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whippycleric's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was quite excited to read this book as it had good reviews from friends of mine and in principle sounds good, a police procedural with a fantasy twist, but ultimately it wasn’t for me. I can’t say whether it’s the genre, as it’s not something I’ve really read before, or this specific book but I probably won’t bother picking up any more of the series.
Partly I suspect I don’t really understand the world. It seems that it’s supposed to be the normal world we live in where no one knows magic is real, but then no ones remotely surprised when they find out it is real. No one seems to lose it when they find out magic is real, and it made the characters less real for me. The plot itself seemed sporadic, there is the overall arc of solving the mystery of the possessions, however it feels it’s just used a vessel to explore this world. Each step of solving the case introduces a new part of the world and these scenes feel like they’ve been shoehorned in to introduce part of the world rather than a plot point. The protagonist is deep and nicely written but not someone I particularly identify with, which is not the authors fault but unfortunately made it harder for me to get into the book.
I have no major criticism for this book, and I am sure many people would enjoy it. The writing itself is nicely done and easy to read, and if you can get absorbed into the world I’m sure it could be amazing, I wasn’t able to though for a variety of reasons but I didn’t have a bad time reading it.
superiormollusk's review against another edition
4.0
I binge listened to the audiobook the day before Thanksgiving at work lol - overall, a fun urban fantasy!! I'll probably continue the series
becca_t's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.75
charlottelruff's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. However my interest has been piqued and I will make my way onto the next book ‘Moon Over Soho’ at some point soon.
For me, the pros were that the main character Peter was likeable and finally there is some diversity! And not just in the main character, lots of the supporting cast as well! The way the author writes about magic and science being connected is one of the most interesting parts and it’s probably what will bring me back for the next book.
Cons - only one big one really. The book feels a little misogynist in parts. Lots of mentions to bums, boobs and the fact that the female needs saving at the end. Very predictable and somewhat feels like a male fantasy!
CharlotteRuff.com
For me, the pros were that the main character Peter was likeable and finally there is some diversity! And not just in the main character, lots of the supporting cast as well! The way the author writes about magic and science being connected is one of the most interesting parts and it’s probably what will bring me back for the next book.
Cons - only one big one really. The book feels a little misogynist in parts. Lots of mentions to bums, boobs and the fact that the female needs saving at the end. Very predictable and somewhat feels like a male fantasy!
CharlotteRuff.com
ceeess's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
parrotfish's review against another edition
2.0
I tried so hard to like this book. I stuck it out for 100 pages even though it took weeks to get through even that. But god. The misogyny.
Not to say it doesn’t have good aspects. It’s funny in places and the magic and paranormal stuff is intriguing.
But I can only read so many paragraphs of women being reduced to sex objects. Every woman Peter Grant meets seems to turn him on and so therefore he must spend a few lines talking about it. Every. Time.
Unfortunately a DNF. I hope I could one day come back to this book and enjoy it.
Not to say it doesn’t have good aspects. It’s funny in places and the magic and paranormal stuff is intriguing.
But I can only read so many paragraphs of women being reduced to sex objects. Every woman Peter Grant meets seems to turn him on and so therefore he must spend a few lines talking about it. Every. Time.
Unfortunately a DNF. I hope I could one day come back to this book and enjoy it.
legarou's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
A fun enough read, fairly amusing and interesting but there were also large parts that I just didn't GET and I don't even know how that works..
Not that awesome but not bad either.
Might continue the series at some point in the future.
A fun enough read, fairly amusing and interesting but there were also large parts that I just didn't GET and I don't even know how that works..
Not that awesome but not bad either.
Might continue the series at some point in the future.
sanaastoria's review against another edition
3.0
[3.5 Stars] Things I liked about this book: the detailed writing, the unique mystery, the crazy ghosts, Grant NOT being a average white male, and just the overall depth of detail Aaronovitch goes into when describing London. I also loved how this book definitely feels distinctly "British," and I apologize if that is presumptuous of me to say (considering I am not in fact British). There is a lot to love about this book when you think about the story, and I can really see how the stories will just keep getting better. I particularly love how seeped in history this book was, the mystery in particular.
Things I didn't love: sometimes everything just seemed a little bit too much particularly when it came to Mama Thames and her daughters and the way Peter Grant is constantly ogling women in a very "bloke" kind of way. I've heard that Grant gets better as the series progresses and is put in his place, but I was pretty put off by the way he talked about women and his many erections throughout the story. I get that Grant is a realistic character regardless of if he is a bit of an ass sometimes and that he isn't actually sexist. He likes looking at ladies, but he never once says anything about being better than them or anything like that. Peter Grant is not a sexist, but sometimes the narrative is slightly sexist. Not sure if that makes sense, but I felt that Aaronovitch's narrative was tinged with sexism here and there. I think it is particularly relevant when you consider Lesley throughout this book.
All that being said, I feel pretty torn about this book. If it wasn't for Aaronovitch's sometimes sexist narrative this book would have gotten a 4 or a 4.5 star rating from me, but it DOES have those elements so I have to give it a 3.5 star rating. I will be continuing on with the series, but it probably won't be any time soon because I don't actually own the other books in the series!
Things I didn't love: sometimes everything just seemed a little bit too much particularly when it came to Mama Thames and her daughters and the way Peter Grant is constantly ogling women in a very "bloke" kind of way. I've heard that Grant gets better as the series progresses and is put in his place, but I was pretty put off by the way he talked about women and his many erections throughout the story. I get that Grant is a realistic character regardless of if he is a bit of an ass sometimes and that he isn't actually sexist. He likes looking at ladies, but he never once says anything about being better than them or anything like that. Peter Grant is not a sexist, but sometimes the narrative is slightly sexist. Not sure if that makes sense, but I felt that Aaronovitch's narrative was tinged with sexism here and there. I think it is particularly relevant when you consider Lesley throughout this book.
All that being said, I feel pretty torn about this book. If it wasn't for Aaronovitch's sometimes sexist narrative this book would have gotten a 4 or a 4.5 star rating from me, but it DOES have those elements so I have to give it a 3.5 star rating. I will be continuing on with the series, but it probably won't be any time soon because I don't actually own the other books in the series!
singularityjosh's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
april_p's review against another edition
3.0
Dry humour, fun characters and a great narration. But the plot was too loosey-goosey and let the story down. There was such a mystery to start with but near the end you get thrown one thing after another and it didnt quite make sense. He needed more time to explain things and make the connections.
Ill definitely pick up book 2 for the characters and humour, and hopefully the storyline is more compelling.
Ill definitely pick up book 2 for the characters and humour, and hopefully the storyline is more compelling.