Recommended by @ocaylife on Bookstagram, A Curious Beginning is an excellent blend of everything I enjoy. I’m happy I took their recommendation. It seems we have very similar tastes in murder mysteries!
Book Information
Publisher: Recorded Books
First Published: Oct 31 2015
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Angele Masters
Source: Library
Genre: Historical Mystery
Series: Veronica Speedwell #1
A Curious Beginning reminded me of a few other books I’ve read recently. The period it’s set in is similar to A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan and A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong. The lead character was also a naturalist interested in solving a murder mystery, blending the two characters from A Natural History of Dragons and A Rip Through Time. Veronica and Stoker’s will they, won’t they attraction is very similar to Mallory and Grey in A Rip Through Time. The narrator of A Curious Beginning had a very similar accent and tone to A Natural History of Dragons. A Rip Through Time has time travel, and A Natural History of Dragons has uh… Dragons, obviously, but there’s nothing paranormal or fantasy in A Curious Beginning. It is just great historical fiction.
The mystery is fantastic! I only had a clue about the outcome very late, and even then, there were still more twists to come! I look forward to seeing how the big twist plays out in the upcoming books.
The exact period isn’t stated, and while I could figure it out from context clues, I’m too lazy for that. It had second-industrial revolution vibes (trains, a focus on science/discovery, etc.). If people had been more concerned about an unmarried lady being unchaperoned, I’d have felt that it was set earlier. The amount of independence Veronica demands makes me think it’s set later in the Victorian era. I’m happy Stoker and his friends do not underestimate or coddle Veronica.
Stoker is a bit of an oddball, and I can’t decide how I feel about him yet. He’s brusque and doesn’t say much, but he’s obviously coping with a lot of trauma in unhealthy ways. I’m glad for his support network, but also, they kinda suck too. Maybe more will be revealed about them in later books.
I didn’t like A Natural History of Dragons, but I loved A Rip in Time. Where does A Curious Beginning stand? I loved it! It’s a murder mystery with a slow-burn romance subplot, and there’s a lot of layers. I hadn’t heard of Deanna Raybourn before. Not only will I be finishing the Veronica Speedwell series, but I’ll be looking for her other work, too!
Links
Books mentioned in this post
A Rip Through Time – Kelley Armstrong
A Natural History of Dragons – Marie Brennan
thestorygraph
Deanna Raybourn’s Website
