A review by imnikkiz
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
4.0
Light, entertaining, fluffy candy read. I loved [b:Sabriel|518848|Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1)|Garth Nix|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1293655399l/518848._SY75_.jpg|3312237], and this was basically Sabriel in 1980s London. Definitely got some [b:Neverwhere|14497|Neverwhere (London Below, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348747943l/14497._SX50_.jpg|16534] and [b:Rivers of London|9317452|Rivers of London (Rivers of London, #1)|Ben Aaronovitch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401385034l/9317452._SY75_.jpg|13552476] vibes.
A couple of minor critiques:
The romance was completely unbelievable. Maybe at the very beginning I got those will-they-won't-they tingles, but then Merlin's sister was in every scene and it became more of a friend adventure. Susan and Merlin were never alone, never had a conversation that wasn't directly tied to the plot, and there was no obvious reason for them to have bonded or formed any romantic connection. So the sudden omg-we're-in-love ending fell completely flat.
Still, it was a fun read, with a well-paced plot and interesting world-building, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy.
A couple of minor critiques:
Spoiler
The plot definitely climaxed during the mountain scene, and I felt that the final confrontation seemed unnecessary and rushed - I actually thought fetching the cauldron would be the plot of a sequel. It didn't have the same tense buildup or any weight behind it, and the antagonist was pretty non-threatening.The romance was completely unbelievable. Maybe at the very beginning I got those will-they-won't-they tingles, but then Merlin's sister was in every scene and it became more of a friend adventure. Susan and Merlin were never alone, never had a conversation that wasn't directly tied to the plot, and there was no obvious reason for them to have bonded or formed any romantic connection. So the sudden omg-we're-in-love ending fell completely flat.
Still, it was a fun read, with a well-paced plot and interesting world-building, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy.