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The Graveyard Watch
Who do you call when the corpse has died again?
Jocasta Lewis needs a job. What she doesn’t need is gnome forensics, terrifying monsters, a werewolf with an unhealthy interest in her love life and a police captain who will (literally) lift her off her feet.
Domingo de Torres wants vengeance. And he’s waited a long time for it. An extremely long time. Now it should be simple enough, if it weren’t for vampire murders and immortal weapons getting in the way. Oh, and that ancient collision of sovereignty, power and control. Yeah, that too…
Jocasta Lewis needs a job. What she doesn’t need is gnome forensics, terrifying monsters, a werewolf with an unhealthy interest in her love life and a police captain who will (literally) lift her off her feet.
Domingo de Torres wants vengeance. And he’s waited a long time for it. An extremely long time. Now it should be simple enough, if it weren’t for vampire murders and immortal weapons getting in the way. Oh, and that ancient collision of sovereignty, power and control. Yeah, that too…
Published February 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
January 16, 2024
This is a NetGalley arc review - thank you as always!
3 stars, 1 spice
The Graveyard Watch is I believe R.J Easton’s debut novel and is the first of an urban paranormal series with a romantic subplot. It follows our FMC Jocasta, who finds herself suddenly and sullenly moving from one job to another; a move she thinks is a punishment, since her new job is with the Graveyard Watch. The Graveyard Watch is a group of law enforcement that polices and corrals the supernatural of London, a fact that Jocasta learns soon on into her work, much to her surprise.
The descriptions of London and the supernatural were great, you could really feel the dark and dank atmosphere at times, and could get a could sense of the Graveyard Watch lab, where a lot of the plot takes place. The cast of characters was also colorful and interesting on the surface. There were times I wished there was more exploration of the characters’ unique personalities and backstories. I felt that sometimes, for some characters, the overuse of their spoken accent written out was distracting from connecting deeply with the characters. I know this doesn’t both some people, but I’m picky with this, I don’t really like to see exaggerated accents written on page. If you tell the reader or give the reader a sense of the character, we’ll be able to use our imaginations, promise. But again, this is a personal preference!
Aside from developing a bit more character depth and backstory, another constructive note I would give would be to be more consistent with changing between character POVs. Again, this is a personal preference, but the elite way to do this is when the chapters change. However, if a POV has to change mid-chapter, it should be clearly marked for the reader. It was at times in this book, but there were also times that it changed between paragraphs, and I was lost for some good minutes because I didn’t realize we were with another character.
Like I mentioned in the second paragraph, I really enjoyed the setting and descriptions of this book. The author did a great job describing the world itself, and it really did give off an almost spooky, noir film style. But while the descriptions and non-dialogue writing was awesome, another constructive note I would give would be to work on the balance between that descriptive writing and character dialogue writing. The dialogue at times feels heavy and stilted, because the characters are relaying plot details or repeating plot details for the readers benefit, when a lot of that information can be written more masterfully into the description and non-dialogue writing. It all goes into show not tell, and developing the worldbuilding.
But for a debut book (I think), this was a cool read and I’m excited to see where the series goes.
3 stars, 1 spice
The Graveyard Watch is I believe R.J Easton’s debut novel and is the first of an urban paranormal series with a romantic subplot. It follows our FMC Jocasta, who finds herself suddenly and sullenly moving from one job to another; a move she thinks is a punishment, since her new job is with the Graveyard Watch. The Graveyard Watch is a group of law enforcement that polices and corrals the supernatural of London, a fact that Jocasta learns soon on into her work, much to her surprise.
The descriptions of London and the supernatural were great, you could really feel the dark and dank atmosphere at times, and could get a could sense of the Graveyard Watch lab, where a lot of the plot takes place. The cast of characters was also colorful and interesting on the surface. There were times I wished there was more exploration of the characters’ unique personalities and backstories. I felt that sometimes, for some characters, the overuse of their spoken accent written out was distracting from connecting deeply with the characters. I know this doesn’t both some people, but I’m picky with this, I don’t really like to see exaggerated accents written on page. If you tell the reader or give the reader a sense of the character, we’ll be able to use our imaginations, promise. But again, this is a personal preference!
Aside from developing a bit more character depth and backstory, another constructive note I would give would be to be more consistent with changing between character POVs. Again, this is a personal preference, but the elite way to do this is when the chapters change. However, if a POV has to change mid-chapter, it should be clearly marked for the reader. It was at times in this book, but there were also times that it changed between paragraphs, and I was lost for some good minutes because I didn’t realize we were with another character.
Like I mentioned in the second paragraph, I really enjoyed the setting and descriptions of this book. The author did a great job describing the world itself, and it really did give off an almost spooky, noir film style. But while the descriptions and non-dialogue writing was awesome, another constructive note I would give would be to work on the balance between that descriptive writing and character dialogue writing. The dialogue at times feels heavy and stilted, because the characters are relaying plot details or repeating plot details for the readers benefit, when a lot of that information can be written more masterfully into the description and non-dialogue writing. It all goes into show not tell, and developing the worldbuilding.
But for a debut book (I think), this was a cool read and I’m excited to see where the series goes.
December 10, 2023
The Graveyard Watch. That does sound a lot like the graveyard shift of the Ankh-Morpork Night Watch, what with the undead and the werewolf , the coppers and so on. Throw in the nice cover, and my inner coinnoissieur of funny fantasy literature immediately starts grinning. It's the good kind of grin, starting at the one ear and ending at the other. And that's not a bad way to look at a new book. So many thanto Small Bear Books for granting me access to this arc, it's really much appreciated!
"Oh Lieutenant, what big claws you have!" - "All zhe better to grab thieves with, non?"
The story tends to follow two different protagonists, the leader of the graveyard watch and the newest addition to his team, a young pathologist who just doesn't know what she's in for, yet. The only thing that threw me a wrench was the fact that we follow the leader in two different timelines, and it would have been much appreciated had the chapters been outfitted with markers telling the readers what timeline they are in, currently. But you'll get used to it.
I'm very happy to report that the humor hits just the right spot! It's not over the top and goofy, and it doesn't take away from the mystery vibe, but lightens the mood ever so often. I really enjoyed it, the suspension luring me along, making me stay awake past my bedtime.
And then I'll really go to sleep, I promise! Definitely. Maybe.
This being Urban Fantasy, the world inhabited by its characters is the same as ours, plus some additions like french werewolves, ghosts, gnomes or a second pope. And vampires, of course.
If you would press hard for me to describe this book in one sentence, it would probably be this: Graveyard Watch is what happens when the Night Watch of Ankh-Morpork gets totally drunk and wakes up in Peter Grant's London.
Jocasta and the Graveyard Watch could have a great future, I think!
It also has all the hallmarks of a series starter, and to be honest: I wouldn't mind more books with Commander Domingo, Captain Everly and the rest of the gang. Bring it on!
Enjoyable and quick read, I give it 4.5 out of 5 Black Popes!
Disclaimer: I’ve received a free Advanced Reader’s Copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
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"Oh Lieutenant, what big claws you have!" - "All zhe better to grab thieves with, non?"
The story tends to follow two different protagonists, the leader of the graveyard watch and the newest addition to his team, a young pathologist who just doesn't know what she's in for, yet. The only thing that threw me a wrench was the fact that we follow the leader in two different timelines, and it would have been much appreciated had the chapters been outfitted with markers telling the readers what timeline they are in, currently. But you'll get used to it.
I'm very happy to report that the humor hits just the right spot! It's not over the top and goofy, and it doesn't take away from the mystery vibe, but lightens the mood ever so often. I really enjoyed it, the suspension luring me along, making me stay awake past my bedtime.
And then I'll really go to sleep, I promise! Definitely. Maybe.
This being Urban Fantasy, the world inhabited by its characters is the same as ours, plus some additions like french werewolves, ghosts, gnomes or a second pope. And vampires, of course.
If you would press hard for me to describe this book in one sentence, it would probably be this: Graveyard Watch is what happens when the Night Watch of Ankh-Morpork gets totally drunk and wakes up in Peter Grant's London.
Jocasta and the Graveyard Watch could have a great future, I think!
It also has all the hallmarks of a series starter, and to be honest: I wouldn't mind more books with Commander Domingo, Captain Everly and the rest of the gang. Bring it on!
