Historical mystery,not the most intriguing. Strange set of characters and a meandering tale. Didn't hold my interest.

I gave this 3 stars because I liked the premise of the mystery and the dialogue between the 3 main characters. I also adore seeing major historical events woven into these stories. But as much as I tried to gather their backstories and the logic behind their relationship and motivations there was always something missing. I do appreciate authors “allowing the plot to unfold” and for the reader to figure out the story on their own but I felt, in a lot of times, that I was thrown off the deep end to either sink or swim and I swallowed water more times than I wanted lol. Kudos to the author for this brave concept but a tight editing process would have made this book stronger.

I had high expectations for this book. The premise was so intriguing, and Victoria is a fascinating character. I really like the genuine respect and rapport between Victoria and Noel that was clear from the very first. Cedric was another highly likeable character. I was all set to root for this unusual trio as they solved the curious case of Cedric’s grandfather’s death. Unfortunately, I waited and waited but the author refused to go ahead with the mystery, instead serving up huge chunks of exposition. While I did persist till the end, I found myself unconvinced by the motivations and yet ready to wash my hands of the whole thing. Which was unfortunate, because this book has some really strong points, and has the potential to be a great read.

DNF at 26%,
I tried to stick with it but it’s really a struggle.

The writing is the biggest issue in my opinion. While I understand wanting to avoid modern language as anachronistic, to contribute to the atmosphere and make the reader feel immersed in the historical period the author chose to set this in, unfortunately the writing is… well, to be honest, way too busy.
I am not a stranger to historical novels, classics, and period pieces, but I can honestly say I have never struggled this much to understand what the author was trying to communicate — and it happened really really frequently, especially considering I only read a little more than a quarter of the book.
Sometimes the characters would point out something funny or react like a reveal had been made and I was surprised because I just couldn’t detect it so I had to go back and reread the previous page or so. Too many times it felt like the sheer volume of words suffocated the concept or scene being described, it was very odd.

Another issue for me personally was the amount of times we see references to past events affecting the current state of affairs and current character relationships without any explanation whatsoever.
I understand holding back some details to add an additional air of mystery, but if nearly everything about their background (including important details that come up again and again) is held back from the reader, it becomes very frustrating and distracting; and there *can* be too many question marks even in a mystery novel.

Other than that, I think the characters have potential and so does the story. But I honestly think this should be re-edited in full before going to press.

The friendship between Noel, Cedric and Victoria was the redeeming quality of this book. The intrigues and mystery were very contrived and often difficult to follow. It has a place in the genre of mystery, but needed some more depth to the characters and the action.

I felt like even a third of the way through I didn't have a grasp on any of the main characters' motivations and intentions. I also didn't really understand their relationships to each other or their feelings about each other. There's just a real lack of interiority. I also had a hard time following why some of the big events were happening. Like the investigation (why Victoria was called in to help in the first place) and their "leads" (which felt like a lot of nothing?). Why did Cedric have a big party on the steamship? Altogether a whole lot of head scratching here on my end.

DNF at 34%.

I was intrigued by this story, but I found the writing confusing. The book would benefit from a good editor. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Overall, I liked The Earl, the Bird, and the Botanist. I really enjoyed the complicated relationships between the characters and especially Victoria, who is odd in the best way. I was hooked on whatever was going on with her from the beginning. I found the mystery interesting. The only real issue I had with the book was that I found it could be overwritten sometimes. There were some very nice turns of phrases and descriptions, but sometimes the abundance of it could get in the way of pacing and even what exactly was happening.