This book promised a lot, but for me, it just failed to deliver. Starting life as a Sherlock Holmes fan fiction, this tells the story of Dr. J. H. Doyle, an injured veteran returning from Afghanistan and Crow, the Angel of London. Our crime fighting duo work their way through a variety of mysteries, including the hound of the baskervilles and the Study in Scarlet, all with a twist. Throw in vampires, hell hounds, vampires and various other paranormal elements and you have the set up for an incredibly entertaining tale. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me on a few key things. Firstly, the world building is pretty surface level. Crow (Sherlock) is an angel, which inhabit the world, but there is little explanation of the dynamics under which they operate, which left me confused at times and ultimately unsatisfied. Secondly, the Sherlock Holmes tales are very faithful re-tellings with only slight differences, which just felt like a bit of a cop out. I liked the relationship between Crow and Doyle and I thought Doyle particularly was a very interesting and well fleshed character. Overall however, I was generally underwhelmed. I think it will appeal to fans of paranormal fiction more than it will to Sherlock fans and honestly think you would really enjoy this book if you were less familiar with the source material than I am.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was attracted to this book by the cover and title and haven't read any of the author's previous work so had no prior expectations.
The beginning was a little confusing as I thought it was going to be a straight forward angel/demon style book. I had to come back to netgalley to find out what the idea was behind the book and once I re-read the premise I understood it was an homage to Arthur Conan Doyle.
The original Sherlock Holmes stories are incredibly tense and exciting, but there was little of either in this book. What there was though was much more endearing characters, with lots of surprising revelations along the way. It is very 'world' driven too and so you are swept along by this very clear and quite interesting interpretation where the characters dominate and the plots/mysteries are almost incidental.

I have never read anything like this before, but towards the end I was really quite gripped and I enjoyed it enough to consider reading The Goblin Emporer. I would recommend this book, but cautiously.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in Victorian London and centres around Sherlock Holmes stories, with a modern, magical twist. With Crow, the Angel of London in the starring role, despite being written from his sidekicks perspective. His obsession with finding Jack the Ripper is the heart of the main plot, with sub stories told around it (many of which readers will recognise the themes from Arthur Conan Doyle canon).

This is a fun twisty historical fantasy for fans or murder mystery and tales from Sherlock Holmes.

I really loved the idea of combining Fantasy (Angel’s) with 19th century Sherlock Holmes. It really brings the characters alive and makes them so much more interesting.
This is a great take on some of Sherlock Holmes most famous cases with the introduction of Vampires and Hellhounds and keeps you wanting more till the very end.
I would love to read more stories with Crow and Doyle.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this but unfortunately I did not.

This is a fantasy reimagining of Sherlock Holmes with Jack the Ripper thrown in for good measure and I think it could have been spectacular- a London filled with the supernatural and Holmes as an Angel. But it felt like there was no THERE there.

The start, where a novel taking on this level of creativity needs to build the world you will be inhabiting and giving a feel for the characters within was, sadly, messy- also often incoherent. There was some promise though with wars being fought with Fallen Angels in lands far away.. our Dr Watson (here called Dr Doyle) being affected by his battles there in peculiar ways. Sadly nothing much happened with that wider act and we ended up jumping from one case to another until finally...Well not a lot really.

The writing was technically good but the plot lacked focus and definitely lacked charm. It was just...ok.

I probably wouldn't read any more if this becomes a series, I've been spoiled by wide sprawling epic reimaginings and this was just not my bag.

A most excellent idea though points for that and I'm sure it will get just as many cheerleaders as it will thoughts like mine.

I devoured this book as fast as my other commitments would let me- this has become one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes retellings. it's compassionate and witty with writing as precise and satisfying as the tick of a clock. Set in an alternate Victorian England where magic and the occult are regular parts of everyday life, The Angel of the Crows uses its fantastical elements to breathe new life into the Sherlock Holmes stories, making this not simply a retelling but a wonderful story in its own right. If you enjoyed Aliette de Bodard's fantastic The Tea Master and the Detective, you'll enjoy this.

This is a fantasy book set in an alternate London with supernatural beings and it is Sherlock Holmes fan fiction. I really enjoyed this book, although it felt more like a series of stories than one flowing story at times. I thought the writing was great, the characters were well written and I enjoyed the plot lines. Overall this was a great read and I would recommend if it sounds interesting to you.

Without sounding like a heather I will admit to never having read a single Conan Doyle book about Sherlock Holmes but having seen enough adaptations on tv and In film I can see where the author has retold the story but in a world of magic and fantasy, I enjoyed this book quite a lot, more than I originally thought I would after the opening chapters which failed to engage with me, it reads well and has a tale to tell, it is a pleasant read on a sunny afternoon

I have never needed a 3.5 star option more. This is a very clever book, and enjoyable to read, but I'm not sure it quite diverged enough from its source material to stand up as a separate novel.

The premise is simple: a retelling of Conan Doyle's Sherlock, in Victorian London, if the supernatural also walked the Earth. Angels, vampires, werewolves, hellhounds, clairvoyants, curses - all part of everyday life. Dr Doyle - this book's Dr Watson - has just returned from Afghanistan where he was grievously wounded by the Fallen, a band of fallen angels. Seeking somewhere quiet to live, he bumps into Stanford, an old friend from medical school, who happens to know of someone else seeking shared lodgings. Enter the angel Crow - somewhat ostracised by his fellow angels and looking for a flatmate for a certain 221b Baker Street. From here, the stories proceed as we know them, with the addition of certain supernatural elements.

The writing felt uncannily like Conan Doyle's style, which was very clever of Addison - I actually went back and reread A Study in Scarlet for a direct comparison. I completely believe that this is how Conan Doyle would have written had he chosen a fantasy version of his stories. Similarly, the characters of Dr Doyle and Crow were much like their counterparts - although Dr Doyle was noticeably smarter and more perceptive than Dr Watson, and Crow, ironically, much more human than Sherlock Holmes. There were cameos from several other notable characters from Conan Doyle's stories, and they too felt mostly authentic - with one exception, who I hope is developed further should this ever get a sequel.

I loved the supernatural element. The mythology of the angels was clever and well-explained, with tidbits dropped in throughout. Each new being was introduced subtly, without a great deal of explanation, but it worked in making their presence seem entirely normal. It would be interesting to see how their presence changed the development of London - and, indeed, of the world - but that wasn't the intent of this novel, and it wasn't required. I did wonder why there was so much discrimination against certain creatures - especially hellhounds - when few of the creatures seemed inherently 'evil', but then prejudice in the 21st century is still, illogically, present, so this was hardly unbelievable.

My main issue with this book was the choice to use the first few Sherlock Holmes stories as the plot. They were cleverly rendered, staying very close to their source material with just a few adaptations to give a supernatural spin - but those stories have been adapted so many times it made the book predictable. This was an exceptional new setting with the scope for far more interesting, fresh mysteries in the supernatural sects of London. I kept finding myself wishing that there'd be a new story, and the only one included was capturing Jack the Ripper - itself something that has been extensively written about. From an enjoyment perspective, this book is a strong four stars - but from an originality perspective, it's closer to a three.

Those who enjoyed Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, the BBC's Sherlock (or at least the first two seasons), Lucy Liu's Elementary, or any other adaptation will likely enjoy this. Similarly, those who have never dived into the Sherlock universe but like a good urban mystery or urban fantasy will probably love this. It's a very well written, strong addition to the adaptations out there - I just feel like there was potential for it to be more than that.