Enjoyable and quick read, I give it 4.5 out of 5 Black Popes!
Disclaimer: I’ve received a free Advanced Reader’s Copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
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October 25, 2023
3.5
A very solid debut! R.J.Eason has got me with the very first sentence. The book is entertaining, light, and engaging.
Urban fantasy setting where regular-people populated world is also full of vampires, volves, gnomes, ghouls, sylphs and other creatures. We are introduced to a the Graveyard Watch – a certain police force unit where unwanted/more mystical/magical cases are being investigated. A human woman, Jocasta, is a pathologist and has recently been transferred to the Graveyard Watch. That’s where we meet other characters of the book. R.J.Eason introduces us to characters gradually, and that makes a good, comfortable reading experience. A world is full of creatures, but every character is distinctive, has certain character traits, and as we get to know them little by little, we’re getting attached to the characters. Honestly, I liked all of them!
There are two timelines. Past timeline gives insight to present, but everything connects only toward the end. For quite some time, the main notion from the past timeline was that Jocasta is a very new piece in a very old game with experienced players.
Pace is even, a little romance subplot is at hand, it was done perfectly. The tone is light, that is especially felt through the characters: Sebastian is a very mannered french gay guy, Jocasta has entertaining flow of thoughts in her head, Bucky is such a cute gnome, Domingo gets my sympathy, as he‘s very much my type of male character in the book.
The main plot is unfolding a mystery, it was predictable, but in an easy and cozy way- a trait I like in easy reads. To sum up, the whole reading experience was pleasant and enjoyable.
The graveyard watch has a potential to become series, and I hope to see future books written by R.J.Eason!
I received ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Small Bear Books and NetGalley.
A very solid debut! R.J.Eason has got me with the very first sentence. The book is entertaining, light, and engaging.
Urban fantasy setting where regular-people populated world is also full of vampires, volves, gnomes, ghouls, sylphs and other creatures. We are introduced to a the Graveyard Watch – a certain police force unit where unwanted/more mystical/magical cases are being investigated. A human woman, Jocasta, is a pathologist and has recently been transferred to the Graveyard Watch. That’s where we meet other characters of the book. R.J.Eason introduces us to characters gradually, and that makes a good, comfortable reading experience. A world is full of creatures, but every character is distinctive, has certain character traits, and as we get to know them little by little, we’re getting attached to the characters. Honestly, I liked all of them!
There are two timelines. Past timeline gives insight to present, but everything connects only toward the end. For quite some time, the main notion from the past timeline was that Jocasta is a very new piece in a very old game with experienced players.
Pace is even, a little romance subplot is at hand, it was done perfectly. The tone is light, that is especially felt through the characters: Sebastian is a very mannered french gay guy, Jocasta has entertaining flow of thoughts in her head, Bucky is such a cute gnome, Domingo gets my sympathy, as he‘s very much my type of male character in the book.
The main plot is unfolding a mystery, it was predictable, but in an easy and cozy way- a trait I like in easy reads. To sum up, the whole reading experience was pleasant and enjoyable.
The graveyard watch has a potential to become series, and I hope to see future books written by R.J.Eason!
I received ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Small Bear Books and NetGalley.
October 6, 2024
Stars: 2.5 out of 5
This book had potential, I love urban fantasy and new interesting takes that authors have on the old thrope of monsters living among us without the general public being aware of it and secret agencies in the government created to police them. So I was more than on board with this and ready to enjoy my read. Unfortunately, the execusion suffers from what I would call "the first book" syndrom. And while I am willing to forgive a lot if I like the story and the characters, the flaws outweighted the positives in this case.
My biggest issue with the book is head hopping. I HATE this. It gives me whiplash and immediately takes me out of the story, killing all enjoyment. I don't mind having certain scenes narrated by different characters as long as there is a clear separation between them. In this case though, we have some scenes where the POV literaly changes from paragraph to paragraph in the same scene, which is really off-putting and confusing.
My second issue was the way the author chose to write the accents different characters have. Like Sebastian, the French werewolf. While that would be fantastic in an audio book, it sounds very forced and unnatural written on a page. It is honestly hard to read, because the words are writen wrong to immiate an accent, but since I am reading this, not listening to it, half the time I have to stop and re-read to even understand what the author ment. There are other ways of showing that English isn't someone's native language.
My other issues are related to the characters and the general worldbuilding. Where it comes to the worldbuilding, there isn't enough of it. It leaves more questions than answers. Like how does the Graveyard Watch fit into the rest of Brittish law enforcement or even government? Who does the Commander answer to? Who pays the bills? What is the chain of command here? What is the scop of their powers? What is their ultimate mission? Are they judge, jury, and executionner? Are they enforcers or also councelors whom the supernatural community can turn to for help? Are there other divisions of the Graveyard Watch in other countries? A centralized authority that overseas them? Who watches the watchers? No clue, because that's never explained.
My final issue is with the characters. We don't know anything about them apart from their funny accents. The only one we get a bit of a backstory about is Domingo, but even then it's not much. The characters are just kind of there... I don't know their motivations, I don't know what they do in their personal lives, I don't know what their aspirations are. They move the story forward, talk in funny accents, and (in the case of Jocasta) swoon over every hot-looking guy that happens to cross her path.
Speaking of Jocasta, I really hated her inner monologs that were written more like dialogs. I mean does she have split personality or what? Why does it sound like another voice is answering her in her head when she is having a moment?
Also, for someone who is described as an intelligent and capable medical examiner, why is she suddenly turning into a detective? Her job is not to track suspects and apprehend them. Her job is to examine a scene and a body, if there is one. The whole plot of them following Victor to his secret lair was absolutely stupid. Why would she run after a known suspect, jump into his boat, follow him into a warehouse... all that while wearing an evening dress and high heels? What is she, Super Woman?
In the end, the negatives outweighted the positives for me, hence the rather low rating I'm giving this book. I will not be continuing with this series.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book had potential, I love urban fantasy and new interesting takes that authors have on the old thrope of monsters living among us without the general public being aware of it and secret agencies in the government created to police them. So I was more than on board with this and ready to enjoy my read. Unfortunately, the execusion suffers from what I would call "the first book" syndrom. And while I am willing to forgive a lot if I like the story and the characters, the flaws outweighted the positives in this case.
My biggest issue with the book is head hopping. I HATE this. It gives me whiplash and immediately takes me out of the story, killing all enjoyment. I don't mind having certain scenes narrated by different characters as long as there is a clear separation between them. In this case though, we have some scenes where the POV literaly changes from paragraph to paragraph in the same scene, which is really off-putting and confusing.
My second issue was the way the author chose to write the accents different characters have. Like Sebastian, the French werewolf. While that would be fantastic in an audio book, it sounds very forced and unnatural written on a page. It is honestly hard to read, because the words are writen wrong to immiate an accent, but since I am reading this, not listening to it, half the time I have to stop and re-read to even understand what the author ment. There are other ways of showing that English isn't someone's native language.
My other issues are related to the characters and the general worldbuilding. Where it comes to the worldbuilding, there isn't enough of it. It leaves more questions than answers. Like how does the Graveyard Watch fit into the rest of Brittish law enforcement or even government? Who does the Commander answer to? Who pays the bills? What is the chain of command here? What is the scop of their powers? What is their ultimate mission? Are they judge, jury, and executionner? Are they enforcers or also councelors whom the supernatural community can turn to for help? Are there other divisions of the Graveyard Watch in other countries? A centralized authority that overseas them? Who watches the watchers? No clue, because that's never explained.
My final issue is with the characters. We don't know anything about them apart from their funny accents. The only one we get a bit of a backstory about is Domingo, but even then it's not much. The characters are just kind of there... I don't know their motivations, I don't know what they do in their personal lives, I don't know what their aspirations are. They move the story forward, talk in funny accents, and (in the case of Jocasta) swoon over every hot-looking guy that happens to cross her path.
Speaking of Jocasta, I really hated her inner monologs that were written more like dialogs. I mean does she have split personality or what? Why does it sound like another voice is answering her in her head when she is having a moment?
Also, for someone who is described as an intelligent and capable medical examiner, why is she suddenly turning into a detective? Her job is not to track suspects and apprehend them. Her job is to examine a scene and a body, if there is one. The whole plot of them following Victor to his secret lair was absolutely stupid. Why would she run after a known suspect, jump into his boat, follow him into a warehouse... all that while wearing an evening dress and high heels? What is she, Super Woman?
