Jess Kidd is an author who keeps flying around in my radar but yet I just never seem to have the time to fit in her books. That and I just wasn’t completely sold on the fact that I would love this author. I mean some of her books sound good—but quirky.

I love quirky as much as the next person, but I need to be in the mood for quirky and I just haven’t been lately, but then this book started popping up on my radar and I started to rethink that decision.

This book caught my eye because it was set in the Victorian era and the word gothic lit, which if you know me, then you know it is basically impossible for me to pass on Victorian era gothic lit books, so here we are.

Summary
Bridie Devine—female detective extraordinaire—is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors trading curiosities in this age of discovery.

Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing a past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems.

Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jarsis a spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in inhumane times. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
Well yes, this book was quirky and weird but in the best way possible. I loved that there was this kind of alternative London in this book with ghosts and a dark mystery. This author has a wonderful voice and I loved the dark humor along with her ability to create mood and atmosphere. I felt entirely transported and immersed in this book from the beginning.

Birdie was such a pleasure to read about. She was a perfect mixture of bold and odd and I related to her so much. All of the characters in this one are memorable and well developed. I thought the author left a few loose ends that maybe would leave the way for another book which I hope is the case because this one was just so much fun!

The plot and world building are excellent, I love this author’s imagination. There are gritty elements to the story which I thought added a lot to this period and overall story but at times there could be some funny or light plot aspects that really broke things up.

This was an absolute shock for me to read. I went in thinking that I might not like it because it just sounded like an odd ball read, but it had been one of my favorite reads so far this year and I can’t wait to read more by this author! What a pleasant surprise! I breezed through it in a matter of days and couldn’t have been happier with how everything ended up and perhaps more to come!

Book Info and Rating
Kindle Edition, 384 pages
Expected publication: February 4th 2020 by Atria Books (first published April 4th 2019)
ASIN B07TH9TL6L
Free review copy provide by publisher, Atria Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: historical fiction, fantasy

This book just did not appeal to me at all. I never felt engaged in the story or the characters from the beginning and that feeling never improved throughout the entire novel.
The writing was meant to shock with the bizarre people, places and things, but to me nothing much happened within the plot, and all and all I found it kind of lackluster. Disappointing because I was really looking forward to this one.

I really enjoyed reading Things in Jars. This Gothic Mystery has an amazing female sleuth with an outlandish personality, very likable. The story is remarkable and original, a thrilling and chilling mystery. Looking forward to reading more of this Authors work.
#ThingsinJars #NetGalley

I give Things in Jars 4 stars for its original Gothic Mystery.
I would recommend this book to Mystery Fans.

2.5 Stars rounded up to 3

I was lured into reading this book by the setting of Victorian London, the promise of gothic suspense, and a grand, almost poetic writing style. The final selling point was my Goodreads friends' glowing reviews. The writing style was grandiose, indeed. While often beautiful, atmospheric and descriptive, it sometimes left me feeling like it was too much work reading it. In addition, I had trouble keeping track of all the characters, nor did I much care about them except for one: a handsome, deceased Irish boxer named Ruby. He had an extraordinary collection of tattoos over his body that would undulate as if they were alive. He faithfully followed around the main character "Bridie", who came to find his company both appealing and comforting.

The story involves physicians who at that time were always looking for bodies to experiment on to learn new surgical procedures. There is also an obsession with a kind of female human/mermaid hybrid creature who has pike teeth and can be extremely dangerous. These oddities can be "things in jars" or performers in a travelling circus.

Bridget or "Bridie" (as we come to know the main character), was rescued from poverty in Ireland by a physician. He welcomed her into his home where she was cleaned up and made to wear the rich clothing left behind by his late daughter. She had a propensity for medicine and the doctor encouraged her to accompany him on his medical travels. At that time women were not allowed to be physicians and Bridie was not above wearing disguises in order to witness a surgery with other gentlemen. She is now widowed and living off an annuity along with her 7 foot tall household helper Cora. Bridie has a reputation for helping out police detectives on cases and is recruited to find a missing daughter.

