I'll be really honest here, the book is probably fine, but I didn't enjoy my time listening to it. The narrator did a great job so it's not anyone fault but mine! IDK what it is about that historic olde English accent, but it doesn't matter what audiobook, movie, or other media it is, I just mentally check out and it all just turns to gibberish in my head. I'll have to pick up the physical copy at some point as the paranormal ends of the book were interesting from what parts I did pick up on!

This was a well written, and quite enjoyable Victorian gothic mystery with definite Sherlock Holmes vibes. Far from a fast paced read, I found the slower pace enriched and brought to the forefront the atmosphere of 19th century London. The storyline was clever and intriguing and I quite enjoyed the interactions of the main characters. I even found myself smiling, if not laughing out loud on a few instances thanks to the banter between Bliss and CI Cutter.

The narration was excellent and was what initially drew me in to the story. The narrator perfectly captured the tone and feel of the time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for providing a audiobook copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

This story started out strong and grabbed my attention but I consistently found myself losing focus about halfway through. I would rewind, play and then a little later do it all over again.

I thought The House on Vesper Sands would be a terrific novel based on the blurb, but I couldn't for the life of me get into the narrative. I made repeated attempts to listen to the audiobook, but the narrator's voice always made me uncomfortable. Although the characters were well-developed, I didn't care for any of them. My interest in a story evaporates if I can't relate to at least one of the characters, which is exactly what occurred with me and this book.╌★✰✰✰✰

The House on Vesper Sands is a Victorian mystery with a twist but I had trouble staying engaged and following what was happening. This one was not for me but others might enjoy it.

The narrator for this audiobook was great, they set the mood perfectly and did a wonderful job distinguishing characters. This book should be right up my alley but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. I will try to circle back at some point because it was a great spooky setting and the characters were so fun to get to know.

I really enjoyed listening to this gothic, historical mystery. Immediately I thought there was a kind of Dickensian vibe about the story as we follow seemingly unrelated characters though some of the darker parts of London, then watch as their narratives begin to connect.

The three main characters helped keep my attention throughout the intricately plotted story.

I really enjoyed the author's prose and plan to find other works by him.

Something about the writing made it feel like it was actually written in the nineteenth century - which was interesting. I enjoyed it as a uniquely plotted quick read, but it doesn't necessarily have staying power for me. I definitely preferred listening -- the reader is good -- because it highlighted the humor. I'm interested to read more by this author.

The story itself was a bit hard to get into and because it was audio book, it felt like it was even harder for me to realize what was happening. I did enjoy it at first, but toward the middle I honestly got bored and lost. Maybe one day I will try to read this one, but the narration was too hard to follow for me.

**Please see content/trigger warnings at end of review**

Set in London in 1893, this Victorian murder mystery has quite a cast of characters: Octavia, the intrepid reporter looking to prove herself in a profession not friendly to women; Gideon, the college drop out who somehow pretends to be a police Sargent; Inspector Bell whose dry humor and whits propel him through the investigation; as well as a decent group of side-characters.

The mystery starts with a servant throwing herself out of a window of her wealthy employer's house for unknown reasons and the coroner discovering she's had a phrase-apparently self-stitched-onto the skin of her stomach. As the mystery unfolds, there seems to be a connection to missing servant women. Gideon's sweetheart, Angela, is one of the missing girls and her story unfolds, along with a possible supernatural connection, as to what's really being done with the missing women and how they are being used.

I quite enjoyed this mystery and some elements did take me by surprise (including how the supernatural takes a part in the mystery). The Inspector's dry sense of humor was entertaining and he was a very smart and capable investigator, but the field notes that Gideon wrote were often laugh out loud funny. Octavia's determination to find the truth drives her through solving the mystery and you root for her to figure it out in tandem with the Inspector.

I read this book on audio and also really enjoyed the narrator.

Content/trigger warnings: suicide, autopsy, murder, body horror and gun violence.

An atmospheric, gothic, mystery set in London 1893. The author does a good job of setting the scene of shadowy London streets, big Victorian houses and mysterious figures. Who can you trust? What secrets will be revealed? The dialogue is well done and often humorous The mystery has a supernatural element to it, which I am not a fan of, but I did enjoy the 3 main characters. The ending hints that we will hear more from these characters in the future, and I would be interested in reading more about them. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook

The House on Vesper Sands is a Victorian fantasy, mystery. The story starts with a seamstress killing herself at her employers home. But it isn't just any old suicide, this seamstress destroys the final three vials that her employer is hiding. The story then continues with the introduction of Gideon Bliss as he searches for his uncles lodgings but his clergy member uncle is nowhere to be found. Bliss then pretends to be a constable in order to get close to Inspector Cutter, who lives at the same boarding house. They are given this suicide as a case but they are not the only ones looking into it. Journalist Octavia Hillingdon is also on the case. What are these vials for and what happened to the contents of the other nine vials?
This was an interesting story but it was just okay. It is a story of the haves and have nots and how those of privilege get away with things. I feel like the fantasy element fell short in this story and was kind of a let down in the end.

Just the right amount of creepy to make it interesting. Great if you like classic Victorian mysteries with a twist.

The narration is great! I am giving it 5 stars. The story on the other hand was kind of hard to get into. Maybe it wasn't my type of book. I should not rate it low because I couldn't get into it. Maybe I just didn't relate to the characters so I am giving it 3 stars. Average 3.5 stars. This book will definitely find its readers

I have to admit this wasn't quite the book for me. I could not stay engaged with the story, most likely because I found myself unable to relate to the characters. I ended up getting distracted while I was listening and not feeling like the story was keeping me entertained.

This took me forever to get into. Luckily I had a copy of the audiobook so the narrator kept me listening. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve stopped not far in. He was absolutely amazing! Each voice was unique and I love the British accent. The start of the book, along with the narration made me think a lot along Sherlock Holmes stories. But it fell flat in that regards. This is my opinion however. And if you like that sort of story, as my hubby does, you may really like this. It’s a more serious murder mystery. I had trouble understanding about Angie. Not what she had become but why she would say those nursery rhymes in a child’s voice. Maybe because of the children that had things happen to them idk but it drive me crazy. But there wasn’t too much of that. I was glad I finished it though because there’s a touch of supernatural to the story and it was so amazing and real. Also, I really liked Gideon and felt bad for him. He was so fond of Angie.

A delightful with entertaining characters and an immersive plot. This Victorian mystery will please a wide variety of readers with its dark details, humor, and supernatural elements.

The narrator was great. He was 5 stars.

I struggled to get into the story however. I can't place my finger on exactly why I struggled but I just didn't get fully into the story

The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’Donnell was an interesting read. It was my first book by this author. I enjoyed much of it though some was a little hard for me to follow. I listened to the audiobook though and didn’t have the ability to go back and reread sections that confused me. The narrator did a great job though. He had different voices for each character and I was able to tell who was speaking based on those voices, which is always a plus. The story itself followed a detective, a young man, a reporter, and a slew of people trying to save a lady who had been abducted. The characters eventually find themselves all in one location, trying to sort things out. The story had several laugh out loud moments. The ending was satisfying, though not what I expected. A good book and narration. I may look for more by both the author and narrator. Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook. #bookstagram #all_the_pages

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* took me little bit to get into the story but when i did get into it i didnt want to put it down!