In the end, the negatives outweighted the positives for me, hence the rather low rating I'm giving this book. I will not be continuing with this series.
PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 31, 2023
The Graveyard Watch is the first book in an urban fantasy series set in London.
It opens with pathologist Jocasta as she starts a new job for a strange law enforcement department, where she is plunged into a supernatural world that includes vampires, werewolves, a gnome and a captain with his own secrets. These shocking new circumstances pull her swiftly along, but it is her methodical scientific mind that keeps her grounded on more than one occasion.
A plot is afoot to sabotage the crowning of the new underworld king, and, as the coronation date draws near, Jocasta and the team must try to thwart the plans. There’s a bit of historical back story and at first the narrative flips back and forth between characters and historical settings, but it soon converges to the modern day timeline.
I enjoyed the London setting for this story and the main characters were quirky and likeable. I was less keen on the dialogue style for the French and German characters which used mostly vernacular speech. I don’t mind a sprinkling of dialect, but here less would have been more as I found it slowed the pace of reading.
The plot moved swiftly and there was enough action to keep me invested in the story. I liked the underlying romantic theme and will be interested to see where the author takes the series in the next book.
It opens with pathologist Jocasta as she starts a new job for a strange law enforcement department, where she is plunged into a supernatural world that includes vampires, werewolves, a gnome and a captain with his own secrets. These shocking new circumstances pull her swiftly along, but it is her methodical scientific mind that keeps her grounded on more than one occasion.
A plot is afoot to sabotage the crowning of the new underworld king, and, as the coronation date draws near, Jocasta and the team must try to thwart the plans. There’s a bit of historical back story and at first the narrative flips back and forth between characters and historical settings, but it soon converges to the modern day timeline.
I enjoyed the London setting for this story and the main characters were quirky and likeable. I was less keen on the dialogue style for the French and German characters which used mostly vernacular speech. I don’t mind a sprinkling of dialect, but here less would have been more as I found it slowed the pace of reading.
The plot moved swiftly and there was enough action to keep me invested in the story. I liked the underlying romantic theme and will be interested to see where the author takes the series in the next book.
February 17, 2024
Urban Fantasy set in London - those five words make me listen up every time. I blame it on Mike Carey and his Felix Castor novels, they were my entrance to the genre.
Unfortunately this debut novel didn't quite work for me. Although the scaffolding of the story is good and I'm likely to seek out a sequel novel, the execution of the novel was not my cup of tea. There were POV changes from one paragraph to the next without any indication that I am reading from another POV - which, I grant, might be due to having read a review copy. There were continuity issues that I also base on the review copy and hope were ironed out before this book went to press. Furthermore, unfortunately, there was too much tell rather than show - lengthy dialogue that contained information that could easily have been presented within the prose of the novel. Lastly, speaking of dialogue, why does nearly everyone with an accent have to "talk" in written accent?
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 - I'm hoping for a sequel
Unfortunately this debut novel didn't quite work for me. Although the scaffolding of the story is good and I'm likely to seek out a sequel novel, the execution of the novel was not my cup of tea. There were POV changes from one paragraph to the next without any indication that I am reading from another POV - which, I grant, might be due to having read a review copy. There were continuity issues that I also base on the review copy and hope were ironed out before this book went to press. Furthermore, unfortunately, there was too much tell rather than show - lengthy dialogue that contained information that could easily have been presented within the prose of the novel. Lastly, speaking of dialogue, why does nearly everyone with an accent have to "talk" in written accent?
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 - I'm hoping for a sequel
October 23, 2023
My favorite genre is plain urban fantasy or paranormal thriller. It can have romance in it, but I like the mystery to be the main plot. I requested this one because that seemed to fit the bill, and fortunately, I was correct. Now here is where is gets a little complicated. I really enjoyed this book, and I even laughed out loud at the end because of a hugely funny scene towards the end. However, it wasn’t perfect, and I really don’t expect the first book in a series to be because there’s lots of world building. Even with the imperfections, I really hope there will be more in the series. I absolutely love all the characters, including Sebatsian (zhe werewolf iz great! LOL!), the writing is excellent, and it keeps your attention. Give it a try! Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
January 22, 2024
I had a lot of fun and throroughly enjoyed this good mix of horror and urban fantasy.
Well plotted and gripping, excellent world building and storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Well plotted and gripping, excellent world building and storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
April 26, 2024
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
as much as i tried to get into this book i found it very difficult, there seemed to be a lot going on with very little explanation.... and with loads of hints but it wasnt enough to keep my attention...
sorry i did try
as much as i tried to get into this book i found it very difficult, there seemed to be a lot going on with very little explanation.... and with loads of hints but it wasnt enough to keep my attention...
sorry i did try
November 2, 2024
This is a Booksirens arc review which received for free. thank you so much for having me as part of the reading team!!
When the dead rise, so does pathology...
Jocasta Lewis, a police pathologist gets demoted to the Graveyard Watch, a place no one really wants to work. What she doesn't expect if for the crimes dealth with to be of the supernatural variety. She definitely doesn't expects vampires, werewolves, gnomes, and monsters. Nor does she expect a thirst for justice.
Domingo de Torres wants vengeance. And he’s waited an extremely long time for it. Now it should be simple enough, if it weren’t for vampire murders and immortal weapons getting in the way. Oh, and that ancient collision of sovereignty, power and control.
There are multiple POV's mainly just the two MCs, Jocasta and Domingo, with a few outside povs. I like how Domino's pov includes different time periods, which allows for his backstory to unfold nicely and helps the rest of the plot unfold. I like how scenes aren't repeated in different POVs. It give the novel more depth.
Another thing I enjoy is how Jocasta was introduced to the Supernatural world. It was very done differently to how its usually done, and it felt fresh, new and exciting. I love how she reacts to the new things that are introduced to her, it definitely feels real to me. I love her sense of humour, and she's also very perceptive and intelligent, which I love. It's no downplayed or written off either, the other characters see and acknowledge her perceptiveness and intelligence.
As for criticism, it was quite a bit slower paced than I expected a paranormal thriller/mystery to be and I felt some scenes could be a bit more concise, but all in all it was still a good read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
When the dead rise, so does pathology...
Jocasta Lewis, a police pathologist gets demoted to the Graveyard Watch, a place no one really wants to work. What she doesn't expect if for the crimes dealth with to be of the supernatural variety. She definitely doesn't expects vampires, werewolves, gnomes, and monsters. Nor does she expect a thirst for justice.
Domingo de Torres wants vengeance. And he’s waited an extremely long time for it. Now it should be simple enough, if it weren’t for vampire murders and immortal weapons getting in the way. Oh, and that ancient collision of sovereignty, power and control.
There are multiple POV's mainly just the two MCs, Jocasta and Domingo, with a few outside povs. I like how Domino's pov includes different time periods, which allows for his backstory to unfold nicely and helps the rest of the plot unfold. I like how scenes aren't repeated in different POVs. It give the novel more depth.
Another thing I enjoy is how Jocasta was introduced to the Supernatural world. It was very done differently to how its usually done, and it felt fresh, new and exciting. I love how she reacts to the new things that are introduced to her, it definitely feels real to me. I love her sense of humour, and she's also very perceptive and intelligent, which I love. It's no downplayed or written off either, the other characters see and acknowledge her perceptiveness and intelligence.
As for criticism, it was quite a bit slower paced than I expected a paranormal thriller/mystery to be and I felt some scenes could be a bit more concise, but all in all it was still a good read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 31, 2024
"The Graveyard Watch" is an urban fantasy about a paranormal police unit dealing with undead cases. In a world very similar to ours including but not limited to vampires, werewolves and other species that go bump in the night. We have all manner of supernatural creatures and humans who are oblivious to their presence. It's almost as if they are living parallel lives, yet they do frequent the same places.
Enter Jocasta who takes a while to realise that this isn't a regular type of job, she's human so you've got to expect that. Even for a pathologist, The Graveyard Watch is weird. Jocasta is thrown in the deep end, into mystery, theft, several dead individuals, car chases and plenty more action. There's a lot going on in this book and it's perfect for those who want non stop hither thither .
