I always found Huckleberry Finn more interesting than his friend Tom Sawyer, so I was delighted when I saw that NetGalley had this book offered for review. I must have been so excited that I entered a giveaway for it on Goodreads also, because I now have it in ebook format as well as print. Thank you NetGalley and Goodreads! Luckily I really did like this book. Artful picks up where Oliver Twist left off, and with a lot less whining. I apologize if I’ve offended any fans of Oliver. So, we all know that Jack Hawkins is a bit of a rogue, but did you know he is also a courageous hero? After saving a mysterious damsel in distress, The Artful discovers an insidious plot by some familiar villains (cough, cough, Fagin) who are plotting to not only terrorize London, but to bring down the British Monarchy itself! And you probably won’t be all that surprised to learn that Fagin and his cohorts are vampyres, which actually explains quite a lot. Oh, and they’re not the good looking, brooding, sparkling kind. Thankfully, The Artful is joined by Isaaac and Abraham Van Helsing, Princess Victoria, and The Baker Street Irregulars, in stopping this nefarious plot. This is a clever and amusing parody much in the same vein as Pride and Prejudice, and Zombies. It even has amusing chapter headings that are as fun to read as the story itself. For example: “In Which The Reader’s Patience Is Rewarded By Explaining The Seemingly Inexplicable And The Jailer Is Introduced For As Long As He Suits Our Purposes.” The book is a little slow in the beginning but it doesn’t take long for it to turn into a rousing adventure. I would recommend this to fans of supernatural horror, Victorian Fiction, and books that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Artful: A Novel ~ by Peter David – 4 Stars
17 Wednesday Sep 2014
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author-in-training said:
Sounds like tho book crosses a lot of genres. Victorian fiction- I haven’t heard of that, but unlike it! Have you read any Amanda Quick? She writes supernatural/romance/thrillers/mystery. Wicked good reads.
Cheers!
Sue
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author-in-training said:
Man, what is with my auto correct today? Geesh. Guess I need another cup of coffee. Sorry for all the typos!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I kind of made up the Historical Victorian Fiction. But there’s so many books set during that time period, I think it should have it’s own genre! I love Amanda Quick! Bothe her regular historical fiction, and her paranormal ones. Have you read the Darkest London series by Kriste Callihan? I have a feeling if you like Amanda Quick you’d like this series. I have a review here on the latest one, Evernight. And don’t worry about typos. I’m a typo queen!
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Lola @ Hit or Miss Books said:
Was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies an interesting read, really? Do you think it is worth buying? 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I did like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It was the first of this type of parody and I thought the author did a really good job adding the new passages into the original story. However, alot of Jane Austen fans hated it. I think this was due more to the idea of it than the actual quality of the writing. So, I’m not sure what to tell you Lola. I checked mine out at my library because I wasn’t sure if I would like it.
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Molly Mortensen said:
This book sounds great! haha congrats on your double win! Good thing you liked it. I don’t remember much about Oliver Twist, so hopefully that doesn’t hurt my reading this.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Molly! It was kind of a ‘huh?’ moment. I think you’ll like this even if you don’t remember Oliver Twist. Oliver himself thankfully only makes a brief appearance and that’s near the end.
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