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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
IN SHORT: Routine police work but make it magic.
Turns out this is a reread for me as I’ve listened to this book in Russian before. I remember finding it enjoyable if a bit odd back then and, even though I recalled the plot quite well, listening to the original was akin to reading an entirely different book. It would be impossible to preserve the atmosphere it thrives on in translation, I don’t envy the backbreaking task they faced.
Got this one recommended by Little Red as an audiobook read by a narrator they like – and I also recommend it over e-book or printed version, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s performance enriches the atmosphere of a diverse pit London is, giving characters an extra oomph.
We are looking at London and its inhabitants from the perspective of Peter Grant, having an unrestricted access to his thoughts. It’s awkward at times when he loses his head over attractive women but also honest, paying equal attention to his wins and failures, challenging biases he has. I loved that he wasn’t a lonely hero in the book but worked with many other people who often influenced the situation more than him – at the end of the day, he’s a newbie and needs guidance.
The magic system is right up my alley, I enjoyed the combination of magic and science, both following same laws of nature. Peter’s view of it is also refreshing, the way he is drawn to experiment and discover things by himself charmed me. He needs to study relentlessly to succeed in it, too, spending weeks to awaken the very first form and then control it.
I’ve mentioned the awkwardness of having an unrestricted access to Peter’s mind – and it’s a part that got me out of the book at times. It screams “I’ve been written by a man!” from rooftops, what with all the breasts and Peter’s surprisingly outdated view of women. I hope for improvement in this, as we have a diverse cast of powerful women with great potential.
Turns out this is a reread for me as I’ve listened to this book in Russian before. I remember finding it enjoyable if a bit odd back then and, even though I recalled the plot quite well, listening to the original was akin to reading an entirely different book. It would be impossible to preserve the atmosphere it thrives on in translation, I don’t envy the backbreaking task they faced.
Got this one recommended by Little Red as an audiobook read by a narrator they like – and I also recommend it over e-book or printed version, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s performance enriches the atmosphere of a diverse pit London is, giving characters an extra oomph.
We are looking at London and its inhabitants from the perspective of Peter Grant, having an unrestricted access to his thoughts. It’s awkward at times when he loses his head over attractive women but also honest, paying equal attention to his wins and failures, challenging biases he has. I loved that he wasn’t a lonely hero in the book but worked with many other people who often influenced the situation more than him – at the end of the day, he’s a newbie and needs guidance.
The magic system is right up my alley, I enjoyed the combination of magic and science, both following same laws of nature. Peter’s view of it is also refreshing, the way he is drawn to experiment and discover things by himself charmed me. He needs to study relentlessly to succeed in it, too, spending weeks to awaken the very first form and then control it.
I’ve mentioned the awkwardness of having an unrestricted access to Peter’s mind – and it’s a part that got me out of the book at times. It screams “I’ve been written by a man!” from rooftops, what with all the breasts and Peter’s surprisingly outdated view of women. I hope for improvement in this, as we have a diverse cast of powerful women with great potential.
Re-read in 2024 via audiobook. If you are a fan of this series and have not listened to the audiobooks, I highly recommend them. Kobna Holbrook Smith is a fabulous reader who can do an array of accents and voices that make the story even more enjoyable.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Little disappointed by this one. Maybe it’s just because I had high hopes going in.
Story was interesting and had some nice elements and explorations of its magical world that feel like it’s established a fun baseline for the rest of the series to build off.
But everything happened very quickly and there was very little detective work and mystery/suspense built up. I was hoping for more of an investigative detective novel filled with magic but I guess when the main character is canonically quite a shit detective it’s just not what the story wanted to do so maybe it’s my own expectations at fault here.
But also our POV character had quite a leery eye for the ladies, which isn’t inherently bad, but like I didn’t need to know his thoughts about the boobs if every single female character.
Story was interesting and had some nice elements and explorations of its magical world that feel like it’s established a fun baseline for the rest of the series to build off.
But everything happened very quickly and there was very little detective work and mystery/suspense built up. I was hoping for more of an investigative detective novel filled with magic but I guess when the main character is canonically quite a shit detective it’s just not what the story wanted to do so maybe it’s my own expectations at fault here.
But also our POV character had quite a leery eye for the ladies, which isn’t inherently bad, but like I didn’t need to know his thoughts about the boobs if every single female character.
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
Difficult to follow as an audiobook because of the abrupt transitions between scenes and lack of explanation for most magic occurrences. The premise is interesting though
adventurous
funny
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
I always enjoy a good magic based universe in my stories, so to pick up one based on a town I've been too felt amazing, maybe I would be able to picture some of the areas the book takes place in even better in my own mind, or maybe I'll find myself thinking about this book the next time I travel through London, who knows?
I enjoyed Peter's comical approach to all things London and work, and most of his pop culture references are not lost on me, so feeling like I understood the character made the pages fly by. I also enjoy Peter's scientific approach to figuring things out, as I feel it is similar to something I would do myself. On the other hand, Peter certainly has one thing mainly on his mind, and sometimes I feel he could do better to keep his stream of sexual thoughts to himself.
I don't have many criticisms of this book, Peter does enjoy deeply delving into descriptions of London which is a shame because I can't always connect roads and landmarks in my own mind if I haven't seen them before, so some immersion was broken by me trying to figure out basic geography.
I enjoyed Peter's comical approach to all things London and work, and most of his pop culture references are not lost on me, so feeling like I understood the character made the pages fly by. I also enjoy Peter's scientific approach to figuring things out, as I feel it is similar to something I would do myself. On the other hand, Peter certainly has one thing mainly on his mind, and sometimes I feel he could do better to keep his stream of sexual thoughts to himself.
I don't have many criticisms of this book, Peter does enjoy deeply delving into descriptions of London which is a shame because I can't always connect roads and landmarks in my own mind if I haven't seen them before, so some immersion was broken by me trying to figure out basic geography.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No