I liked the worldbuilding but found a few thing drew me out of the narrative. First there was the different point of views, they weren't consistent throughout the book and seemed to pop up randomly. Jocasta appeared as a smart intelligent woman at work but a lovesick hormonal teenager in her personal life it was a little too hard to accept. It was funny in places, however the language and sentence structure was oddly formal and made me think what century are we in. The mystery wasn't as intricate as it originally appeared. Also I couldn't understand why some characters accents were emphasised to the degree that their words were phonetically spelt ('zee' for 'the', etc) out whereas others were not. Overall a good read but these distractions, became irritations and therefore made it difficult to enjoy or love this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Small Bear Book for a digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.
Enter Jocasta who takes a while to realise that this isn't a regular type of job, she's human so you've got to expect that. Even for a pathologist, The Graveyard Watch is weird. Jocasta is thrown in the deep end, into mystery, theft, several dead individuals, car chases and plenty more action. There's a lot going on in this book and it's perfect for those who want non stop hither thither .
I liked the worldbuilding but found a few thing drew me out of the narrative. First there was the different point of views, they weren't consistent throughout the book and seemed to pop up randomly. Jocasta appeared as a smart intelligent woman at work but a lovesick hormonal teenager in her personal life it was a little too hard to accept. It was funny in places, however the language and sentence structure was oddly formal and made me think what century are we in. The mystery wasn't as intricate as it originally appeared. Also I couldn't understand why some characters accents were emphasised to the degree that their words were phonetically spelt ('zee' for 'the', etc) out whereas others were not. Overall a good read but these distractions, became irritations and therefore made it difficult to enjoy or love this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Small Bear Book for a digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.
November 20, 2024
When Jocasta Lewis didn't get the promotion she was looking for and instead is transferred to the 'Graveyard Watch' she was beyond vexed and only showed up because she needed the job. She didn't expect to find new species such as werewolves, gnomes and vampires among her co-workers.
I was hooked on THE GRAVEYARD WATCH since the very first page. Jocasta is very easy to relate to and emphasize with as she could easily be my next door neighbor. While she is the main character, we also get to know her boss and co-workers rather well as we do experience some scenes from their points of view which does add to the story as we get to see it all building towards the conclusion.
There were a few time slips into the past that threw me for a loop as there wasn't any indication what era events are occurring in when we are following events with Jocasta's boss. Perhaps an indication of the year the events are happening in would eliminate that confusion. I also ran across a couple editing errors but not enough to pull me out of the story.
I do recommend THE GRAVEYARD WATCH to readers who enjoy urban fantasy with a touch of mystery and a heavy dose of romance. The story does contain violence and sex however nothing graphic occurs on the page so I would recommend this book to readers of any age. It is the first book of a series and I know that I will be waiting impatiently for the next installment.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was hooked on THE GRAVEYARD WATCH since the very first page. Jocasta is very easy to relate to and emphasize with as she could easily be my next door neighbor. While she is the main character, we also get to know her boss and co-workers rather well as we do experience some scenes from their points of view which does add to the story as we get to see it all building towards the conclusion.
There were a few time slips into the past that threw me for a loop as there wasn't any indication what era events are occurring in when we are following events with Jocasta's boss. Perhaps an indication of the year the events are happening in would eliminate that confusion. I also ran across a couple editing errors but not enough to pull me out of the story.
I do recommend THE GRAVEYARD WATCH to readers who enjoy urban fantasy with a touch of mystery and a heavy dose of romance. The story does contain violence and sex however nothing graphic occurs on the page so I would recommend this book to readers of any age. It is the first book of a series and I know that I will be waiting impatiently for the next installment.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 13, 2024
I really tried and enjoyed this book, I LOVE supernatural things and mystical creatures, I was satisfied on that side, it was interesting. The story was alright, the plot threaded out smoothly, the description and world were believable and I liked London painted like this. I decided to rate it so low because I did not enjoy the unnecessary cultural finger pointing.. it made the reading not enjoyable. It’s nice to include other nationalities, make character different and unique for their nationality, but reading it isn’t enjoyable, I did not need to read “English spoken French accent”, I am French myself and I know for fact that I don’t have an accent, yes it’s unique to have some characters having accents but not in dialogues, this is suppose to be a story not a fanfics…
That is what disappointed me the most in this book.. I recently learn that this is not a solo book ? I will not be continuing this series
That is what disappointed me the most in this book.. I recently learn that this is not a solo book ? I will not be continuing this series
November 9, 2023
Jocastor Lewis thinks her pathology career is going down the drains, nothing could be further from the truth (well, correction, some things do go down the drains and you might not want to follow them). I thought this was a superbly entertaining fantasy book. YA and up. Maybe a little MIB with understated pan-European/New World panache and flair, and no big bug guns (well some bugs and maybe a few guns but, also there are so many other ways to attack monsters including using your brain, charm and science). Throw in amusing characters, some villains with plans to foil, lots of humour, and an all round entertaining story. 5 Stars all day (and night)!! Thank you to Small Bear Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
January 8, 2024
I’ll start off by saying how much I thoroughly enjoyed this new urban fantasy.
It follows pathologist Jocasta as she’s at first unwillingly recruited to join the graveyard watch, whose remit is to police the undead residents of London. She soon discovers that her new unit is not all that it seems when the bodies that arrive at her morgue are not quite human and neither are her new colleagues.
Graveyard watch is such a great debut from R.J Eason, a very well written plot with a host of supernatural creatures, lots of humour, action, likeable characters and a dash of romance. It struck me as a bit of a cross between ‘Rivers of London’ and the tv show ‘Bones’ with a hint of ‘Parasol Protectorate’, all favourites of mine. Really hoping there’s a sequel to come.
It follows pathologist Jocasta as she’s at first unwillingly recruited to join the graveyard watch, whose remit is to police the undead residents of London. She soon discovers that her new unit is not all that it seems when the bodies that arrive at her morgue are not quite human and neither are her new colleagues.
Graveyard watch is such a great debut from R.J Eason, a very well written plot with a host of supernatural creatures, lots of humour, action, likeable characters and a dash of romance. It struck me as a bit of a cross between ‘Rivers of London’ and the tv show ‘Bones’ with a hint of ‘Parasol Protectorate’, all favourites of mine. Really hoping there’s a sequel to come.
November 20, 2023
As soon as I read the synopsis I was ready to read this! The premise is so unique and exciting and I think the author brought it to life. I loved the characters and how they all interacted with each other, it was like a cosy yet dysfunctional family. My only ‘negative’ point was that at time the pacing felt a little odd but thats just personal opinion.
I can’t wait to read more of the graveyard watch squad, how do I join??? Room for 1 more human??
Thank you Rebecca at Small Bear Books for reaching out to me about reading this book, I’d never have discovered the workers of the graveyard watch without you!
I can’t wait to read more of the graveyard watch squad, how do I join??? Room for 1 more human??
Thank you Rebecca at Small Bear Books for reaching out to me about reading this book, I’d never have discovered the workers of the graveyard watch without you!
December 7, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
Although urban fantasy isn’t usually my genre, I think this book is a really good introduction to these type of books. I recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre or is interesting in getting into these types of books.
In this first book we find ourselves in London working with the Graveyard Watch. These is a special force team who work to solve mysterious from the paranormal world. I loved to see many different species interact with each other and how a human was able to fit perfectly in this world. We learn about vampires, elementals, werewolves, gnomes and many other unnatural things that we all know from our childhood.
I think this book has a good pace because it is neither slow nor fast. I thinks the book has a bit of unnecessary parts and the ending was a bit fast but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed that there was underlying romance in the book but that the main focus was the paranormal world.
I found the characters very interesting, especially Sebastien. I thought it was very creative to use the dialects for the French and German characters because it gave something extra to the story. Also, the inner monologue that Jocasta has is very funny and it added a sense of humor to the story.
I think it was a really good debut novel so I am really excited to see how the author takes on the next book.
Although urban fantasy isn’t usually my genre, I think this book is a really good introduction to these type of books. I recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre or is interesting in getting into these types of books.
In this first book we find ourselves in London working with the Graveyard Watch. These is a special force team who work to solve mysterious from the paranormal world. I loved to see many different species interact with each other and how a human was able to fit perfectly in this world. We learn about vampires, elementals, werewolves, gnomes and many other unnatural things that we all know from our childhood.
