The slow burn in this series is also amazing. Stoker and Veronica’s relationship is so central to these books – it’s hard to think of where Veronica would be without Stoker. The partnership they begin to form really is based on common ground and friendship – they’re able to bring out the best in each other. I love that she’s able to get under his skin and able to push his buttons and bring him out of his shell. He has so many layers to him and we only scratch the surface of his background in this book, but Raybourn does such a good job teasing some of the things in his past that have made him the closed-off man he is when Veronica meets him. In this book, we’re introduced to him for the first time and he’s so withdrawn and a shell of the man he comes to be. Seeing them come to trust each other slowly over the course of this first book is amazing – they really are two sides of the same coin.Īnd Stoker, oh Stoker. Veronica’s also fiercely independent and I love watching her open up and let Stoker into her life over this novel. I love how as a scientist, she’s always thinking in logical ways which makes her a natural detective. Veronica’s also incredibly smart and logical – her life passion is lepidoptery and I love that we get to see her embrace it in a time when women weren’t generally accepted in the sciences or for their brain.

I love how unafraid she is to speak her mind and to be herself, even when everything she knows about who she is gets turned on her head. Veronica’s voice is also so unique – she’s such an amazingly complex character and you get to know her really well as we spend so much time in her head through the narration. The story is told from Veronica Speedwell’s perspective and the writing style is amazing – it feels like Veronica is narrating a memoir of her life but you also it feels like she doesn’t know what will happen next so we’re living in the moment with it.

Every time I reread, I notice something new and pick up on little hints to the character’s backstories that I missed beforehand. On each reread, my appreciation for these stories and characters grows so much.ĭeanna Raybourn has done an exquisite job crafting these complex characters that have so many layers to them. Since my first read of this book in 2018, I’ve read the entire series 4 times through and will likely continue to reread it. I added it to my TBR list based on the synopsis, but little did I know how good the story it contained would be. I randomly discovered this series in 2018 when trying to find something one night to read, and it was a suggestion on Overdrive from a recent book I had read. Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreadsįirst off, I love, love, love the entire Veronica Speedwell series, so this is probably going to be a long review. Series or Standalone: Veronica Speedwell #1

A curious beginning series