I keep asking myself why I didn't DNF this book sooner. I guess I kept trying to push on hoping that the story would become more engaging at some point. For me, that point never came. I feel like I was a victim of a lot of hype with no payoff at the end. I am an outlier, so please read other stellar reviews of this book.

Thank you to the publisher Atria books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

I received a free electronic copy of this excellent novel from Netgalley, Jess Kidd and Atria Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my Personal opinion of Things in Jars.

I adored Himself, the debut historical novel by Jess Kidd, and Things in Jars is also very compelling. We visit two periods of time in the seaport in Victorian London, England - the 1860s, and then back to the 1840s, repeat. Things in Jars is peopled with a varied and inviting cast. Our storyteller is Bridie Devine, female detective extraordinaire who is most often accompanied by the shade of Ruby Doyle, a tattooed, deceased professional boxer and a man of the sea, and occasionally with Cora Butter, and often in possession of Things in Jars, curios and unnatural things perfectly preserved. In Jars. Bridie worked with her grandmother at dissecting and preserving when very young and was sold to John Eames for a guinea when she was 8 or 10 years old. Now an adult, she is very careful with her freedom.

Life in old England was anything but merry in the substructure of life that Bridie was enmeshed in, but she has friends - good friends. The odd occasional raven, some medical professionals, misfits and miscreants, those wielding dark magic, and curiosities both young and old. Her focus in Things in Jars is finding the kidnapped secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, Christabel Berwick. I often lost sight of the endgame, however. Open to any page of this novel and read it aloud. It brings us very special, very colorful, very physical action on each and every page. It is a book to share with friends and family. Jess Kidd is of a different mindset than the rest of us, a very special journey into the cockles of your mind... Alive, alive oh...

This book has a lot of appealing and intriguing elements going for it — supernatural, gothic, a 7’ tall housemaid, the ghost of a dead boxer with tattoos that act like they are alive, and an aberrational child who has pike-like teeth, smells of the sea, attracts snails and is able to draw people’s memories out of them. The main character is a red-haired woman detective who smokes a pipe (she likes Prudhoe’s Bronchial Balsam Blend) and is able to read corpses and perform simple surgeries. Despite all of this wonderful quirkiness, I was unable to stay focused on this book while reading it. While I did finish it, i wanted to quit several times and it ultimately took me four times as long as other books to read. I never was able to become invested in any of the characters or the story. I am certainly in the minority so take my review with a grain of salt because it may work much better for you. Jess Kidd is a wonderful writer and that is why I continued to read Things in Jars to the end.

Thank you to Atria Books and a NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

'There are things in jars,' shudders the maid at Maris House. Her master, Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, seems to dwell on the horrors of the deep in his hidden cabinet of curiosities, which contains odd natural wonders of the world.

In September of 1863, Bridget Devine returns to her London home to find William Harbin, Sir Edmund's friend and personal physician, impatiently waiting to see her in her office. The sign on her door reads 'Domestic Investigations' and 'Discretion Assured.' Discretion is what is needed in this case, for Christabel, Sir Edmund's extraordinary six-year-old daughter, has been abducted from Maris House in the dark of night. Mrs Bibby, her nurse, is also missing. Only four other people know of Christabel's existence and Sir Edmund is adamant that the police should not be called in to investigate. Why? What is he hiding?

Bridie herself is pretty extraordinary, not only because of her unusual occupation as a female private investigator in the Victorian era, nor for her devoted 7-foot-tall maid named Cora whom she rescued from a circus, nor for her sidekick Ruby whom she happened upon in a graveyard, but also because of her past which is revealed in flashbacks, the details of which are very pertinent to the present-day story.

This is a highly inventive, atmospheric story--part mystery, part fantasy. The setting is dark and creepy, drenched in fog and flood; the characters are so well-drawn, they fairly leap off these pages. I hated to put this book down. I am hoping this is the beginning of an exciting new series featuring Bridie, Cora et al.

