T. A. Willberg

A Novel

Marion Lane and the Raven's Revenge

*If this is the end of the series, it’s an underwhelming conclusion*

This is the third book in the Marion Lane series and possibly the last. I am unclear on that point. (More on that later.)

In 1960, London, twenty-five-year-old Marion Lane is a junior investigator with a secret organization that investigates strange cases.

This installment is set a year after the previous book though in many ways, it did not feel like much time had passed. I was still invested in the characters. Though as a side note, I got tired of so many descriptions of the characters smoking.

Power struggles are still occurring within Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries and are only exacerbated by a visit from their German mirror agency. At the same time, Marion starts receiving threatening portents tied to other murder cases.

For an end-game type story, the villain didn't feel dangerous enough. The plot also felt like less of a mystery than the previous books. More of the book is about stopping the villain rather than investigating. That really changed the tone of the story. Unfortunately, I liked the “investigating with cool almost-Steampunk gadgets” parts of the series a lot more than the “stop the villain while isolating myself from the other characters for the sole reason of dragging the plot out” parts.

The ending did not feel satisfactory. As I mentioned, I am not sure if this is the end of the series or not. If there are more books, I won't be as disgruntled about the end. If this was the last book, then it was an underwhelming end that left me with too many questions. It had one of those ambiguous endings that either was setting up for a spinoff series or just ending things on a hurried, lackluster note.

So this review comes with a caveat: if this is truly the end of the series, then I am disappointed by the way things were terminated. If there will be more books in this world though (that hopefully delve deeper into the world and fill out the potential of that world), then I would be eager to read them. My disappointment with this installment is not enough to discourage others from picking up the series. But the disenchanting ending will temper my enthusiasm about recommending this series as a whole.

Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars

Colleen

*If this is the end of the series, it’s an underwhelming conclusion*


This is the third book in the Marion Lane series and possibly the last. I am unclear on that point. (More on that later.)

In 1960, London, twenty-five-year-old Marion Lane is a junior investigator with a secret organization that investigates strange cases.

This installment is set a year after the previous book though in many ways, it did not feel like much time had passed. I was still invested in the characters. Though as a side note, I got tired of so many descriptions of the characters smoking.

Power struggles are still occurring within Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries and are only exacerbated by a visit from their German mirror agency. At the same time, Marion starts receiving threatening portents tied to other murder cases.

For an end-game type story, the villain didn't feel dangerous enough. The plot also felt like less of a mystery than the previous books. More of the book is about stopping the villain rather than investigating. That really changed the tone of the story. Unfortunately, I liked the “investigating with cool almost-Steampunk gadgets” parts of the series a lot more than the “stop the villain while isolating myself from the other characters for the sole reason of dragging the plot out” parts.

The ending did not feel satisfactory. As I mentioned, I am not sure if this is the end of the series or not. If there are more books, I won't be as disgruntled about the end. If this was the last book, then it was an underwhelming end that left me with too many questions. It had one of those ambiguous endings that either was setting up for a spinoff series or just ending things on a hurried, lackluster note.

So this review comes with a caveat: if this is truly the end of the series, then I am disappointed by the way things were terminated. If there will be more books in this world though (that hopefully delve deeper into the world and fill out the potential of that world), then I would be eager to read them. My disappointment with this installment is not enough to discourage others from picking up the series. But the disenchanting ending will temper my enthusiasm about recommending this series as a whole.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Marion Lane and the Raven's Revenge A Novel

Reviews