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Sawbones by Catherine Johnson
Mar. 29th, 2014 12:10 amThe Blurb On The Back:
Medical science is flourishing, and in London the illegal trade in corpses has never been more … alive.
At the dissection table of his master, apprentice Ezra McAdam has learnt that each body tells a tale.
Magician’s daughter Loveday Finch, meanwhile, is suspicious of her father’s death – and looking for answers.
When the pair cross paths they unearth a tangled web of intrigue. And still the bodies are building up …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Catherine Johnson’s historical YA novel combines 18th century anatomists with international conspiracy in a story with an Afro-Caribbean protagonist. However, while Johnson has a real feel for period and I always look for books that have non-white lead characters, the story itself never really popped for me and I couldn’t take to the reckless and at times silly Loveday. Part of the issue is in the relationship between Ezra and Anna, which doesn’t have enough page time to convince and therefore didn’t work for me as a motivation, but in the main it’s because the plot is fairly predictable – not helped by an opening chapter that gives away a large part of the conspiracy up front. Ultimately, it’s a perfectly okay read but it just didn’t grip me enough to want to check out the sequel.
Thanks to Walker Books for the free copy of this book.
At the dissection table of his master, apprentice Ezra McAdam has learnt that each body tells a tale.
Magician’s daughter Loveday Finch, meanwhile, is suspicious of her father’s death – and looking for answers.
When the pair cross paths they unearth a tangled web of intrigue. And still the bodies are building up …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Catherine Johnson’s historical YA novel combines 18th century anatomists with international conspiracy in a story with an Afro-Caribbean protagonist. However, while Johnson has a real feel for period and I always look for books that have non-white lead characters, the story itself never really popped for me and I couldn’t take to the reckless and at times silly Loveday. Part of the issue is in the relationship between Ezra and Anna, which doesn’t have enough page time to convince and therefore didn’t work for me as a motivation, but in the main it’s because the plot is fairly predictable – not helped by an opening chapter that gives away a large part of the conspiracy up front. Ultimately, it’s a perfectly okay read but it just didn’t grip me enough to want to check out the sequel.
Thanks to Walker Books for the free copy of this book.