I received an arc of this Victorian mystery from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks!

Happy publication day to this gem of a novel! Things in Jars, by Jess Kidd is much darker than I usually go for, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! The storyline of this macabre mystery revolves around a kidnapped child. Detective Bridie Devine is called in to investigate and find the missing child. Right away a ghost makes himself known to her and comes along to help in her investigation. I have to say, the book almost lost me when the ghost was introduced... at the beginning of the book! I'm really not much of a fan of supernatural storylines, but this book was so unique overall, I couldn't put it down! Even though the subject matter is dark and at times disturbing, I can honestly say I loved this book!

Bridie Devine is an impressive investigator in Victorian London, looking for Christobel Berwick, daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick. The child has reputed supernatural powers, drawing the attention of unscrupulous collectors trading curiosities. Looking for Christobel means that Bridie has to unearth a past she'd rather forget, as well as deal with a delightfully oddball cast of characters.

Things in Jars has a blend of fact, fantasy and fairy tale; this absolutely is my favorite kind of novel. It's written in the style of the Victorian language, meaning that it's more formal with descriptions and how people approach one another. There's also Bridie's past coming up almost immediately because it's giving her the understanding necessary to try to find Christobel. She was once indentured of a sort to a man who dredged the Thames for corpses to sell, then was sold into the household of a physician who collected oddities. It's a very Victorian gothic kind of atmosphere, but that time period was as enamored of memento mori, death and the dying as they were with superstition and the occult. With her background, Bridie has no problem inspecting corpses for clues, rifling through things and realizing what various things in jars are, or the value they could fetch on the market. None of this is very ladylike work, but since she's not nobility, it doesn't seem to matter much to her. She cares more about doing the right things and helping people who otherwise would be forgotten, another clear carryover from the past she'd rather forget.

Christobel herself is an eerie and unusual child, and the stories that she craves to hear means something as well. It gradually becomes clear as the novel progresses that there's a lot more to the case than what Bridie was told, and she is connected to who stole Christobel. There are stories about what Christobel could be, as well as what the powers she might have; the tales have led multiple people to seek her out and try to bid on her, just for bragging rights to say that they have a rare and powerful creature under their control. Bridie tries to do her best to find Christobel so that she can play and be a normal child, which none of the men will let her be.

Even the side characters have histories of their own, some of which intersect with the main story at hand. They flesh out the story and add a little more to the main missing child storyline. The past and present collide uncomfortably for Bridie until we get to the end of the novel. Everything wraps up, perhaps not as neatly as I would normally like, but neatly enough for the kind of life that Bridie lives.

Author Jess Kidd is an extraordinary storyteller and a reader’s delight; each new book provides something unknown and bountiful, in plot, setting and pacing. THINGS IN JARS lies somewhere between fantasy and ghost story, back in the Victorian Era, when perhaps some foolishness went on under the guise of science. Maybe. Anyway, it makes a good tale and there’s a mystery and maybe a mermaid, so what’s not to enjoy? The book is fast, clever and fun. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jess Kidd for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3.5 stars.

Bridie is a detective, sometimes called quietly to help the police investigate a crime. She is asked to try and find a child who was kidnapped from a wealthy baron. However, this is no normal child. She is held secret in the manor house, her existence known by only a few in the house. She is thought to have extraordinary abilities and supernatural powers - some of which are very frightening. Bridie's search takes her through the darkness of London - from collectors of the macabre and unique, to the circus. She must also confront her past, which is told in alternate chapters.

This one is getting lots of buzz but it was a bit of a difficult read for me. The writing is beautiful, you can totally envision the grittiness of London in the 1800s, you can see the characters. But there are just so.many.words. I found myself wanting to skim through paragraphs to get to the story. And there was a great story - such interesting and colorful characters.

