meredithw20's review against another edition
5.0
Scratches the Harry Potter/Magicians/Atwood, etc. itch.
anam_ali's review against another edition
4.0
So this was a really, really nice read. I just couldn't put it down. I am a sucker for a well-written urban fantasy and this hit all the spots I want in a book, basically:
-Well-written fantasy, check.
-A really amazing and organised system for magic, check.
-A great, solid cast of characters, check.
-A cheeky but also down-to-earth (much harder to do in first person, trust me; usually comes off as obnoxious and extremely pretentious) POC protagonist, check.
-Several three-dimensional characters of colour, check.
-A Muslim character in a positive and important role, check.
-A queer-positive universe, check.
There were just a couple of things:
-The climax at the theatre and the riot thereafter just didn't do it for me, I found it lacking. I think there should've been more to it. But I really loved the second bit though, with Peter traveling back in time in the ghost world, that was fascinating in itself, although I still don't think the stakes were high enough.
-I want Molly and Peter to be better friends.
But really, on the whole, absolutely amazing book, 10/10 would recommend.
-Well-written fantasy, check.
-A really amazing and organised system for magic, check.
-A great, solid cast of characters, check.
-A cheeky but also down-to-earth (much harder to do in first person, trust me; usually comes off as obnoxious and extremely pretentious) POC protagonist, check.
-Several three-dimensional characters of colour, check.
-A Muslim character in a positive and important role, check.
-A queer-positive universe, check.
There were just a couple of things:
-The climax at the theatre and the riot thereafter just didn't do it for me, I found it lacking. I think there should've been more to it. But I really loved the second bit though, with Peter traveling back in time in the ghost world, that was fascinating in itself, although I still don't think the stakes were high enough.
-I want Molly and Peter to be better friends.
But really, on the whole, absolutely amazing book, 10/10 would recommend.
obsessed_with_books's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kimu's review against another edition
4.0
2022 re-read: haven’t read this since my first read in 2015, and it was fun to come back and see all the seeds that were planted in this book that comes to fruition in future books. There are definitely still some elements that don’t fully click in this book but that turn out to be really interesting in later books. Great audiobook narration by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
bookwitchemily's review against another edition
4.0
Fun for the most part with some lag here and there. Can't wait to see the BBC production (not that there is one in development that I know of).
annaburton's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Great book! I haven't read a book this fast since middle school, I loved it.
fibi_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
drsj's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I love this series in general but this story is particularly enjoyable with strong interweaving of humour, world building, police procedural, mystery, magic/urban fantasy, and a deep undercurrent of real history.
annaavian's review against another edition
2.0
A lot of people mentioned the series in their reviews of Caimh McDonnell's books, which I really enjoy, so I decided to see what the fuss was all about..
Honestly, it felt like such a burden to finish. I though that a beheaded body and a talkative ghost were quite a good start but it all became too much shortly after. A lot of characters were introduced, some didn't really advance the plot in any way, there was no build-up to anything and the whole magic part of the plot was skimmed over at best. And Peter's sexual remarks?! SO awkward and inadequate, he sounded like a 12-year old rather than a grown man.
Honestly, it felt like such a burden to finish. I though that a beheaded body and a talkative ghost were quite a good start but it all became too much shortly after. A lot of characters were introduced, some didn't really advance the plot in any way, there was no build-up to anything and the whole magic part of the plot was skimmed over at best. And Peter's sexual remarks?! SO awkward and inadequate, he sounded like a 12-year old rather than a grown man.
blanekael's review against another edition
3.0
A decent mystery and fun characters in a magical, folky London. Enjoyed.