Lia reviewed Black Butler, Vol. 2 by Yana Toboso (黒執事 [Kuroshitsuji], #2)
Review of 'Black Butler, Vol. 2' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
With the Season coming to a close, fear grips London. Somebody has stalked women of the night and painting the town red... with their blood. “Jack the Ripper” seems on everyone’s lips - and as such, Queen Victoria requested Phantomhive. When Queen Victoria summoned Ciel Phantomhive to London to clean up this madman’s mess, Sebastian, his exceptional butler, poured him tea, polished his silver, and... investigate a serial killer. It doesn’t take much for the young earl to sort this out mystery with his aids. One question remains... can he handle the shattering truth?
I found this book to be all over the place. It begins with Ciel’s incompetent staff and Sebastian fixing all their mistakes as usual, and then suddenly becomes a murder mystery where Ciel has to cross dress at a party. Despite disliking the predictable villain and storyline, I commend the pairing of a potentially interesting character. …
With the Season coming to a close, fear grips London. Somebody has stalked women of the night and painting the town red... with their blood. “Jack the Ripper” seems on everyone’s lips - and as such, Queen Victoria requested Phantomhive. When Queen Victoria summoned Ciel Phantomhive to London to clean up this madman’s mess, Sebastian, his exceptional butler, poured him tea, polished his silver, and... investigate a serial killer. It doesn’t take much for the young earl to sort this out mystery with his aids. One question remains... can he handle the shattering truth?
I found this book to be all over the place. It begins with Ciel’s incompetent staff and Sebastian fixing all their mistakes as usual, and then suddenly becomes a murder mystery where Ciel has to cross dress at a party. Despite disliking the predictable villain and storyline, I commend the pairing of a potentially interesting character.
It’s not entirely clear to me why Toboso made Ciel twelve years old. Putting him in situations where he’s vulnerable makes him a little easier to buffet and push around, I guess, but that’s not exactly a good reason. As the owner of a manufacturing company, he would appear more credible if he were at least half a dozen years older.
His age also makes him seem less experienced than he should be, which can be difficult to explain given his position. His age makes him appear less mature than he should be, which can be problematic when dealing with complex issues.
I’m also confused about the story’s time period. In the most part, it seems like Victorian England with formal dresses and gowns, but some characters discuss space and robots... which Victorian England would not have even thought about. I conclude the story takes place in an alternate universe. The characters’ conversations suggest that technology and science have advanced. This could be a way for the author to explore a different timeline or world.
A huge revelation ended this volume on a cliffhanger, and I’m looking forward to reading more. What happens next is something I’m looking forward to. I’m eager to find out what happens to the characters and where the story will take them. I’m sure the next volume will be just as thrilling as this one.