Boneseeker by Brynn Chapman Pages: 300
Published by Month 9 Books on June 17, 2014
Genres: Historical, Love & Romance, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Young Adult
Source: eARC from Publisher
Arabella Holmes is different than other girls her age: She doesn't fit the role of a 1900's lady. So her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella's dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science, or what her uncle called a "Boneseeker."
Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment--to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over Arabella. It would be an easy task, if he could get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.
But this is no time for child's play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal ... or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls? Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.
I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes. So when I saw a book about Sherlock’s daughter, who who wants to follow in her fathers deductive reasoning footsteps, I knew I had to read it. Plus throw in the fact that her specialty leads her to a job at a museum as a “purveyor of abnormal science” how could I pass it up?? Sherlock plus mystery plus just a touch of creepy and weird. That just sounds so good! And it was good! It was exactly as I expected it to be.
There is plenty of good ole Sherlock snark and wit in Arabella, so I loved her right off the bat. She is not like other young women her age. And given that the book takes place in 1910, that is not necessarily a good thing. One of her oldest friends is the son of Dr. Watson- Henry. Henry is so smitten with Arabella, or as he calls her Bella. It was so adorable to watch how devoted and protective he was of her. Whereas everyone else say her as different and weird, he was just so enamored by her. This book was true to the time period and it read like the original Sherlock Holmes stories, but in a way that makes it accessible for young adults. I found the book very readable.
There are multiple mysteries in Boneseeker. Not only is there the mystery of the bones, but there was also the mystery of Bella herself. Everyone around her, herself included kept referring to her as different and “not normal”. Even Dr. Watson, who was like a second father to her and cared about her thought she was different than other girls and you could tell he didn’t want Henry romantically entangled with her. I was so curious about all of this. What did they all mean she was not normal? Was it just because she was like her father and was logical to a fault? Was it just that she didn’t interact with people properly for the time, or was it something else? Something that actually made her not normal? I found myself wondering this for over half of a book, and I was even more interested in figuring Bella out than I was figuring out what all these giant bones belonged to.
I really enjoyed Boneseeker. It had a noir mystery feel to it. I know this sounds really weird, but the writing and the scenery had me picturing most of this book in black and white. Maybe the cover had something to do with that as well. It felt exciting and different to me. Henry is great and Bella is such a fun character to read about. Henry called her condescending and charming all at once. I think he was right, but man oh man can she pull that off beautifully. Fans of historical mysteries, and fans of Sherlock Holmes should add Boneseeker to their reading lists.
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Winner will be drawn July 11, 2014
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I also love Sherlock Holmes but only since the Robert Downey JR movies haha. This one sounds like it has a lot of potential though it’s def an intriguing premise and I think I’d like Arabella’s personality a lot, and the writing/atmosphere sounds really wonderful and right up my alley! Great review, Michelle!
This does sound really good and I am loving that cover!
I know that cover is awesome!
I love Sherlock Holmes and also historical fiction. Not sure about the fallen angel aspect, but I might just give this a try!
It was very much in the same vein as Sherlock books so if you enjoyed those, I think you will like this as well and appreciate what the author has done Jen 🙂
Thanks for stopping by
I’ve been seeing this everywhere…yet completely forgot the release date. Oops. I have a feeling I’ll love the romance, and glad that it sounds true to it’s origins and time. And…I can’t pass up a mystery. Really, I can’t. I’d probably picture it like that too, especially because of the cover. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
I have done that multiple times as well. There are too many books out there! haha
I love Sherlock Holmes, and I’ve been hearing great things about this one and the fallen angel aspect sounds really interesting.
–Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
Yea, it was a really interesting twist on the mystery. I hope you enjoy it Kimberly 😉
this sounds so awesome! thanks for sharing!
Great review this book looks and sounds great thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Thanks Katiria
I love the cover! Very eye catching! I’m not a huge Sherlock Holmes fan but I do enjoy it once in awhile. I love the premise of this and I’m very intrigued by the characters since they are the daughter and son of the detective duo. It also helps that you enjoyed this book too, and liked both main characters! I’m definitely adding this to my TBR! Awesome review, Michelle!
I hope you enjoy this one Amir 🙂 the cover is so pretty!
I do like Sherlock Holmes though I only read one short-story *blushes* but I like all the TV-series/movies I’ve seen 🙂
And can I just swoon over how gorgeous that cover is? Because I was interested in this book because of the cover… it’s hauntingly beautiful ^_^
Thank you for being part of the Tour and for the giveaway 😛
XX Ner
I love the cover too! So pretty. it def caught my eye right away
Nice review
Thanks! 😉
it looks spooky-in a great way! thanks!
Yea, it did have kind of a spooky vibe to it at times.
I am getting ready to start this one, tomorrow actually, and I could not be more excited! I love Sherlock. I have read all of the original Sherlock Mysteries, and I try to read anything that I can find based on him. And the TV Shows. Can’t forget those! So, yes, I am so excited about Boneseeker! And after reading your review, I am looking forward to it even more! Thanks so much for your awesome review!
I really like Sherlock as well. I hope you enjoyed this one! What did you think of it?
I am in the middle of it right now, and I am loving it so much! I love Arabella. She is shaping up to be one of my favorite characters, ever. Henry, too! I love the mystery! I love it all. I literally have a hard time setting it aside to do important things!
Ooooh, this book sounds good! And I really like the cover! =D
Thanks for bringing Boneseeker to my attention! I can’t wait to pick it up!