Morgan Stang

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited.

Thoughts: This was pure fun to read and is very creative. I love this unique world, the quirky characters, and the wonderfully done twisty turny mystery. We get a call out to Frakenstein in this one as well.

Isabeau and her partner, Evie, are asked to go on a last minute mission aboard a train to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew until their destination. By last minute, we mean they have show more to board the train while it is moving at top speed. As soon as they board the train, Isabeau's compass starts to spin, which means there are monsters aboard. Maybe this is the mission? Without more information Isabeau and Evie are left to guess what they are protecting the passengers from. Then the murders start...

I am absolutely in love with this world; it's monsters, doll people, ghosts, constant rain, and strange nobility are all fascinating. The characters are also incredibly wonderful. Isabeau is a Huntress, a loner by trade, however she has amassed a strangely rag tag group to help her along the way and is starting to realize that having companions isn't horrible. Evie has secrets but is earnest in her effort to represent the law by Isabeau's side. Then we have the bevy of new characters on the train, each of them as odd and quirky as the next. Despite all of the characters here, I never found it hard to keep track of them, they are all very distinct individuals who are easy to remember.

Danger comes at our characters from many sides. Not just from the characters but from the train itself and the bleak landscape it journeys through. This book has a lot of similar elements to "The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands" by Sarah Brooks which is another book I absolutely loved.

The mystery is incredibly well done and keeps you guessing. There end up being many mysteries that intertwine masterfully and get fairly complex, but never confusing. This story really kept me engaged and entertained. There is a lot of action here as well, which I really enjoyed. I think the only thing about this book (and the previous book) that hold me back from giving 5 stars is it feels like the story is a bit too focused on the mystery. I want to learn more about our characters and this crazy amazing world they dwell in. We do get to learn bits and pieces and have glimpses of both but I just want a bit more.

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I loved this. This is an action packed read set in an amazing world with quirky characters and an incredibly well done who-dun-it mystery. I have been absolutely loving this series and plan to continue it. I would recommend this series to people who think a murder mystery set in a dark steampunk world with a Huntress detective sounds intriguing. show less

I thought this would be a contained, closed room whodunit mystery with supernatural/ fantasy elements; it seemed like it would be a slam dunk...it wasn't. The first half of the book was great; the setup of the story, the characters, an engaging protagonist, all the elements were there. About mid book is where this went downhill.

It was nonsensical with the random characters and situations that kept getting added to the story; the plot went south quickly. It felt like the 1984 movie House show more combined with the movie Clue: the insanity that played out with random characters popping in from thin air, random creatures going on rampages, the characters running up and down the stairs, going from random situation to situation, the reanimated characters, just because of ley lines. etc.

At that point the book became a chore to get through; I kept waiting for the big reveal of who the killer was, but the story kept getting drawn out. The protagonist at this point seemed to come up with conclusions out of thin air. The bit with the reveal of who Evie actually was, just added to the torture of having to continue on with a convoluted plotline that just meandered on and on. At that point, I really just wanted the human killer to be unmasked Scooby-style, so we could actually find out who was masquerading as human.

The big reveal the reader was expecting gets dragged out to the point I was glad there was a resolution, finally; after having to wade through the endless diatribes and exposition of the protagonist and suspects alike, we're told by the protagonist that the monster wasn't really in the group after all, but is was subterfuge to throw off the noble so Isabeau could take care of the monster on her terms.

The Worldbuilding wasn't fully there, either. The reader gets dripped fed kernels of info as the book progresses that really didn't explain the who, what and where of this world; it's an obvious hodgepodge of steampunk (Victorian), supernatural and science fiction with the Victorianesque world and supreme beings that run the show; these 12-foot, godlike entities reminded me of the beings from Prometheus, but more ethereal and not evil, of course. The Noble here, who at the end "saves" the day by running like a banshee to drop kick the "villain" to justice was comical. Why was she even there? Because why not...make it more convoluted and mysterious then it had to be. The character of Penny was another wasted character that I felt had an interesting backstory in play, but no, that thread was empty and did nothing. All in all, this started out great but didn't deliver in the end. show less

This is certainly a bit different from your usual 'standard-cosy-fantasy' story, and quite a few people seem to be put off by the snarky remarks from the author put throughout the book, but honestly: I enjoyed it.

It's a comforting, and very funny little story that absolutely fits the feeling of a cosy fantasy story.

Yes, the characters do not have the greatest of depths, the tone is a bit silly sometimes, and the story itself mostly entertaining (but, don't be mistaken, it also has quite some show more depth to it, just not the 'right in your face' kind of depth). But that is totally fine by me if I'm reading anything cosy. I do not expect cosy books to solve - or even address - the problems of this world - that is not their job. That's not why one reads a cosy book. Quite the contrary.

If you fancy a light read that is not afraid to venture down the silly road every now and then I can absolutely recommend this book to you! It truly is a charming, cute and sometimes slightly silly little story - and very cosy.

A perfect cosy read for a good long bookish afternoon or evening in autumn or winter, I'd say. Also suitable for younger readers, as it's absolutely spice free.

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Transparency info: Read via Kindle Unlimited. show less

The intrepid gang is back for another whodunit...this time on a train no less. This is an obvious take on Agatha Christies "Murder on the Orient Express" with a little supernatural zing to it. I like that was a nod to the original plotline of MOTOE, with Mr. Homes exclaiming, "everyone was involved in the murder". The author took note of the criticism of the overuse of flowery language and doesn't care: the reader has to partake in the use of flowery language that in this book, wasn't as show more overdone as the first--but it works, here.

This is a better outing then the first book of the series. The story plays out better. Loved the ghost train, ghost killer possessing the marionette doll, a la Chuckie, the headless-organ-bodied vampire monster and the Frankenstein-like character, to round out a good group of characters. The ruse that Isabeau put into play to catch the human killer was perfect. The plot and storyline stay out track and the same tropes utilized from the first book but come off better here. This story didn't seem like it dragged on forever. It was engaging and interesting and we get more backstory with the world building. This sophomore effort is a vast improvement for the series. show less