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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
This book was recommended to me by the librarian at my former secondary school, who is still recommending books to me even though I left ten years ago. I am very, very glad that she is, because she knows exactly the type of books I'm going to love.
Honestly this book is utterly ridiculous. It tells the story of Peter Grant, an ordinary police officer in London who suddenly finds himself recruited to the magical branch of the police force.
It's like Harry Potter, with a lot more swearing, violence, thoughts of sex, and actual meaningful diversity.
Obviously I love it. Peter is easily distracted and always tries to understand the science behind the magic. You can tell the book was written by a complete nerd.
I know some people don't like this book because of the way Peter always thinks about women, and I get it. But honestly, it was so fun and I don't feel like it's supposed to be taken even remotely seriously.
The plot is totally unpredictable and I'm still slightly baffled by the whole thing, but I'll definitely be picking up the second book in the series.
Honestly this book is utterly ridiculous. It tells the story of Peter Grant, an ordinary police officer in London who suddenly finds himself recruited to the magical branch of the police force.
It's like Harry Potter, with a lot more swearing, violence, thoughts of sex, and actual meaningful diversity.
Obviously I love it. Peter is easily distracted and always tries to understand the science behind the magic. You can tell the book was written by a complete nerd.
I know some people don't like this book because of the way Peter always thinks about women, and I get it. But honestly, it was so fun and I don't feel like it's supposed to be taken even remotely seriously.
The plot is totally unpredictable and I'm still slightly baffled by the whole thing, but I'll definitely be picking up the second book in the series.
I love the style of writing, I love the detail that feeling of real London, I even love the characters... so why the low rating? because the stories are just not what they should be. Ben has written fantastic English versions of The Dresden Files... but London isn't America. Where is the classic police procedural with a supernatural twist? The understated horror of Ultraviolet (the English TV series, not that movie)? The high brow deduction of Morse?
This really could have been something fantastic and just missed and that saddens me. I will give the next one or two a go at some point but not in a rush.
Spoiler
Why is it running around the streets of London with heads exploding?This really could have been something fantastic and just missed and that saddens me. I will give the next one or two a go at some point but not in a rush.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This book was too fast pace for me. There was a very interesting world and characters, but we didn’t have time to explore or flesh up any of it. It also was male coded in parts, which I didn’t enjoy. It wasn’t bad but could have been so much better.
Don’t get me wrong: this book is full of atmospheric descriptions of London, which I, as a big London enthusiast, really appreciated. The original magic system and intriguing characters also appealed to me. But still… this book just wasn’t entirely for me. The mystery was cleverly put together, but somewhere past the halfway mark I realised I’d lost my connection to the story. My enthusiasm dwindled and I found myself reaching for it less and less. I’m still captivated by the world and characters, so I might give the second book a try..
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
I like some of the worldbuilding, especially how the magic system gets subjected to scientific experimentation—but the real star here is Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, who reads the audiobook. Not sure if I’ll continue with the series, but I’ll definitely be looking for more of his voice acting work!
The book itself is gripping in the middle, and I like the mentoring relationship developing between Nightingale and Peter. But there’s this weird feeling that all the women in the story are characterized primarily by their sex appeal—almost all of them either fancy the main character, or use seductiveness as a major source of their power. Thenit’s just casually thrown in at the end that Molly survives a rape?? And it kind of gets played for laughs??? That bit really bothered me.
The book itself is gripping in the middle, and I like the mentoring relationship developing between Nightingale and Peter. But there’s this weird feeling that all the women in the story are characterized primarily by their sex appeal—almost all of them either fancy the main character, or use seductiveness as a major source of their power. Then
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The main dude sure did like boobs, huh? Really fun for the most part. 3.5 stars.