I think this book has a good pace because it is neither slow nor fast. I thinks the book has a bit of unnecessary parts and the ending was a bit fast but it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed that there was underlying romance in the book but that the main focus was the paranormal world.
I found the characters very interesting, especially Sebastien. I thought it was very creative to use the dialects for the French and German characters because it gave something extra to the story. Also, the inner monologue that Jocasta has is very funny and it added a sense of humor to the story.
I think it was a really good debut novel so I am really excited to see how the author takes on the next book.
January 17, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
This was such a great debut and start to a new series. Men in Black vibes but paranormal. Great characters. Immersive world building. Mystery and puzzles. Once I started reading I was hooked
Multiple POV is used throughout with great success, and helps provide background information as well as plot movement. I hope we'll get more of the Graveyard Watch's team POVs in the next installment (*Sebastien*)
I really look forward to continuing this series
This was such a great debut and start to a new series. Men in Black vibes but paranormal. Great characters. Immersive world building. Mystery and puzzles. Once I started reading I was hooked
Multiple POV is used throughout with great success, and helps provide background information as well as plot movement. I hope we'll get more of the Graveyard Watch's team POVs in the next installment (*Sebastien*)
I really look forward to continuing this series
January 29, 2024
Hugely disappointing and a very poor reading experience. Humour is always subjective but the lack of character and poor writing made this underwhelming - not recommended at all
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
October 24, 2024
I was assuming this would be a horror novel but it’s a more romantic paranormal with some bad & scary villains.
Other than that you get vampires, French werewolves , gnomes & ghouls.
Happy Halloween!
Other than that you get vampires, French werewolves , gnomes & ghouls.
Happy Halloween!
November 13, 2023
Absolutely Brilliant! R.J. Eason has created a wonderful world. The paranormal world needs this book. Fun, clever, just the right amount of romance, it's a fast paced marathon. Well Done. I'm looking forward to more of these.
February 18, 2024
I have an extreme soft spot for urban fantasy, so I wasn't really surprised when the Graveyard Watch ticked all my boxes. It combines everything I love about the genre; a team of misfits thrown together, magical creatures and an unseen part of the modern world and then adds some humour into the mix. It doesn't always work well but this is a well written book, especially for a debut.
So, what do we have? We have a section of the police affiliated very loosely with the City of London force, situated in one of the towers of Tower Bridge and staffed by various different kinds of supernatural beings. And one human forensic pathologist. The characters are well written and, although we have the usual suspects of vampires and werewolves, it was nice to see a bit of variety in that cast list. My particular favourites is the gnome who does the forensics (Bucky), the Icarus sandals and the Cryptid Section of the Natural Museum. The overall plot may be familiar to fans of the genre (someone is going to commit a devastating crime. Our heroes have to stop them before they do) but there are tones that bring freshness to The Graveyard Watch.
As with a lot of urban fantasy, it is set in London. Although it is probably overdone, London does have that very old, lots of history, slightly spooky atmosphere to it, so it does lend itself well to this genre. It is that unfamiliar in the familiar landscape that I love so much in urban fantasy and it is used to devastating effect here. It is nice that the Tower Bridge area is getting a showing this time, although I'm pretty doubtful that you could fit a full pathology lab with forensics into the basement of one of the towers. It's fantasy though, and the aforementioned lab is run by a vampire so I think we can suspend belief on the dimensions for now.
The Graveyard Watch is part police procedural, post supernatural thriller and part comedy. I had some genuine laugh-out-loud moments, so the humour really worked for me. The romance felt a little shoehorned in and felt a bit like a plot device but it wasn't a great deal of the plot. It also is not super spicy, being fade to black, so those that are not too keen on graphic sex scenes should be ok. I would think that this would suit fans of the Guards in Discworld, the Rivers of London series and the Alex Verus series, as it felt like a bit of a mash up of all of them to me. As these are three of my favourite series, I think you could say this was straight up my alley. I would definitely read more in this new series.
I received a free ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you
So, what do we have? We have a section of the police affiliated very loosely with the City of London force, situated in one of the towers of Tower Bridge and staffed by various different kinds of supernatural beings. And one human forensic pathologist. The characters are well written and, although we have the usual suspects of vampires and werewolves, it was nice to see a bit of variety in that cast list. My particular favourites is the gnome who does the forensics (Bucky), the Icarus sandals and the Cryptid Section of the Natural Museum. The overall plot may be familiar to fans of the genre (someone is going to commit a devastating crime. Our heroes have to stop them before they do) but there are tones that bring freshness to The Graveyard Watch.
As with a lot of urban fantasy, it is set in London. Although it is probably overdone, London does have that very old, lots of history, slightly spooky atmosphere to it, so it does lend itself well to this genre. It is that unfamiliar in the familiar landscape that I love so much in urban fantasy and it is used to devastating effect here. It is nice that the Tower Bridge area is getting a showing this time, although I'm pretty doubtful that you could fit a full pathology lab with forensics into the basement of one of the towers. It's fantasy though, and the aforementioned lab is run by a vampire so I think we can suspend belief on the dimensions for now.
The Graveyard Watch is part police procedural, post supernatural thriller and part comedy. I had some genuine laugh-out-loud moments, so the humour really worked for me. The romance felt a little shoehorned in and felt a bit like a plot device but it wasn't a great deal of the plot. It also is not super spicy, being fade to black, so those that are not too keen on graphic sex scenes should be ok. I would think that this would suit fans of the Guards in Discworld, the Rivers of London series and the Alex Verus series, as it felt like a bit of a mash up of all of them to me. As these are three of my favourite series, I think you could say this was straight up my alley. I would definitely read more in this new series.
I received a free ARC from the Publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you
February 2, 2024
GENERAL INFO
The Graveyard Watch- a standalone
Year Pub/Re Pub: 2/1/24, Read 2/1/24
Book's cover: very dark, murky London
Format: eBook, 320 pages
Source: Thanks to NetGalley and Small Bear Books Ltd for this ARC🩶! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Setting: London
Genre: paranormal, mystery, urban fantasy
Tropes: supernatural creatures(vampires/werewolves/gnomes), crime investigation, law enforcement, office romance
HEA/HFN ending: HFN
Epilogue Included: yes
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Synopsis/Plot Summary: Jocasta is new to the graveyard watch. She's a pathologist from Uni College Hospital hired to police the undead. She doesn't know her coworkers are supernatural, but they all investigate art theft and 3 dead people exsanguinated. Her and her captain, Will Everly, have a very Jim/Pam relationship, but Will makes his move much sooner.
M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F
Representation: POC, LGBTQIIA+
Flashbacks: There are two timelines with Domingo in the past being hired to create the ICPO, and Jocasta in the present starting a new job with a bunch of weirdos.
Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : Will is a little jealous when John Colt asked Jocasta out.
Amount of Sex In The Book: kissing and off page sexy time w/ Jocasta and Will
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
Commander Domingo de Torres- a 100+ yrs vampire, looking for who/what killed his family.
Captain Will Everly - an elemental sylph, wind god
Jocasta Lewis-a human pathologist who didn't get promoted, and was assigned to the graveyard watch
Sebastien-a gay French werewolf whose accent and sense of humor offered comic relief
Bucky-gnome forensics expert
H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO
OW/OM/Exes: n/a
AUTHOR OVERVIEW: R.J. Easton-debut author
PERSONAL OVERVIEW
Overall Rating: 4
Do You Recommend This Book: yes
Will You Re-read This Book: yes
Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes
COMMENTS/NOTES: I liked Jocasta's inner monologues and accepting the graveyard watch's paranormal species. I liked London being a character that set the tone and feel of the mysteries. I got a bit confused with the timelines and switching POVs within the same chapter. It happened a lot with Domingo and Jocasta with the past and present. Sebastien and Heinrich's accents were a little distracting, but they didn't have much dialogue to make sense of. I loved Jocasta and Will's relationship and I would definitely read more novels in this world.
