My favorite genre is historical fantasy mystery (say that 3 times fast...) which is very hard to find so when I saw how popular this book was among my Goodreads friends I had to try it myself. I was afraid it would be full of poorly executed Sherlockian tropes and have a predictable plot but it surprised me. It is everything I hoped for in a historical fantasy mystery and more.

Jackaby is the American version of Sherlock Holmes. The similarities are uncanny but one huge difference is that Jackaby is a seer and uses his ability as a paranormal detective. I think Sherlock would be outraged by the idea that there are cases that can not be explained through hard science and deduction. But Jackaby sees what even the great Sherlock Holmes can't and passionately works to solve every case that crosses his path.

I love that the supernatural beings/creatures are not even close to the typical tropes you find in most paranormal/fantasy books. You can't help but love the ghost living at the Jackaby residence who acts as though she isn't dead and Jackaby's previous assistant that was accidentally turned into a duck.

The description of Jackaby's townhouse/office is fascinating. A frog living in a terrarium in the foyer that explodes a noxious gas if you make eye contact. The kitchen that isn't a kitchen is a science laboratory. The mysterious library packed with antique books and the magical pond on the 3rd floor that is always cheerful make me want to jump in the pages and explore.

I rarely give books 5 stars. It has to be something that was just so consuming and entertaining that I was hurt when it ended. This is one of those books, I just can't say enough good about it. Jackaby is clean enough for young-adults, my teenage nerdy self would've been in heaven reading this year's ago. I'll be readinf the second book soon! Happy reading! 📚