Pearl Goodfellow

I really wanted to like this. But I just didn't. For a number of reasons. I didn't like Hattie for one. She was so judgey and prim and proper and I really didn't think she had any right to be. Her dislike and constant disapproval of the Golem was painful. And frankly I didn't really understand why the Golem ended up liking her. And taking her name. Would've been better as a Millie.

The world building was just bizarre. Too bizarre. I felt like I missed an earlier book that explained the backstory. I didn't understand who the cats were or why they chose to stay with Hattie. And there were way too many of them.

The romance was absolutely terrible. I didn't understand what the attraction to David or Hattie would be. They're both miserable characters and it just had me cringing whenever it was hinted at. I certainly didn't understand why a police detective would invite a civilian who has no experience or interest in investigating a crime to run his investigation. That bit was absolutely ridiculous. I've read a lot of cozy mysteries with all sorts of absurd things but this one really took the cake.

On the other hand the mystery itself was well plotted and I liked the reasoning for the crime. There were also some humorous parts but not enough for me to overlook everything else. 2 stars.… (mehr)