The Graveyard Watch- a standalone
Year Pub/Re Pub: 2/1/24, Read 2/1/24
Book's cover: very dark, murky London
Format: eBook, 320 pages
Source: Thanks to NetGalley and Small Bear Books Ltd for this ARC🩶! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Setting: London
Genre: paranormal, mystery, urban fantasy
Tropes: supernatural creatures(vampires/werewolves/gnomes), crime investigation, law enforcement, office romance
HEA/HFN ending: HFN
Epilogue Included: yes
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Synopsis/Plot Summary: Jocasta is new to the graveyard watch. She's a pathologist from Uni College Hospital hired to police the undead. She doesn't know her coworkers are supernatural, but they all investigate art theft and 3 dead people exsanguinated. Her and her captain, Will Everly, have a very Jim/Pam relationship, but Will makes his move much sooner.
M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F
Representation: POC, LGBTQIIA+
Flashbacks: There are two timelines with Domingo in the past being hired to create the ICPO, and Jocasta in the present starting a new job with a bunch of weirdos.
Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h : Will is a little jealous when John Colt asked Jocasta out.
Amount of Sex In The Book: kissing and off page sexy time w/ Jocasta and Will
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
Commander Domingo de Torres- a 100+ yrs vampire, looking for who/what killed his family.
Captain Will Everly - an elemental sylph, wind god
Jocasta Lewis-a human pathologist who didn't get promoted, and was assigned to the graveyard watch
Sebastien-a gay French werewolf whose accent and sense of humor offered comic relief
Bucky-gnome forensics expert
H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO
OW/OM/Exes: n/a
AUTHOR OVERVIEW: R.J. Easton-debut author
PERSONAL OVERVIEW
Overall Rating: 4
Do You Recommend This Book: yes
Will You Re-read This Book: yes
Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes
COMMENTS/NOTES: I liked Jocasta's inner monologues and accepting the graveyard watch's paranormal species. I liked London being a character that set the tone and feel of the mysteries. I got a bit confused with the timelines and switching POVs within the same chapter. It happened a lot with Domingo and Jocasta with the past and present. Sebastien and Heinrich's accents were a little distracting, but they didn't have much dialogue to make sense of. I loved Jocasta and Will's relationship and I would definitely read more novels in this world.
April 20, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and to Small Bear books for the ARC of The Graveyard Watch by R.J. Eason.
I wanted to read this book based off the cover, plus I do love a good urban fantasy and was intrigued by the description. Once I started reading, there is a lot of creativity and originality within the plot of The Graveyard Watch that I think show a lot of potential for Eason's work.
We start the story with Dr. Jocasta Lewis being transferred to a new pathology role in a department that has a reputation for being a punishment. Jocasta's team is diverse, both in origin and in species, and she shows great ability in adapting to her new environment and the existence of supernatural creatures.
Her team is investigating a series of murders hiding a greater conspiracy in the upcoming coronation of the vampire king, and they must work together to stop their enemy before all supernatural entities are endangered.
Again, I think there is great creativity and originality, and that Eason is beginning to build out a very interesting world in this work. I think it could be a series, if that is Eason's interest, because it seems like there is still a lot to explore. However, it did feel to me like a few important plot points/story points were missing in ways that did cause me confusion or frustration.
I was continuously disappointed in the characterization of Jocasta. She is the only female character in the group, and in every single interaction she has, someone is hitting on her and she is thinking about them naked or blushing. It weakened her as a character and made her seem flighty and stupid. I would have loved to see more internal thought processes about literally discovering the supernatural world instead of her wondering why so many men want to date her. No male character has this happen to them.
This may have been an ARC configuration error, but I also kept getting lost in the flashbacks/present actions of Domingo and everyone he was interacting with. They were such small snippets, and he appeared so rarely in the rest of the story, that it was hard to figure out why Eason kept Domingo shrouded in such mystery, when more detail would have deepened the world building and emboldened the story.
Overall, I think there are great bones to The Graveyard Watch, and there is a lot of truly interesting world building, but I needed a bit more extended characterization of the Watch team to see them as more multifaceted people.
I wanted to read this book based off the cover, plus I do love a good urban fantasy and was intrigued by the description. Once I started reading, there is a lot of creativity and originality within the plot of The Graveyard Watch that I think show a lot of potential for Eason's work.
We start the story with Dr. Jocasta Lewis being transferred to a new pathology role in a department that has a reputation for being a punishment. Jocasta's team is diverse, both in origin and in species, and she shows great ability in adapting to her new environment and the existence of supernatural creatures.
Her team is investigating a series of murders hiding a greater conspiracy in the upcoming coronation of the vampire king, and they must work together to stop their enemy before all supernatural entities are endangered.
Again, I think there is great creativity and originality, and that Eason is beginning to build out a very interesting world in this work. I think it could be a series, if that is Eason's interest, because it seems like there is still a lot to explore. However, it did feel to me like a few important plot points/story points were missing in ways that did cause me confusion or frustration.
I was continuously disappointed in the characterization of Jocasta. She is the only female character in the group, and in every single interaction she has, someone is hitting on her and she is thinking about them naked or blushing. It weakened her as a character and made her seem flighty and stupid. I would have loved to see more internal thought processes about literally discovering the supernatural world instead of her wondering why so many men want to date her. No male character has this happen to them.
This may have been an ARC configuration error, but I also kept getting lost in the flashbacks/present actions of Domingo and everyone he was interacting with. They were such small snippets, and he appeared so rarely in the rest of the story, that it was hard to figure out why Eason kept Domingo shrouded in such mystery, when more detail would have deepened the world building and emboldened the story.
Overall, I think there are great bones to The Graveyard Watch, and there is a lot of truly interesting world building, but I needed a bit more extended characterization of the Watch team to see them as more multifaceted people.
November 17, 2023
A really solid debut and I’m excited to see what comes next!
The Graveyard Watch is an urban fantasy following Jocasta, a young pathologist in London who thinks her much sought after career is basically over when she gets reassigned to a fairly shadowy police force. It’s not long into this new role that Jocasta discovers there is so much more to worry about than just her career prospects as she finds out there are actually vampires, werewolves, gnomes and much more in her world and that this new role? It’s in the police division specifically there to deal with this! We are pulled along for the ride as logical, meticulous and rational thinking Jocasta is swept up into the world of Dark Popes, Underworld Kings and so much more.
For me, this had all the solid basics that I look for; solid worldbuilding, developed characters, an interesting mystery, a touch of romance and wonderful pacing. But for some reason the Graveyard Watch didn’t pull me in like i had hoped.
I enjoyed the characters but I didn’t really feel invested in any of them. It was also all very predictable plot-wise, and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing it didn’t really hook me here. The Graveyard Watch is a mystery but I think we all saw the ending coming and the twists and turns along the way weren’t really twists at all. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the romance sub-plot. I think I wish it had been left as a more tension filled slow burn that could be explored in future reads as it all came about far too quickly and conveniently here for me to be particularly invested.
There were two timelines shown in the Graveyard Watch and I really didn’t gel with this. I felt that the duel timelines didn’t add much to the plot or to the character development so I found myself skimming over some passages as they just didn’t interest me
Overall, I loved the premise of this and while I didn’t fall in love with this book, I will be looking out for the next installment as there was a lot of potential here for a really interesting and gripping series. As a debut novel this is incredibly good and I think a lot of my complaints mostly centre on this being a new series and it’s clear there is a lot that needs to be set up for future books.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
November 16, 2023
PROs:
I loved the storyline in this book. It is set in London. a city I'm familiar with so that added to the reading experience for me. The plot of the book follows Jocasta Lewis, a forensic pathologist who has just been assigned to a police department of "weirdos". She's not happy about this initially, but as she begins to understand more about what is involved in the job, she realises that it is a promotion rather than a demotion. The department itself investigates supernatural crimes and characters that cannot be investigated by the regular police force and Jocasta soon discovers that her new colleagues and the requirements of her new job are like nothing she has dealt with before. It's difficult to give too much detail without spoiling the plot but the characters are interesting and it's an original idea to look at crime from a supernatural, forensic pathology perspective.
CONs:
I think the book would benefit from some strong editing as there were a few typos and phrasing errors. For some reason, these seemed to occur most often at the beginning of chapters. For example, several words were not always capitalised (paris, parisian, brompton cemetary, st katherine). There was a reference to a 'cutlery draw' instead of drawer, Jocasta was described as being 'starving hungry' (same thing, no?), one of the characters was described as being 'wiry, heavy-set' (words which have an opposite meaning surely?), sandals were 'gentile snoring' after eating chocolate buttons. I also found the dialogue used for Sebastian and Heinrich where every 't' was replaced with a 'z' to be jarring (zhis, zhat, zhe, zheir), especially when there were a lot of these words in a sentence. It was much more effective when individual French/German words were used (oui, ja, etc.) to convey the speaker's accent.