Happy pub day to Jess Kidd and THINGS IN JARS! Thanks so much for the advanced reading copy @netgalley and @atriabooks. #partner
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What can I say about this beautiful book? For one thing, it's simply unique; I've never read another book like it. THINGS IN JARS is a mystery set in shadowy, Victorian London. The heroine, Bridie, is a plucky female detective determined to resurrect her damaged reputation after a previous case went horribly wrong. Bridie sacrifices nearly everything to solve the kidnapping of Christabel, a child with strange and otherworldly characteristics. Woven throughout the mystery is the gradual unfolding of Bridie's own story, one that is curious and unsettling in its own regard.
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The plot of THINGS IN JARS is certainly engaging with a few twists and turns along the way; but what really sets it apart is the atmosphere. Kidd paints a scene that is so damp and boggy that I often felt as though my fingers were getting wrinkly while reading in my favorite chair! When a writer can put their readers into the story like that it just takes the reading experience to the next level. Also, Ruby Doyle is just the best.
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Go and read THINGS IN JARS! You won't regret it!

I was so excited to receive this ARC from Netgalley and Atria in exchange for an honest review. I found the teaser compelling ,”Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jars is a spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.” But I was not prepared for the amount of gruesomeness in the book. I found the main character, Bridie, likable,and found the budding romance between her and her ghostly suitor, Ruby, enjoyable. Honestly, that story line was probably what gave me the motivation to keep pushing myself to continue reading. Most of the secondary characters, though, were despicably evil, and unenjoyable to read about. In the quote above, this book is set in inhumane times. Take this to heart....the characters and their deeds are just that. If you do not mind this genre, you will probably enjoy the book. The author is a very good writer, I just couldn’t stomach the descriptions! I spent several hours over 5 sittings, convincing myself to keep going, but finally at 47% I decided to abandon the book.

THINGS IN JARS by Jess Kidd is a gothic story set in Victorian London in the 1860s with a few flashback chapters in the 1830s and 1840s. Birdie Devine is a female detective that takes on domestic investigations and does minor surgeries. She has two cases, one given to her by Inspector Valentine Rose of Scotland Yard, and a second one when she is hired by Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick to find his kidnapped daughter.

Kidd des a great job of writing in such a way that you not only hear what’s happening, but you can see it vividly, and even experience the unfortunate smells of the time. The story is somewhat gruesome and shocking at times and there is a paranormal aspect to it as well. It is gritty and dark at times and, at other times, it takes on a lighter tone.

The characters are compelling, fascinating, and felt three-dimensional with clear motivations. There was enough at stake to keep me engaged throughout the story. The world-building was absolutely fantastic and gave a clear sense of time and place.

Overall, this was an entertaining book that I would recommend to those that enjoy stories set in Victorian London and like a little paranormal and a bit of romance in their stories.

Thanks to Atria Books and Jess Kidd for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

When I read the blurb for Things in Jars, I knew that I needed to read the book. A mystery set in Victorian England that had a paranormal/fantasy bent to it. Another thing going for this book is that I had read Himself by the author and loved it. So, yes, I was excited to read the book. I am glad that I did because Things in Jars were fantastic!!

Things in Jars had a great storyline. Bridie Devine is a female detective who takes on a case that she thinks will be easy. A 6-year-old girl has been kidnapped, and her father is frantic to get her back. But, as Bridie starts to investigate this story, she notices that things aren’t adding up. Then Bridie’s past collides with her present in a way that could derail her investigation. What is so special about that girl? Why are so many people after her? And what will happen when Bridie is forced to face her past?

The plotline for Things in Jars was lightning fast. That surprised me because when a book goes from past to present, there is always some lag. But not in this case. The author was able to keep up the pace of the plotline and seamlessly go from past to present. There are also no dropped characters or storylines. It made reading this book absolutely a joy!!

I am not a massive fan of when books got back and forth in time. But in this case, the author made it work. As Bridie investigated Christabel’s kidnapping, the author showed what it was like for Bridie growing up. It wasn’t pretty. There were parts of her childhood that made me want to hug her. The time spent in the Eames household, and what Gideon put her through was awful. But, it showed where she got her medical skills and how it shaped her into the woman she was in the present day.

