Book Review: A Curious Beginning

Hi dear readers! Hope you are doing well! I recently finished A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn and wanted to do a quick review!



***Disclaimer: I requested this book through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own***

***Other Disclaimer: Minor spoilers ahead***


Synapsis (taken from Goodreads): London, 1887. After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

Genre: Mystery

My Thoughts: So when I first saw this book, I thought it was going to be a little like Alice in Wonderland  for adults. I don't really know why. Maybe it was the cover (the blue one-it's quite lovely), maybe it was the word Curious on the title, or maybe it was because the novel is set in Victorian England. But, no it's set in reality, even if it's an alternate reality. That doesn't mean it doesn't have occasional bouts of whimsy however.

(Image taken from Goodreads)

Overall, I enjoyed this book! The story pulls you in from the first page, when Veronica is at her aunt's funeral and is about to plan her next adventure. However, I did have a few problems with this story which I wanted to talk about first before covering my favorite things about the novel. The biggest thing that I had a problem with was Veronica's personality. Now, I've read a fair number of Victorian novels. Veronica's character was very interesting and had a lot of great potential. However, her personality and behavior just didn't fit in with the time period and was too crass for even the most independent Victorian woman. Similarly, I didn't really like Stoker and Veronica's romantic tension. It was too obvious and not well written. I also would have wanted to read more about Veronica's adventures catching butterflies than about her various "dalliances".

Ok now on to the positives! I loved the plot twists! They were surprising but tied well with the story. The villains were also really good! Or should I say bad lol! I also loved the settings, especially the Belvedere! And Lady Cordelia is such a wonderful character too!

My Rating: 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads)

What I'm currently reading: I'm on the last third of The Trial. It's another mystery, I like it so far.

Have you read A Curious Beginning? What was your favorite part?