Review: The Rhino Keeper

Title: The Rhino Keeper Series: Standalone Author: Jillian Forsberg Narrator: Caroline Hewitt Publish Date: February 14, 2025 Publisher: History Through Fiction LLC Genre: Historical Fiction Age: 16+ Started Reading: January 28, 2025 Finished Reading: February 14, 2025 NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Based on the true story of a Dutch sea captain who traveled with an Indian rhinoceros called Clara across 18th century Europe, THE RHINO KEEPER evokes both the thrill of discovery in the archives and the wonder felt by a world in which no European had seen a living rhinoceros.

2022 - College student Andrea Clarkson uncovers a historical mystery while studying abroad in Holland. From hidden desk drawers come unusual historical documents featuring a rhinoceros. On a lichen-covered eighteenth-century grave, the same animal is carved. When an expanding river forces exhumation, what she finds buried there is life-changing. Andrea faces her nightmares to retrieve what a grave robber steals: valuable proof of a long-forgotten history.

1740 - Ship captain Douwemout van der Meer has something not seen in two hundred the only rhino in Europe, called Clara. Douwemout and Clara tour Europe, enthralling peasants and queens, hoping to change popular views that rhinos are man-eating beasts. Absolute wonder follows, but when a priest sees idol worship and becomes hell-bent on destroying her, Clara, Douwe, and the lives of her bonded caretakers are at risk.

As Douwe becomes protectively dedicated to adventuring with Clara, unexpected love finds him, and his heart starts to tear. Will he choose a life with a traveling wonder-beast forever, or can love exist in many forms for the rhino keeper?

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating:  3 Stars

I debated on what to rate this book as. I appreciate that a portion of this book goes to Rhino conservation, and that the author had a note at the end pointing out specific moments in the book and how they related to the actual history. Unfortunately, I found myself annoyed with half of this book as I felt it was completely unnecessary. The story of Douwe and Clara in the 1700s truly feels strong enough to stand on its own. The modern plotline was superfluous, and did not add to the story in anyway. I was strongly considering skipping chapters that were set in the present, and I don't think the story would have been weakened by it. This felt like it could have been made into two separate books that were mildly thematic in that they both dealt with the same topic of Clara the Rhinoceros, but having them smashed together, flipping every other chapter, was completely disjointed. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job, especially with differentiating between all of the voices and accents that were represented. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: Enjoyable historical fiction interrupted by the modern plot.

Review: The Lost House

Title: The Lost House
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Melissa Larsen
Illustrator: N/A
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Age: 16+
Started Reading: January 20, 2025
Finished Reading: January 24, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes 

Book Summary from Goodreads: 

In Melissa Larsen's The Lost House comes the mesmerizing story of a young woman with a haunting past who returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family.

Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow, lying together as peacefully as though sleeping. Except the mother’s throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. There were no arrests, no conviction. Just a suspicion turned into a the husband did it. When he took his son and fled halfway across the world to California, it was proof enough of his guilt.

Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, is ready to clear her grandfather’s name once and for all. Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than an excuse to escape the shambles of her once-stable life—which is why she so readily accepts true crime expert Nora Carver’s invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast. Agnes packs a bag and hops on a last-minute flight to the remote town of Bifröst, Iceland, where Nora is staying, where Agnes’s father grew up, and where, supposedly, her grandfather slaughtered his wife and infant daughter.

Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives? Suddenly, Agnes and Nora’s investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect. Seeking to unearth old and new truths alike, Agnes finds herself drawn into a web of secrets that threaten the redemption she is hell-bent on delivering, and even her life—discovering how far a person will go to protect their family, their safety, and their secrets.

Set against an unforgiving Icelandic winter landscape, The Lost House is a chilling and razor-sharp thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave you breathless. 

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars 

This book was, ok. It felt like a not great movie that you enjoy watching with your friends while shouting at it and throwing popcorn. The decisions of the FL had me wanting to bash my head against the wall, and it seemed like everything happened too fast. It was crammed into 10 days of time, so things that would take time to build up, like trust and relationships, happened at lightning speed. I had a strong guess for who the murderer was about half-way through the book, but that didn't ruin the climax. I will say that the last quarter of the book is the strongest part, once the ball really got rolling for the final confrontation things got fun and I enjoyed the ride. There were a lot of different conflicts going on: the cold case mystery, the podcast, the FL physical and mental health issues, substance abuse, a missing girl, and then half-way through a messy relationship gets added to the mix. It just felt like too much all at once.

I listened to the audiobook and have to say that the reader was really good with the voices. There were times I was almost convinced they'd changed narrators for the mens' voices. I can't say whether or not her Icelandic accent was any good, but it did differentiate the locals from the tourists. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley. 

To Sum Up: A decent mystery that feels rushed due to a too short timeline.