Astor + Blue link A Rant of Ravens
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: publisher
Description: After her marriage fails New York marketing exec Rachel Stanhope agrees to house-sit her aunt's bird habitat in Colorado. Between fighting of her aunt's pet bird and tip toeing through the woods looking for a rare bird Rachel unexpectedly stumbles across a dead body. Even worse it's the body of a man she heard having an argument with just a few days earlier.
Genre: Mystery
Why I Picked This Book: I thought the premise sound intriguing. I don't know that much about birdwatching and I like cozies that give me a peek into different hobbies and interests.
My Impression:
Pro: This was an interesting mystery. I liked that Rachel was new to the birdwatching and bird rescue field so that we learned along with her. The information on the birds was fascinating and I frequently found myself looking up different birds to see what they look like. I don't see myself ever going on a birdwatching expedition but it was interesting all the same. The mystery was compelling and I definitely kept turning the pages to see what happened next. There were lots of twists and turns and while I guess the who (I read a lot of mysteries so I'm generally surprised if I DON'T guess the who) but all the whys were interesting. I'm not normally a big fan of a really hostile character but I thought Gertie was well used. She obviously detested Rachel and Aunt Miriam but she was used just enough to be almost a devil's advocate and a counter-argument but not used so much that she got annoying.
Con: While I found all the bird information interesting I got a little restless with the paragraphs about the different legislation. Some of the descriptions got a little detailed and technical. Also, Rachel's behavior bordered on TSTL. She confronts people and snoops in places she most definitely shouldn't.
Overall: While not perfect this was an interesting mystery that kept me reading and guessing the outcome.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, I'd like to see what happens to Rachel next.
Would I Recommend this Book?: Yes, I think most mystery readers would enjoy this.
Challenges Met? New To Me (Author)
While not perfect does sound like a good mysetery
ReplyDeleteIt was lots of fun though a little flawed!
DeleteI agree an interesting setting and premise for a mystery, something a bit different. Glad you enjoyed it overall.
ReplyDeleteI really did enjoy it and I'm pretty sure I looked up every bird mentioned!
DeleteAh! Birds! I'm not scared of them, but I'm definitely not a fan of them. I house sit for a couple a few times of year. And they have a bird, the bird definitely knows my feelings about him. Lol.
ReplyDeleteI think I asked you that before; do you ever not guess the mystery? Lol. I guess it's not necessarily the outcome but how the story gets there that will intrigue you and keep you reading the most. At this point. :)
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
P.S. YAY for continuing on with Sherlock! The wedding episode is pure perfection. Everything about it. I feel like I could watch it a billion times and never get bored of it. Hope you enjoy the season 3 finale. It's a good one. :D
Most of the time I do guess so I very rarely count it as a negative as long as the book keeps me interested. To be honest birds freak me out in real life especially after reading The Birds!
DeleteBirds...something new and different!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one and the bird watching though I doubt I'll be buying binoculars anytime soon!
DeleteIt sounds like it could be a good mystery.
ReplyDeleteIt really was!
DeleteHmm...it DOES sound interesting but I confess I'm not a lover of birds. XD Haha. I had a bad experience with birds when I was little (like they literally attacked me and stole food from my hand on a picnic when I was like 7) so ever since then i've had barely anything to do with them. Maybe noooot the mystery for me. xD Glad you liked it enough to possibly continue the series though! Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
ReplyDeleteBirds kind of freak me out too so while I did enjoy reading the descriptions and looking up the birds I'm very glad they stayed on the pages!
DeleteThis sounds interesting, Katherine. I like it when a character learns a topic along side me. I don't know much about bird watching or birds for that matter. TSTL can be an issue . . . but if the book is good enough, I can overlook that.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one but I probably need to read another one before I wholeheartedly recommend it.
DeleteThe birdwatching milieu sounds intriguing (I like birds, though I'm not an expert birder by any means) but the borderline TSTL stuff is a drawback. I'm glad you liked it, but I think I'll hold off until I see a few more reviews. (It's not like my TBR pile isn't overloaded already!)
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting mystery, Katherine. I don't like the idea of TSTL behavior though. Good review!
ReplyDelete