VERDICT:
It's important to note that the above minor errors do not take away from the fact that this is a great story. If you enjoy police procedurals with a supernatural element, you will love this book. It reminded me of the Rivers of London series (which I also loved). I would definitely like to read more about this police unit and look forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
I loved the storyline in this book. It is set in London. a city I'm familiar with so that added to the reading experience for me. The plot of the book follows Jocasta Lewis, a forensic pathologist who has just been assigned to a police department of "weirdos". She's not happy about this initially, but as she begins to understand more about what is involved in the job, she realises that it is a promotion rather than a demotion. The department itself investigates supernatural crimes and characters that cannot be investigated by the regular police force and Jocasta soon discovers that her new colleagues and the requirements of her new job are like nothing she has dealt with before. It's difficult to give too much detail without spoiling the plot but the characters are interesting and it's an original idea to look at crime from a supernatural, forensic pathology perspective.
CONs:
I think the book would benefit from some strong editing as there were a few typos and phrasing errors. For some reason, these seemed to occur most often at the beginning of chapters. For example, several words were not always capitalised (paris, parisian, brompton cemetary, st katherine). There was a reference to a 'cutlery draw' instead of drawer, Jocasta was described as being 'starving hungry' (same thing, no?), one of the characters was described as being 'wiry, heavy-set' (words which have an opposite meaning surely?), sandals were 'gentile snoring' after eating chocolate buttons. I also found the dialogue used for Sebastian and Heinrich where every 't' was replaced with a 'z' to be jarring (zhis, zhat, zhe, zheir), especially when there were a lot of these words in a sentence. It was much more effective when individual French/German words were used (oui, ja, etc.) to convey the speaker's accent.
VERDICT:
It's important to note that the above minor errors do not take away from the fact that this is a great story. If you enjoy police procedurals with a supernatural element, you will love this book. It reminded me of the Rivers of London series (which I also loved). I would definitely like to read more about this police unit and look forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
November 12, 2024
I received an advanced copy of The Graveyard Watch, a Supernatural Mystery by R. J. Eason, from Book Sirens in e-book format and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Summary:
Jocasta, a forensic pathologist, has been assigned to a position with “The Graveyard Watch”, a part of the London police services. This team is the dumping ground for strange, unwanted cases. When a very peculiar body ends up on Jocasta’s autopsy table, she starts to learn just how strange these cases can be.
Domingo, leader of The Graveyard Watch, wants vengeance that he’s waited a long time for. When a series of seemingly unconnected crimes start appearing across the city, he realizes the time might finally be here.
My Thoughts:
This was touted as a thrilling supernatural mystery with mythical creatures, adventure, and a dash of romance and humor. I love these kinds of books! Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me in a few ways.
First, the number of grammatical errors made it very challenging and annoying to read. I received an advanced copy, so I hope these errors, and other things an editor should pick up on, were corrected before final release.
Second, the story is told from several points of view. I’ve seen this is done extremely well, but not in this case. Many times, the POV changes from paragraph to paragraph, which made it feel very disjointed and confusing.
Third, the characters weren’t fully developed. We’re told who/what they are, and their function on the team. But we get no backstory and no clue as to their motivations (except for Domino, just barely), which makes it hard to care. With Jocasta, the author wrote these weird “inner monologue” moments that made it seem like she had multiple personalities.
Finally, the world-building was sloppy. We’re not told how the Graveyard Watch fits in with the rest of the London police, or the full breadth of supernatural abilities each team member has. We don’t even understand the mission of this team.
I had a lot of hope for this book, but the negatives outweighed the positives for me. This is a debut novel for this author, and I’ve heard there will be sequels. I will not be reading them. I give this 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Summary:
Jocasta, a forensic pathologist, has been assigned to a position with “The Graveyard Watch”, a part of the London police services. This team is the dumping ground for strange, unwanted cases. When a very peculiar body ends up on Jocasta’s autopsy table, she starts to learn just how strange these cases can be.
Domingo, leader of The Graveyard Watch, wants vengeance that he’s waited a long time for. When a series of seemingly unconnected crimes start appearing across the city, he realizes the time might finally be here.
My Thoughts:
This was touted as a thrilling supernatural mystery with mythical creatures, adventure, and a dash of romance and humor. I love these kinds of books! Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me in a few ways.
First, the number of grammatical errors made it very challenging and annoying to read. I received an advanced copy, so I hope these errors, and other things an editor should pick up on, were corrected before final release.
Second, the story is told from several points of view. I’ve seen this is done extremely well, but not in this case. Many times, the POV changes from paragraph to paragraph, which made it feel very disjointed and confusing.
Third, the characters weren’t fully developed. We’re told who/what they are, and their function on the team. But we get no backstory and no clue as to their motivations (except for Domino, just barely), which makes it hard to care. With Jocasta, the author wrote these weird “inner monologue” moments that made it seem like she had multiple personalities.
Finally, the world-building was sloppy. We’re not told how the Graveyard Watch fits in with the rest of the London police, or the full breadth of supernatural abilities each team member has. We don’t even understand the mission of this team.
I had a lot of hope for this book, but the negatives outweighed the positives for me. This is a debut novel for this author, and I’ve heard there will be sequels. I will not be reading them. I give this 2.5 out of 5 stars.
February 7, 2024
***I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review***
Oh, how I wanted to give this book 5 stars. Its Silent Witness but Paranormal, A magic version of Torchwood. There are so many things to love. And I did really LIKE this book. A lot. But there were a few things that made this book a 3.5 and not a 5.
Our 'Nikki' (Silent Witness, IYKYK) - Jocasta Lewis is a shrewd and educated Forensic Pathologist who has ended up demoted and working with a bunch of weirdos. Her boss, Domingo de Torres, is a mysterious spanish man with an aversion for shaking hands with people. Together with an assorted cast of other slightly weird characters, Jocasta gets drawn into an art theft investigation that makes no sense. And then, suddenly, bodies start turning up. And if she thought her new job and colleagues were just a little bit strange, just wait until she gets some of these bodies on her table and under her knife.
We meet Jocasta in a bit of a confusing way, shes kind of in trouble we think but its not clear why, in fact, we dont really know much about her and that doesnt change at the end of the book. The author was in a rush to start the action, and as such, many puzzling questions remain with me, like - Where does the money come from? Because Jocasta lives in what sounds like a largeish warehouse conversion close to Shad Thames. London has some of the most expensive real estate in the world, and her Dad was in the Navy, and her Mom was a coroner. Now I get this fiction, but the point of urban fantasy or paranormal is that it is based in the modern world. So, this could be something that is explored later in the book, but it's not even touched on. Which makes it quite confounding and hard to believe.
Then, there is her hard to believe lack of credulity when she first encounters the paranormal truth. She is a forensic pathologist, and she just dives right in with barely a question? This again feels like the author rushing us to the important part where everyone knows and we are trying to save the world, but as a result of the rush, the whole way through, I am just not that invested in our main character. There is also the weird internal conversations she has with herself that dont start until Chapter 3, prior, we have a normal internal monologue/thought stream but after chapter 3 its always conversations between her and her subconscious.
And finally, the most GALLING thing, the thing that made me almost walk away from this book 3 times, is the written accents. WRITTEN ACCENTS - the french man says Zhe and Zhey and the german man says Vat and Vhen but the spanish man? Apparently, there is no written accent. Even though the author references his accent. It's horrendous and cringey and quite frankly insulting to the reader. If I dont know what a french accent sounds like, I could probably Google it, or just read the book and enjoy the character in whatever 'accent' my subconscious puts to the character. This is jarring and completely takes me out of the story, which I am sure is the opposite of the authors intention. I think that this is going to be polarising for readers, which is a shame because it's such a good story, and I am DYING to know what happens next. I won't find out though if the written accents continue
Oh, how I wanted to give this book 5 stars. Its Silent Witness but Paranormal, A magic version of Torchwood. There are so many things to love. And I did really LIKE this book. A lot. But there were a few things that made this book a 3.5 and not a 5.
Our 'Nikki' (Silent Witness, IYKYK) - Jocasta Lewis is a shrewd and educated Forensic Pathologist who has ended up demoted and working with a bunch of weirdos. Her boss, Domingo de Torres, is a mysterious spanish man with an aversion for shaking hands with people. Together with an assorted cast of other slightly weird characters, Jocasta gets drawn into an art theft investigation that makes no sense. And then, suddenly, bodies start turning up. And if she thought her new job and colleagues were just a little bit strange, just wait until she gets some of these bodies on her table and under her knife.
We meet Jocasta in a bit of a confusing way, shes kind of in trouble we think but its not clear why, in fact, we dont really know much about her and that doesnt change at the end of the book. The author was in a rush to start the action, and as such, many puzzling questions remain with me, like - Where does the money come from? Because Jocasta lives in what sounds like a largeish warehouse conversion close to Shad Thames. London has some of the most expensive real estate in the world, and her Dad was in the Navy, and her Mom was a coroner. Now I get this fiction, but the point of urban fantasy or paranormal is that it is based in the modern world. So, this could be something that is explored later in the book, but it's not even touched on. Which makes it quite confounding and hard to believe.
Then, there is her hard to believe lack of credulity when she first encounters the paranormal truth. She is a forensic pathologist, and she just dives right in with barely a question? This again feels like the author rushing us to the important part where everyone knows and we are trying to save the world, but as a result of the rush, the whole way through, I am just not that invested in our main character. There is also the weird internal conversations she has with herself that dont start until Chapter 3, prior, we have a normal internal monologue/thought stream but after chapter 3 its always conversations between her and her subconscious.
And finally, the most GALLING thing, the thing that made me almost walk away from this book 3 times, is the written accents. WRITTEN ACCENTS - the french man says Zhe and Zhey and the german man says Vat and Vhen but the spanish man? Apparently, there is no written accent. Even though the author references his accent. It's horrendous and cringey and quite frankly insulting to the reader. If I dont know what a french accent sounds like, I could probably Google it, or just read the book and enjoy the character in whatever 'accent' my subconscious puts to the character. This is jarring and completely takes me out of the story, which I am sure is the opposite of the authors intention. I think that this is going to be polarising for readers, which is a shame because it's such a good story, and I am DYING to know what happens next. I won't find out though if the written accents continue
February 15, 2024
The Graveyard Watch is an urban fantasy set in metropolitan London with heavy “noir” film vibes and a fun found family element.
It follows Jocasta, a pathologist that has recently been transferred to the Graveyard Watch – a police segment dedicated to supernatural cases. While Jocasta is human, everyone around her is not, and we follow her as she adapts to her new strange – if not eccentric – colleagues and unravels a supernatural mystery.
The book is pitched as an urban fantasy romance, but I personally found that the romance took a backburner to the mystery elements of the plot. This is because, aside from Jocasta’s POV as she falls for the handsome captain, we also get a lot of chapters from the POV of Domingo, the department chief.
They are very different people with very different quests. This So, though their stories intermingle in regard to the mystery, they barely interact in each other’s POVs. This kind of created a disconnect to me as it felt like I was reading a different book every time we switched between the POVs. And we switch POVs a lot.
In a single chapter, we can go from Jocasta to Domingo to some random, nameless passer by in the scene, back to Domingo, back to Jocasta. This makes for a confusing experience, especially in the last third of the book where it was the most common. I remember a chapter where we had 3 paragraphs from Jocasta, maybe 5 from Domingo, then back to Jocasta suddenly.
Eason also likes to write chapters from the POV of nameless, external characters that are witnessing events of the plot. Oftentimes, these scenes are of little importance to the actual story, which adds to my disorientation. However, in Eason’s defense, I actually liked these segments and found them fun. The author explores different members of the world they built that fit funny archetypes or show interesting perspectives. You can definitely sense the love, and care, put into the book during these scenes.
Otherwise, the descriptions are well-done, and the characters are fun to read about, if not a bit tropey. The dialogue especially flowed amazingly, and never got awkward. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get fully invested in it, but I can see this book becoming someone else’s safe space, so it’s definitely worth a try.
Thank you to NETGalley and R.J. Eason for providing me with an eArc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It follows Jocasta, a pathologist that has recently been transferred to the Graveyard Watch – a police segment dedicated to supernatural cases. While Jocasta is human, everyone around her is not, and we follow her as she adapts to her new strange – if not eccentric – colleagues and unravels a supernatural mystery.
The book is pitched as an urban fantasy romance, but I personally found that the romance took a backburner to the mystery elements of the plot. This is because, aside from Jocasta’s POV as she falls for the handsome captain, we also get a lot of chapters from the POV of Domingo, the department chief.
They are very different people with very different quests. This So, though their stories intermingle in regard to the mystery, they barely interact in each other’s POVs. This kind of created a disconnect to me as it felt like I was reading a different book every time we switched between the POVs. And we switch POVs a lot.
In a single chapter, we can go from Jocasta to Domingo to some random, nameless passer by in the scene, back to Domingo, back to Jocasta. This makes for a confusing experience, especially in the last third of the book where it was the most common. I remember a chapter where we had 3 paragraphs from Jocasta, maybe 5 from Domingo, then back to Jocasta suddenly.
Eason also likes to write chapters from the POV of nameless, external characters that are witnessing events of the plot. Oftentimes, these scenes are of little importance to the actual story, which adds to my disorientation. However, in Eason’s defense, I actually liked these segments and found them fun. The author explores different members of the world they built that fit funny archetypes or show interesting perspectives. You can definitely sense the love, and care, put into the book during these scenes.
Otherwise, the descriptions are well-done, and the characters are fun to read about, if not a bit tropey. The dialogue especially flowed amazingly, and never got awkward. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get fully invested in it, but I can see this book becoming someone else’s safe space, so it’s definitely worth a try.
Thank you to NETGalley and R.J. Eason for providing me with an eArc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 31, 2024
Something about the blurb for the Graveyard Watch grabbed my attention and I’m so glad I took a chance on this book. RJ Eason has created a fantastical world set in modern day London and it’s into this world that human pathologist Jocasta Lewis lands after she’s passed over for promotion or so she thinks when she finds herself seconded to the I.C.P.O or the Graveyard Watch as those who work there call it. Suddenly she’s got to suspend belief as she learns that when something goes bump in the middle of the night there’s every chance it could be a monster under the bed and she’s now part of a specialist team where her colleagues include Domingo, a centuries old Spanish vampire, Sebastian, a gay French werewolf; a lab technician who’s also a gnome and a potential love interest for her in a sylph called Will, and together they police the supernatural beings that live amongst us.
This book had me intrigued from the opening chapters as it alternated between telling the story of Domingo over the years as he went from being a lone vigilant to a Vatican sponsored agent for good as he hunted his nemesis and present-day London where he now leads the Graveyard Shift and where something dark is stirring. At times I did get strong Harry Potter vibes with Domingo playing Dumbledore to Jocasta’s wide-eyed Harry as learns more of what her new position entails and instead of trolls in the dungeons it was a case of ghouls in the morgue - here’s a tip chlorine gas might slow them down, but it won’t kill them so if you should encounter one, RUN! There was even a background character named McGonical. I did feel the story jumped a bit in within chapters. One minute you’re reading a scene with Jocasta and Will at dinner then the story abruptly switched to Domingo, but this might just be a case of formatting within the book itself and didn’t really spoil my reading as I soon got used to it. I’m looking forward to reading more adventures from the Graveyard Watch team.
This book had me intrigued from the opening chapters as it alternated between telling the story of Domingo over the years as he went from being a lone vigilant to a Vatican sponsored agent for good as he hunted his nemesis and present-day London where he now leads the Graveyard Shift and where something dark is stirring. At times I did get strong Harry Potter vibes with Domingo playing Dumbledore to Jocasta’s wide-eyed Harry as learns more of what her new position entails and instead of trolls in the dungeons it was a case of ghouls in the morgue - here’s a tip chlorine gas might slow them down, but it won’t kill them so if you should encounter one, RUN! There was even a background character named McGonical. I did feel the story jumped a bit in within chapters. One minute you’re reading a scene with Jocasta and Will at dinner then the story abruptly switched to Domingo, but this might just be a case of formatting within the book itself and didn’t really spoil my reading as I soon got used to it. I’m looking forward to reading more adventures from the Graveyard Watch team.
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