion Mysteries series, since The Daemoniac was more of a prequel, and in this one we get to meet so old friends from the Fourth Element series!
I was so very excited to read more on the adventures of Harry and John and since there was a bit of a chance of pace with the re-introduction of Alex and Vivienne and magic into the more detective story that the prequel was... I felt a bit disconnected from the story till I connected again with Alex and Vivienne, as they were in this time and place. I feel like I should have re-read Queen of Chaos right before reading this one, so I would have not had to stop and rack my brains to make sure I remembered correctly who everyone was with the names I knew them from before!
I was so very fascinated by the mystery and the murder and how everything started following little threads to tie it all up together and be solved. I loved that Harry and John were once again back in the thick of it and solving things together, and how Harry had her worldview complete challenged and put upside down, and by her own hero figure!
As always, Kat manages to paint such a vivid picture of the time and place, no matter if it's London or New York. You can almost feel the mist and fog or the torrential rain... And you can feel the oppresiveness of a tunnel that descends to who knows where.
The characters and their relationships are, as always, very well written and Kat manages to add a few hints to romance here and there and makes us really feel for the characters, but always keeping the romance as a side dish and not as one of the main courses, so to speak. It can be great for allowing the story to unfold and the mystery and the magic to take the main stage, but it can also be a little frustrating when you as the reader want something to happen! I have high hopes for my ship and I feel quite despondent for another couple, but I guess we'll see in the next book!
I cannot wait till we get the next story and have Harry & John and Vivienne & Alex back to working together and learning from one another! Well deserved 4 stars!
About the author:Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She lives in Westchester with her kid and a few sleepy cats. Kat is also the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day (Skyscape, 2014), about a world where the sea levels have risen sixty meters. She loves magic, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Preferably with mutants.
Great review, Pili! I love it when a setting just comes to life! I find that make a world of a difference especially in this genre. And the murder/mystery aspect sounds very well written! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteKat definitely knows how to write and she's phenomenal with murder mysteries!
DeleteThank you so much, Pili! You seriously helped me survive writing this one :)
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure & privilegue! ;)
DeleteLovely review Pili :D Yay for enjoying this book a lot. <3 But aw, less focus on the romance? That would be disappointing to me, lol :D But glad the story was great :)
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