The storyline with Christabel’s kidnapping was interesting. I liked it because I had to figure out if Christabel being a freak of nature was true or not. For a time, I did think that Christabel was an innocent child. But, then there was a crucial scene that involved snails and feet that changed my mind.

I liked that the author took the Irish myth of the Merrow and ran with it. I wasn’t familiar with that myth and spent some time reading about it after I finished the book. I loved it!!

I also loved how the author tied Bridie’s past and present together. There were a couple of people from her past that showed up, not including Ruby Doyle. I was surprised at how they were tied in.

I loved the paranormal angle of the book. I did feel that Ruby’s storyline was dragged on, and I did think, for a time, that his connection to Bridie was forgotten. But, it wasn’t, and the reveal was heartbreaking. I’ll admit, I cried.

The end of Things in Jars was nothing short of amazing. The author did a fantastic job of wrapping everything up. My heart broke a few times when reading the ending. I was wondering if there was going to be another book, but I don’t think so. If I’m wrong, that’s great. But the vibe I got was no.

You are going to love this book. It's different and thrilling. It's a mix of mystery and creepiness. It'll keep you reading until the last page. Happy reading!

Things in Jars just wasn't for me. I really wanted it to be. A female detective. Old London. Yes! But I was unable to really immerse myself in that world. It's not that it wasn't described. Oh, it was. It wasn't described in a way that flowed easily for me. I found myself rereading and then not sure why I reread. I liked Bridie, though my brain made her Birdie all of the time and it was distracting for me to correct it constantly. And the underlying story was perfect for the setting of fog shrouded, smelly, old London.

Every now and then I read a book that is completely outside of my usual romance-horror-thriller fare, and I am left wondering, why don't I read more historical fiction? Or in this case, historical fiction crossed with the right amount of fantasy and mystery to keep me constantly turning page after page until I force myself to stop and immediately fall asleep?

I could not have enjoyed the story of Bridie Devine, on the case to find a missing child, aided by her giantess housekeeper Cora, and Ruby, the ghost with the alleged ties to Bridie. This book reminded me of another popular whimsical fantasy novel I read recently that I will not name as I did not enjoy it like this one. The descriptions and insights to even the villains of this story kept me reading page after page. The mystery was never boring or too easily spelled out. I loved the fantasy elements because they were viewed with well-written skepticism by the characters. I would love to watch this television series or read a sequel, mainly because I do not want to let these characters go. This is what I would call a slow burn, but once the pace picked up for me it did not stop. Definitely would recommend this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC!

The best word for Jess Kidd's Things in Jars is "atmospheric" and the best praise I can offer is that I started looking up other books by the author before I was even fifty pages in! Things in Jars achieves a Dickensian voice and attention to detail without dropping into parody, making it feel as if the story is being conveyed by the best tale-teller among your friends. The characters are fully-fleshed out (even the ghost!), flawed, and impossible to look away from even if you don't agree with all of their motives. Even the fantastic elements feel quite plausible rather than grafted on. The best part of the book was, for me, the moments of homage to Victorian literature and culture. I did my dissertation on Victorian museum culture and Kidd knows her stuff - from the Fiji mermaid to anatomical preservation to menageries. If you need to escape the winter doldrums and get lost in another place and time, this one's for you!

What a strange book. Way too much description of excrement and the stench of human body parts...heck, way, way too much description all together. I did like the relationships between Bridie, Doyle, and Cora and I would have liked more of that with less of all the unneeded/unwanted verbiage over-describing the stinking city and ugly people. Too much violence happening to animals and people, it's just a sordid story overall. It was well written but overdone.

Having said all of that, I encourage readers to check out other reviews because so many people loved this story. I did love the story of Bridie and Doyle and wanted so much more about them and their time together. I pretty much adored those two. I want to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC.