Today is my stop on the TBR & Beyond Tours for Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price.
Special thanks to Netgalley and HarperTeen for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Goodreads: Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1)
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 06 April 2021
Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction, Retelling

Panda Rating:

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Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies and Stalking Jack the Ripper, the first book in the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series is a clever retelling of Pride and Prejudice that reimagines the iconic settings, characters, and romances in a thrilling and high-stakes whodunit.

When a scandalous murder shocks London high society, seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seizes the opportunity to prove herself, despite the interference of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the stern young heir to the prestigious firm Pemberley Associates.

Convinced the authorities have imprisoned the wrong person, Lizzie vows to solve the murder on her own. But as the case—and her feelings for Darcy—become more complicated, Lizzie discovers that her dream job could make her happy, but it might also get her killed.

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Tirzah Price grew up on a farm in Michigan, where she read every book she could get her hands on and never outgrew her love for YA fiction. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is a former bookseller and librarian. Now, she’s a contributing editor at Book Riot, where she can be found recommending books on the site, newsletters, podcasts, and social media accounts. When she’s not writing, reading, or thinking about YA books, she splits her time between experimenting in the kitchen and knitting enough socks to last the fierce Michigan winters. Tirzah is pronounced TEER-zuh. Pronouns are she/her.

Author socials:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced/unfinished copy and are subject to change in the final version.

TL;DR: This was an entertaining retelling of one of my all-time favourite novels. I didn’t know what to expect (because I mean, I really had no idea how Pride and Prejudice + murder would work out) but I’m glad to say that it didn’t disappoint me! The author’s writing was smooth, I loved the clever ways she’d include passages from the original, and she managed to capture the original characters so well, even in their new roles and more ‘modern’ setting. It’s definitely not a strict retelling but I can’t wait for more! 😍

First of all, can we take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous this cover is? The details—I love it 😍 I never thought I’d be reading a Pride and Prejudice retelling with murder in it but here we are. 😉 Pride and Premeditation was such a fun and fast-paced read and I really enjoyed it! Though I will say that this is a very loose retelling so if you’re going into this (somehow) expecting a strict retelling of Austen’s work, this might not be for you, but I would definitely still urge giving it a try because it was so entertaining and easy to read!

I liked Price’s writing and I was particularly pleased with the clever ways she’d insert Austen’s famously recognisable lines from the original into this retelling. I admit that every time I came across a familiar passage, I’d happily sigh in appreciation of how it was so naturally inserted in the text, even if the context was so different! I also liked how the author took the original cast of characters and gave them new roles while staying quite true to their original characterisations. This does mean that there wasn’t a whole lot of new character development but it was still a comfort to see the characters that I love come to life in these more ‘modern’ roles. The new setting was also refreshing—the legal practices, the London location, the bow street runners—all of these more or less familiar details of the period really made the story come to life for me. The author does note (at the end) how she took some liberties with the historical setting but I didn’t think there were such glaring inaccuracies that make it unbelievable or unenjoyable (that said, I’m not overly familiar with this period so take that as you will).

The murder mystery aspect was fun to unravel and though I was able to figure out whodunwhat early on, it was still great to see my theories play out! The author kept the story moving at a fast pace with lots of action, and twists and turns. To my delight, Wickham and Mr Collins had much more sinister roles to play and it was so satisfying to see how their comeuppance played out—so satisfying! 😂 I do wish we got to see more of Charlotte, Jane and Bingley, but most of the supporting cast in the original were also the same here. As always, I loved Lizzie and Darcy—I will never not love these two and I thought that Price kept them very true to the original. Lizzie is so smart, headstrong and fiercely determined to put herself in an environment that’s traditionally male dominated. I loved how she challenged the gender norms and although I found Mr Bennett to be a bit more severe/reserved in this telling, I loved how he supported his favourite daughter. Darcy was as sneakily charming as ever 😍 Reading this did make me realise just how little time Darcy and Lizzie spend together before feelings turn to love yet I still couldn’t help but swoon at the romance—that said, the romance plays quite a small role in this retelling but I didn’t mind that at all.

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JOIN the GIVEAWAY (US ONLY) TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF PRIDE AND PREMEDITATION! Enter the giveaway ➡️ HERE!

GIVEAWAY ENDS 12 APRIL 2021

Have you read Pride and Premeditation or is it on your TBR?